Christmas Feasts in 1848

I love learning about holiday traditions from generations past and, as a fan of historical fiction, my guess is that you do, too.  With that in mind, I thought I would devote my December posts to some details  from Christmases in the mid 1800s.

On the Tidewater, every levee (party) included raw and cooked oysters and Champaign. In less affluent areas, persimmon and spruce beer were a mainstay. Any Christmas feast included venison, ham, quail, and BBQ suckling pig. Vegetables like succotash, stuffed or creamed tomatoes, and sweet potatoes were common as were beaten biscuits, Sally Lunn bread and spoon bread. Desserts included coconut pies, cakes and puddings (plum or suet), Ambrosia, pecan, chess, mincemeat, and apple pies, wine jelly, and pound cake. To balance it out, there were a lot of liquor punches, toddies, juleps and the like.

If you're feeling adventurous this holiday season, you may want to try your hand at a suet pudding of your own. Here's a delicious recipe that has been modified for modern cooks (it includes baking soda). 

Christmas Suet Pudding

1 cup chopped suet

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 scant teaspoon salt

1 cup molasses

1 cup milk

1 egg

2 cups flour

Combine ingredients, pour into well-greased tin cans or a large loaf pan. Cover securely with foil and place on a small rack in a large pot filled with about an inch of water. Cover pot and steam pudding for 3-4 hours. Make sure your pot doesn't boil dry. The finished "pudding" will actually resemble a moist, dense cake.

Sauce

2 cups sugar

1 cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla with wine or brandy

2 Tablespoons flour

1/4 lb butter

Cream butter and sugar; add other ingredients and cook for several minutes until well blended. Serve hot.