Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1902-01-30
THE GREAT PLUM PUDDING.
1t is Baked in Proportions to Feed
Whole Parishes.

! Plum pudding is as closely aSSO-
| ciated with an English Christmas as
the holly and mistletoe. No Christ
mas dinner would be complete with
out it. Occasionally we read of mon
ster plum buildings large enough to
feed an entire parish. In the village
of PaigntOn, in DevOnshire, the old
charter provided that on each 5Oth
Christmas day the village should pro
vide plum pudding large enough to
feed all the poor.
In accordance with the provisions
Of that charter, on the first Christmas
Of the 10Th century a pudding was
made which weighed 900 pounds
The ingredients included more than
bushel Of eggs, 120 pounds Of suet
like weight of aisins, and 500
pounds of flour. Such a monster pud-
ding required a good deal Of boiling,
and large brewing copper was utiI-
lied for that purpose. 1t was kept
boiling from Saturday morning to
Tuesday evening, and when those in
charge thought it sufficiently cooked
it was drawn by three horses to the
village green, and there served out
to the people, not only to the poor,
but to every person who liked to par
ticipate. Unfortunately, it had not
been boiled long enough for the heat
had not penetrated to the center Of
the vast mass.
A few years later there was a mons
ter pudding made in Southwark, then
q suburban borough of London. The
pudding was carried through the
streets in procession, headed by a
band, playing alternately Christmas
music and popular tunes.
In 1858 the village OF Paigntown
was connected with civilization by
means Of a railroad and to celebrate
the event, the people, remembering
the old charter, thought well to have
a monster pudding as part of the
festivities. The preparations cost
$225, the ingredients considerably
more. These consisted of coo pounds
Of -four, 400 pounds of raisIns, 1870
pounds of currants, 400 pounds of
suet, 1871 pounds of breadcrumbs, 95
pounds of sugar, 300 lemons. IA nut
megs and $50 quarts of milk Re
Numbering the previous failure, the
persons who undertook the prepara-
ton of the pudding made it in parts.
building it up into the usual round
shape after the cooking had been
done. This pudding weighed nearly
ton and a half and eight horses
were employed to take it to the val
lage green with all BETTING Cere-
mony. Thousands were there to
welcome it.
At a church fair held about 10 years
ago a monster pudding formed part
Of the attraction, 1t was not nearly
so large as the giants just referred to,
though it stood four feet high and
weighed $50 pounds. The ingredients
consisted Of 70 eggs, 81 pounds of
flour. currants and raisins. q pounds
Of sugar, "a pounds Of breadcrumbs,
nine pounds Of mixed spice This
was also boiled in sections aud errec-
ted after being cooked.
In some parts of England the pud-
ding eaten on Christmas day is a year
old, the good wife making enough rud-
ding to last over several family CeIe-
bration days, but reserving one pud-
ding for the following Christmas If
a genuine English pudding is boiled
long enough it groughs richer with
age, hence the custum. Many house
keepers boil them cool until one is
wanted, the selected one being boiled
from four to six hours longer previous
to being placed on the table