What Is Figgy Pudding? Figgy Pudding vs Christmas Pudding
What is figgy pudding? Figgy pudding is an old English Christmas dish: originally a medieval mix of figs, raisins, honey, almonds and spice, recorded in the 14th century as "fygey". It's seen as an ancestor of today's Christmas pudding. In the West Country, "figgy pudding" meant a raisin or plum pudding, which is the one carol singers ask for.
At a glance
- Fygeythe medieval figgy dish in The Forme of Cury
- 1845Eliza Acton first names a "Christmas pudding"
- 22 NovStir-up Sunday in 2026
- 56.3gcarbs per 100g in CoFID's retail Christmas pudding
On this page
- What is figgy pudding?
- Does figgy pudding contain figs?
- Where did figgy pudding come from?
- Figgy pudding vs Christmas pudding
- Figgy pudding in "We Wish You a Merry Christmas"
- What's in a Christmas pudding today?
- Stir-up Sunday
- How it's served
- Carbs in Christmas pudding and figs
- If you're cutting carbs
- FAQs
- Sources
Every December, carol singers demand it and refuse to leave until they get some. But what is figgy pudding, and is it the same thing as the Christmas pudding on your table? This guide explains where figgy pudding came from, whether it really contains figs, how it became the modern Christmas pudding, why it turns up in a carol, and when to make your pudding this year. If you bake with dried fruit, our guide to the difference between sultanas and raisins is a handy companion.
What is figgy pudding?
Figgy pudding, or fig pudding, is a name for any of many medieval Christmas dishes. Wikipedia describes them as usually sweet or savoury cakes containing honey, fruits and nuts, and notes that in later times rum or other spirits were often added to enrich the fruity flavour.
The best-known early version is a dish called fygey. Food historian Sam Bilton, writing for National Geographic, describes it as a thick, porridge-like mixture of ground almonds, wine, figs, raisins, ginger and honey. She says it looks fairly unappetising to the modern eye, but does actually taste like Christmas pudding.
So figgy pudding is really two things: a medieval fig dish, and a traditional name for the rich fruit pudding that grew out of dishes like it. That second meaning is the one most people have in mind at Christmas.
Does figgy pudding contain figs?
The medieval version did. Figs were common in medieval cooking, in both sweet and savoury dishes, according to Wikipedia, and fygey was made with them.
The carol's figgy pudding probably didn't. Wikipedia's article on "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" explains that in the West Country of England, "figgy pudding" referred to a raisin or plum pudding, not necessarily one containing figs. In other words, "figgy" there simply meant fruity, in the same way "plum" did.
Wikipedia explains that "plum" was once used for what has been called a raisin since the 18th century, so a traditional plum pudding doesn't contain plums in the modern sense of the word.
Where did figgy pudding come from?
Figgy pudding goes back to medieval England. Fygey appears in The Forme of Cury, a late 14th-century collection of recipes that Sam Bilton calls the oldest known English-language cookery book (her timeline dates fygey to 1390). Wikipedia lists several Middle English spellings, including ffygey, fygeye, fygee, figge and figee.
From there, the story is one of slow change:
- Medieval pottage. Dried-fruit porridges like fygey were eaten at all kinds of celebrations, including Christmas. Samuel Pepys wrote of eating "a mess of brave plum-porridge" on Christmas Day in 1662, according to Bilton's timeline.
- A firmer pudding. Recipes for a more solid plum pudding started to appear in cookery books in the early 18th century. Bilton says the pudding cloth changed everything: the mixture was piled onto a buttered, floured cloth, tied into a ball and boiled.
- A Christmas pudding. Wikipedia says a boiled cake of flour, fruit, suet, sugar and spices, topped with holly, became more and more linked with Christmas from the 1830s. Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol (1843) helped, and in 1845 Eliza Acton was the first to call it "Christmas pudding" in her book Modern Cookery for Private Families.
Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management also has two recipes for fig pudding, both made with suet, according to Wikipedia, so fig puddings lived on alongside the plum pudding.
