Christmas pudding is a type of pudding served as part of the British Christmas
dinner. It has origins in Medieval England, and is sometimes known as plum pudding,
though this term can also refer to other kinds of boiled pudding involving dried fruit.
Despite the name "plum pudding", the Christmas pudding contains no actual plums
due to the pre - Victorian use of the word "plums" as a term for raisins.
The pudding is traditionally composed of 13 ingredients, symbolizing Jesus and the
twelve apostles, including many dried fruits held together by egg and suet, moistened
by treacle or molasses and flavoured with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves,
ginger and other spices.