As I write this, snow is falling outside my window, covering the ground with a soft and beautiful layer and definitely making it feel like the Christmas season is upon us. And though I try to ignore them, carols keep playing in my head.
Have you ever heard the song "Here We Come a-Wassailing" and wondered what that meant? Evidently a lot of people have, prompting someone to change the words to “Here We Come a-Caroling.” Wassailing is an old English tradition of going door-to-door, singing and being offered a drink from the wassail bowl in exchange. During the Middle Ages, the wassail was traditionally held on Twelfth Night, or January 6, and the wassailers were peasants who came wassailing at their feudal lords’ doors. The lord of the manor would give food and drink to his peasants in exchange for their blessing and goodwill.
Peasants also wassailed the trees in their orchards, assuring that there would be plenty of fruit in the coming year.
Have you ever heard the song "Here We Come a-Wassailing" and wondered what that meant? Evidently a lot of people have, prompting someone to change the words to “Here We Come a-Caroling.” Wassailing is an old English tradition of going door-to-door, singing and being offered a drink from the wassail bowl in exchange. During the Middle Ages, the wassail was traditionally held on Twelfth Night, or January 6, and the wassailers were peasants who came wassailing at their feudal lords’ doors. The lord of the manor would give food and drink to his peasants in exchange for their blessing and goodwill.
Peasants also wassailed the trees in their orchards, assuring that there would be plenty of fruit in the coming year.
The word "wassail" came to English from Old Norse. Originally, in Old English it was used as the phrase hál wes þú. Hál is related to the word hale, and in hale and hearty, wes is a verb of being, like is or was, and þú is related to you, or thou, the first letter being pronounced as a soft th, so it loosely translates as healthy be you. Eventually this was shortened to wes hál. By 1300, it had become kind of a toast, and then the drink itself, often a warm wine or cider beverage, took on the toast as its name. By 1400, wassail became a verb: wassailing, which meant celebrating.
Over time, this changed, and by the 1600s many people were complaining about rowdy gangs of young men who went door to door demanding drink and food and vandalizing houses when they didn’t get what they wanted. This helps explain the line in “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” when the singers demand “Now, bring us some figgy pudding . . . We won’t go until we get some.”
So, what is figgy pudding? Although sometimes it is called plum pudding or Christmas pudding, it has been a staple in England since the 1300s. Then, word plum didn’t necessarily mean a purple tree fruit; it meant any treat. Thus, when little Jack Horner stuck his thumb into a pie and pulled out a plum, it didn’t mean what we think it means (but that is the subject for another blog!) Plum pudding meant a pudding with good things in it, and often had a mixture of beef or mutton with raisins, prunes, figs, wine, and spices rather like what we now call mincemeat.
When Oliver Cromwell was Lord Protector of England from December 1653 until his death in September 1658, he decreed that all this demanding of food and drink had gotten out of hand and was detracting from the true spirit of Christmas. He banned figgy puddings, wassailing, the singing of carols, and many other Christmas traditions. King George I reinstated Christmas celebrations, thereby earning the nickname “pudding king.”
There are many variations on both wassail and figgy pudding. Here are two that you might want to try.
There are many variations on both wassail and figgy pudding. Here are two that you might want to try.
Wassail
2 quarts apple cider
1 pint cranberry juice
¾ cup sugar
1 tsp aromatic bitters
2 sticks cinnamon
1 tsp whole allspice
1 small orange, studded with 20 cloves
1 cup rum (optional)
Put all ingredients into a crockpot and cook on high for 1 hour or low 4-8 hours, Or put in a saucepan and warm on the stove: do not boil!
1 pint cranberry juice
¾ cup sugar
1 tsp aromatic bitters
2 sticks cinnamon
1 tsp whole allspice
1 small orange, studded with 20 cloves
1 cup rum (optional)
Put all ingredients into a crockpot and cook on high for 1 hour or low 4-8 hours, Or put in a saucepan and warm on the stove: do not boil!
Plum Duff
This is an old family recipe that my mother used to serve. I have no idea why it is called a duff. If you do, I'd love to hear it.
Put in saucepan and melt over medium heat:
½ cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
Beat well, then beat into shortening mixture:
2 eggs
2 cups cooked, mashed prunes
Add and stir:
1 cup flour
Dissolve 1 tsp soda in 1 TBS milk and mix into prune mixture.
Fill greased 8” pudding molds 2/3 full and steam for 1 hour.
Or fill two greased 1 pound coffee cans (do they even make these anymore?) and steam for 1 hour
Or bake in a greased 8” square pan for 20-30 minutes at 350°
Serve with sweetened whipped cream or hard sauce. If you've read this far and don't know what hard sauce is, let me know and I'll provide that recipe to you!
Put in saucepan and melt over medium heat:
½ cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
Beat well, then beat into shortening mixture:
2 eggs
2 cups cooked, mashed prunes
Add and stir:
1 cup flour
Dissolve 1 tsp soda in 1 TBS milk and mix into prune mixture.
Fill greased 8” pudding molds 2/3 full and steam for 1 hour.
Or fill two greased 1 pound coffee cans (do they even make these anymore?) and steam for 1 hour
Or bake in a greased 8” square pan for 20-30 minutes at 350°
Serve with sweetened whipped cream or hard sauce. If you've read this far and don't know what hard sauce is, let me know and I'll provide that recipe to you!
Jennifer Bohnhoff lives in the mountains east of Albuquerque, New Mexico. She is the author of books for middle grade through adult readers, and she wishes each and every one of you wes hál this holiday season.
