Spam Just Dropped A Figgy Pudding Inspired Flavor For The Holidays

What is a figgy pudding anyway, and what does it taste like? The holiday treat of caroling fame is a bit of a misnomer, especially for Americans. For one thing, it contains no figs. According to NPR, the dish, sometimes called a plum pudding, takes its name from plum. Not the fruit we're familiar with, though — back then, NPR notes "plum" was "a pre-Victorian generic term for any type of dried fruit, but most specifically, raisins." As far as pudding is concerned, Americans may be surprised by what they're served if they order this dish in a restaurant. We think of pudding as a creamy, semi-solid dessert or custard, but to the Brits, pudding simply means dessert. And in this instance, it refers to a specific type of dessert that doesn't otherwise exist in America: a dense, steamed fruit cake.

A traditional recipe calls for 13 ingredients. As it is a centuries-old Christmas recipe, those 13 ingredients stand for Jesus Christ and his 12 apostles. That sprig of holly you've seen on the top of countless photos isn't just to add a little holiday cheer, it's to represent the "crown of thorns." However, more modern recipes may have as many or as few ingredients as get the job done as celebrants modernize, and may even include actual figs (via Food Network). But whatever you put in it, baking — or rather, steaming — a homemade figgy pudding is still a considerable undertaking. Fortunately, Spam is on hand with its limited-edition Spam Figgy Pudding to make the process as easy as popping the lid on a can.

Now, before we get too ahead of ourselves here, the Spam Figgy Pudding isn't a one-for-one swap for the brandy-soaked steamed sweet. Spam's new seasonal offering is still Spam. It's a blend of sweetened ham, fruit, and spices, perhaps more akin to mincemeat, another holiday food of old (via Farmer's Almanac). Spam suggests slicing it thinly, browning for a few minutes in a skillet, and using it to build the perfect charcuterie board. Spam Figgy Pudding includes warm notes of nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice as well as fruity notes of fig and orange, per a press release.

The brand's team also created an animated short to explain what figgy pudding is, as their research showed that only 69% of consumers were familiar enough with the dish to say what it was and only 17% had tasted the holiday delicacy before. In the animated short, "We Wish You a Figgy Christmas," a whole cast of holiday figures, including Santa, reindeer, elves galore, a yeti, and a soon-to-be holiday ham gather in a snowglobe to carol and attempt to explain to the audience (and each other) what exactly figgy pudding is. They settle on "[...] it's some kind of holiday treat. From yesteryear," with an elf suggesting, "Maybe it's like a spread?" and Santa chiming in "Or a tasty fruit schmear?" Whatever it is, they wish you a figgy Christmas and Spamtastic New Year. This limited-time offering is available from Spam.com, Amazon.com, and Walmart.com.