Hackin is the fore-runner to the Christmas Pudding. Some reports say that the Victorian Plum or Christmas Pudding is descended from a soup, a plumb pottage, but more probably it is descended from this, far more pudding like recipe … an Hackin. This dish is like a sweetened haggis, boiled, then sliced and fried in lard for Christmas breakfast. The recipe below is from 1763, but it is obvious that this is a well known, and much older dish, from the Cumbrian / Scottish borders.
According to A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles, the word first came into written use in the 1670s and persisted in Cumberland well into the 18th century. It is called and described as an Hackin not a Hackin. This makes an excellent Christmas Breakfast or could be part of the Christmas Dinner ‘trimmings’ alongside the other side dishes, like the apricot and sausage meat stuffing etc.
Related Recipes: You might also like to make a Christmas Pudding using a traditional recipe.
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Original Directions On Making Hackin 1763
The following recipe is from Richard Bradley, The Country Housewife and Lady’s Director. London: 1736.
Sir,
There are some Counties in England, whose Customs are never to be set aside and our Friends in Cumberland, as well as some of our Neighbours in Lancashire, and elsewhere, keep them up. It is a Custom with us every Christmas Day in the Morning, to have, what we call an Hackin, for the Breakfast of the young Men who work about our House; and if this Dish is not dressed by that time it is Day-light the Maid is led through the Town, between two Men, as fast as they can run with her up Hill and down Hill, which she accounts a great shame. But as for the Receipt to make this Hackin, which is admired so much by us, it is as follows.
Take the Bag or Paunch of a Calf, and wash it, and clean it well with Water and Salt; then take some Beef-Suet, and shred it small, and shred some Apples, after they are pared and cored, very small. Then put in some Sugar, and some Spice beaten small, a little Lemon-Peel cut very fine, and a little Salt, and a good quantity of Grouts, or whole Oat-meal, steep’d a Night in Milk; then mix these all together, and add as many Currans pick’d clean from the Stalks, and rubb’d in a coarse Cloth; but let them not be wash’d. And when you have all ready, mix them together, and put them into the Calf’s-Bag, and tie them up, and boil them till they are enough. You may, if you will, mix up withthe whole, some Eggs beaten, which will help to bind it. This is our Custom to have ready, at the opening of the Doors , on Christmas-Day in the Morning. It is esteem’d here; but all that I can say to you of it, is, that it eats somewhat like a Christmas-Pye, or is somewhat like that boil’d. I had forgot to say, that with the rest of the Ingredients, there should be some Lean of tender Beef minced small.
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Hackin Recipe
Tip: make it the night before, steam for 3 hours and then let cool and place in the fridge. On the morning reheat by placing back in the steamer, or turn out the Hackin, slice, and then fry in a frying pan with a little lard. Note:You could put the ingredients into a sheeps stomach, and follow the directions for that.
Recipe Ingredients:
- 250g lean mince beef
- 150g rolled oats
- 100ml milk
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp mixed spice
- 250g currants
- 175g brown sugar
- 3 grated apples, or corred and chopped small
- 100g shredded suet
- grated lemon rind / zest from 2 lemons
Note: We give the recipe as steamed in a pudding basin for convenience, for authenticity you will need – 1 sheep’s stomach or ox secum, ask your butcher in advance for this, cleaned and thoroughly, scalded, turned inside out and soaked overnight in cold salted water.
Recipe Method:
Put everything into a mixing bowl and mix with your hands very well for several minutes. Make sure the mix is even and coated in spices, milk and egg without clumps. It should start to come together and bind into a ball.
Pack the mixture into a large, lightly greased pudding basin, cover it with a double sheet of silicone paper (baking parchment) and a sheet of foil and tie it securely with string (you might need to borrow someone’s finger for this). It’s also a good idea to tie a piece of string across the top to make a handle to lift the pudding in and out of the steamer.
Stand the pudding basin in a steamer or in a deep saucepan on an upturned heatproof plate to raise it off the bottom. Pour in boiling water to come half way up the side of the pudding basin or fill under the steamer in the water compartment.
Bring to simmer, cover with a tight fitting lid and steam for 3 hours, topping up with boiling water from time to time.
If using the sheeps stomach: Spoon the mixture into the sheep’s stomach, so it’s just over half full and packed in very tight. Sew up the stomach with strong thread and prick a couple of times so it doesn’t explode while cooking. Put the hackin in a pan of boiling water (enough to cover it) and cook for 3 hours without a lid. Keep adding more water to keep it covered.
It is important to keep checking the level of the water so that it does not run dry.
When the pudding is steamed let it get quite cold and store in the fridge for the next morning.
On the morningof serving, turn out the Hackin, slice and re heat in a fryingpan with a little lard.