Figgy pudding vs Christmas pudding
Wikipedia puts it simply: figgy pudding is not plum pudding, although it can be considered a precursor to it, and it isn't as rich or as complex. Here's how the medieval dish compares with the modern pudding.
| Medieval fygey | Christmas pudding | |
|---|---|---|
| Era | Late 14th century | Named in 1845 |
| Fruit | Figs and raisins | Raisins, currants, peel |
| Sweetened with | Honey | Sugar |
| Texture | Thick, like porridge | Firm, dense, steamed |
| Fat | None listed | Usually suet or butter |
| Spice | Ginger | Nutmeg, mixed spice |
Fygey from Sam Bilton (National Geographic); Christmas pudding from Wikipedia, BBC Food and BBC Good Food. Recipes vary.
Figgy pudding in "We Wish You a Merry Christmas"
Most people know figgy pudding from the carol, with its lines "Now bring us some figgy pudding" and "We won't go until we get some". Wikipedia says the carol's origin probably lies in an English tradition in which wealthy people in the community gave Christmas treats to carol singers on Christmas Eve, such as figgy pudding that was very like a modern Christmas pudding.
The version we sing today comes from the English West Country. Wikipedia credits the Bristol composer and organist Arthur Warrell with making it popular: he arranged it for his University of Bristol Madrigal Singers, performed it in December 1935 and published it that year as "A Merry Christmas: West Country traditional song". Before that, the famous version was largely unknown outside the West Country.
What's in a Christmas pudding today?
BBC Food describes the Christmas pudding we recognise today as a Victorian dish made from suet, dried fruit, candied peel, breadcrumbs, spices, egg and grated carrots and apples. Wikipedia adds that it's very dark, almost black, because of the dark sugars, black treacle and long cooking time, and that it's often moistened with citrus juice, brandy or dark beer.
Orlando Murrin's classic Christmas pudding for BBC Good Food shows how much fruit goes in. It makes two 1.2-litre puddings and uses:
- 1kg raisins, plus candied peel and two Bramley apples
- 140g plain flour and 100g fresh white breadcrumbs
- 100g light muscovado sugar
- 250g butter, grated in straight from the fridge
- 3 large eggs, chopped almonds, three-quarters of a whole nutmeg and brandy
The puddings are steamed for 8 hours, cooled, rewrapped and stored somewhere cool and dry, then steamed again for an hour on Christmas Day. If you want to know more about the dark syrup that colours many puddings, see our guide to whether black treacle is the same as molasses.
Stir-up Sunday: when to make your pudding
Stir-up Sunday is the last Sunday before Advent, and in 2026 it falls on Sunday 22 November, as the Diocese of Winchester's calendar shows. The name comes from the collect read in church that day in the Book of Common Prayer, which begins "Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people". Wikipedia says the day has become associated with the custom of making the Christmas pudding.
BBC Food says making the pudding then gives it at least a month to mature before Christmas Day. The day comes with its own customs, described by Wikipedia and by Sam Bilton:
- everyone in the family takes a turn to stir and makes a secret wish
- the mixture is stirred from east to west, in honour of the Wise Men
- a wooden spoon is used, as a reminder of the manger
- a silver coin or other trinket may be hidden in the mixture for luck
How figgy and Christmas pudding are served
Wikipedia says the pudding is reheated by steaming, often dressed with warm brandy that's set alight, and decorated with a sprig of holly. It can be eaten with brandy butter or rum butter, cream, custard or ice cream. Sam Bilton notes that no one is quite sure where the flaming custom comes from.
BBC Good Food's recipe flames the pudding by warming 3 to 4 tablespoons of brandy in a small pan, pouring it over the pudding and lighting it. Take care with an open flame, and keep it well away from decorations. For something to pour over it, try our keto custard.
Christmas pudding and mince pies share a history: Wikipedia says that in the 18th century the savoury element of both faded as cooks added more dried fruit and sugar. Read more in our guide to what a mince pie is.
Carbs in Christmas pudding and figs
A traditional pudding is mostly dried fruit, sugar and flour or breadcrumbs, so it's carb-heavy. UK government food composition data (CoFID) gives these figures per 100g:
| Food (CoFID code) | Carbs | Sugars |
|---|---|---|
| Christmas pudding, retail (11-1022) | 56.3g | 46.2g |
| Christmas pudding, homemade (11-1051) | 54.6g | 33.8g |
| Figs, dried (14-092) | 52.9g | 52.9g |
| Figs, semi-dried (14-395) | 43.3g | 43.3g |
| Raisins, dried (14-393) | 62.6g | 62.6g |
Per 100g. Source: CoFID 2021. CoFID has no separate figgy pudding entry.
