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Mrs Beeton Herodotus Pudding

Mrs Beeton Herodotus Pudding is a traditional British recipe, based on Mrs Beeton's recipe of 1861, for a classic dessert of a steamed pudding made from a blend of breadcrumbs, figs, beef suet, sugar and eggs that is ultimately derived from a version by Eliza Acton in 1845 of a recipe provided in a description of Egyptian sacrificial practices by the classical Historian, Herodotus. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Mrs Beeton Herodotus Pudding.

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

330 minutes

Total Time:

350 minutes

Serves:

6–8

Rating:

Tags : Beef RecipesBread RecipesDessert RecipesBritish Recipes

This is a traditional British recipe redacted from the redoubtable Mrs Beeton's 1861 volume Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management, the classic Victorian cookbook.

Original Recipe

HERODOTUS PUDDING.
1287. INGREDIENTS.—1/2 lb. of bread crumbs, 1/2 lb. of good figs,
6 oz. of suet, 6 oz. of moist sugar, 1/2 saltspoonful of salt, 3 eggs, nutmeg to
taste.
Mode.—Mince the suet and figs very finely; add the
remaining ingredients, taking care that the eggs are well whisked; beat the
mixture for a few minutes, put it into a buttered mould, tie it down with a
floured cloth, and boil the pudding for 5 hours. Serve with wine sauce.
Time.—5 hours.
Average cost, 10d.
Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons.
Seasonable at any time.

Modern Redaction

Though Mrs Beeton gives no indication as to the origins of this pudding and it's name, it ultimately derives from a recipe for Eliza Acton's Herodotus Pudding.
This is, itself, derived from Herodotus' 'Histories':

Writing about 435 BCE, the Greek writer, Herodotus, (Ηρό͋οτος Hēródotos) [c.484 BCE – c.425 BCE], who has been termed the 'father of history' wrote the following in the second book of his 'Histories' when the sacrifice of kine by the Egyptians:

The disembowelling and burning are, however, different in different sacrifices. I will mention the mode in use with respect to the goddess whom they regard as the greatest, and honour with the chiefest festival. When they have flayed their steer they pray, and when their prayer is ended they take the paunch of the animal out entire, leaving the intestines and the fat inside the body; they then cut off the legs, the ends of the loins, the shoulders, and the neck; and having so done, they fill the body of the steer with clean bread, honey, raisins, figs, frankincense, myrrh, and other aromatics. Thus filled, they burn the body, pouring over it great quantities of oil. Before offering the sacrifice they fast, and while the bodies of the victims are being consumed they beat themselves. Afterwards, when they have concluded this part of the ceremony, they have the other parts of the victim served up to them for a repast.

In effect, in the description above the pudding mixture is cooked in the fat of the inside of the animal's stomach and though the Victorian recipe may look very different, in fact it's not that far away.

Ingredients:

225g fine breadcrumbs
225g fresh figs, finely minced
175g shredded suet (beef is best)
175g moist brown sugar
1/8 tsp salt
3 eggs, beaten
nutmeg, to taste

Method:

Combine the breadcrumbs, figs and suet in a bowl. Stir well to combine then add the salt, eggs and nutmeg. Work the ingredients together until bound by the eggs then turn into a pudding bowl or basin. Cover this with a lid or a sheet of greaseproof (waxed) paper with a plat folded in it to allow for expansion (tie the paper securely down if using). Cover the bowl with a double layer of kitchen foil (again fold a pleat in this). Tie a string around the edge of a bowl then use a piece of string to tie a handle to it.

Set the pudding bowl on a trivet or upturned saucer set in the base of a large saucepan (never set it directly on the bottom of the saucepan). Pour in enough boiling water to come 3/4 of the way up the sides of the pudding basin. Put the pan on the heat and bring to a boil. Cover with a lid and boil for about 5 1/2 hours, or until the pudding is cooked through.


Remove the coverings and invert the cooked pudding onto a serving plate. Serve hot, accompanied by sweet wine sauce.

Find more Mrs Beeton Recipes Here and more Traditional Victorian Recipes Here. For the modern version of this pudding, see the recipe for F3's Herodotus Pudding.