BBC Good Food's nutrition panel for Orlando Murrin's classic pudding gives 73g carbohydrate and 61g sugars per serving, including its brandy and ginger butter, with each pudding serving 8.
If you're cutting carbs
You don't have to skip the pudding. Our keto Christmas pudding recipe keeps the dark colour, warm spice and splash of brandy, but uses ground almonds, oat fibre and psyllium husk in place of flour and breadcrumbs, keeps the dried fruit modest, and is sweetened with our brown erythritol and stevia blend. It's steamed in a 1-litre basin for 2 hours, makes 8 servings and works out at 4.4g net carbs per serving. Planning a full spread? Our keto Christmas cake uses the same festive flavours.
These are the three Groovy Keto products the pudding recipe uses:
Product details are as shown on each product page. Free delivery on orders over £30. Last order date for Christmas delivery: 18 December 2026.
Traditional Christmas puddings usually contain cereals (flour and breadcrumbs), eggs and often nuts, milk and alcohol. Our keto version contains almonds, walnuts, eggs, milk (butter and cream) and brandy. Always check the full recipe or the pack.
Frequently asked questions
Is figgy pudding the same as Christmas pudding?
Not quite. Wikipedia says figgy pudding is not plum pudding, although it can be considered a precursor to it, and is neither as rich nor as complex. In the carol, though, it means something very close to a Christmas pudding, because in the West Country "figgy pudding" referred to a raisin or plum pudding.
Does figgy pudding have figs in it?
It depends which figgy pudding you mean. The medieval dish fygey, recorded in The Forme of Cury, was made with figs, raisins, ground almonds, wine, ginger and honey. In the English West Country, however, "figgy pudding" referred to a raisin or plum pudding, so the one in the carol didn't necessarily contain any figs.
Why do carol singers ask for figgy pudding?
Wikipedia says the carol probably comes from an English tradition in which wealthy people gave Christmas treats, such as figgy pudding, to carol singers on Christmas Eve. That's why the singers in "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" demand some and say they won't go until they get it. The famous version comes from the West Country.
When should you make a Christmas pudding?
Traditionally on Stir-up Sunday, the last Sunday before Advent, which falls on 22 November in 2026. BBC Food says this gives the pudding at least a month to mature before Christmas Day. Everyone in the family takes a turn to stir the mixture and make a wish, and some families add a coin for luck.
Why is it called plum pudding if there are no plums?
Because "plum" used to mean something else. Wikipedia explains that the word was once used for what we have called a raisin since the 18th century, so plum pudding never contained plums in the modern sense. National Geographic adds that "plum pudding" became a catch-all name for puddings made with prunes, currants and other dried fruit.
Sources
- Wikipedia. Figgy pudding (definition, fygey and its spellings, Mrs Beeton's fig puddings, relation to plum pudding), Christmas pudding (history, Eliza Acton, the meaning of "plum", ingredients, serving, coins) and We Wish You a Merry Christmas (West Country origin, Arthur Warrell, meaning of figgy pudding). Checked 4 November 2026.
- Wikipedia. Stir-up Sunday (the collect, family customs). Checked 4 November 2026.
- Diocese of Winchester. Stir-Up Sunday (date, 22 November). Checked 4 November 2026.
- Sam Bilton for National Geographic. Deconstructing Christmas pudding: secrets of a seasonal staple (fygey, The Forme of Cury, timeline, pudding cloth, Stir-up Sunday customs, flaming). Checked 4 November 2026.
- BBC Food. Christmas pudding recipes (Victorian ingredients, Stir-up Sunday and maturing). Checked 4 November 2026.
- BBC Good Food. Classic Christmas pudding by Orlando Murrin (ingredients, steaming times, flaming, nutrition per serving). Checked 4 November 2026.
- Public Health England / Office for Health Improvement and Disparities. Composition of foods integrated dataset (CoFID) 2021 (codes 11-1022, 11-1051, 14-092, 14-395 and 14-393). Checked 4 November 2026.
- Groovy Keto product pages: Brown Erythritol & Stevia Blend, Oat Fibre and Psyllium Husk Powder (ingredients and pack sizes). Checked 4 November 2026.
