Unlike the dreaded fruit cake at Christmas (which is actually quite delicious if you’re given a good one), a traditional English pudding is rarely refused. Suet, molasses, some dry ingredients and nutmeg make a pastry dough to which raisins, currants, citrus zest, or dry fruit is added giving the dessert one of its names: Spotted Dick (when you’re done snickering, we can move on).

We can all guess that “spots” refer to the dotting of fruit throughout a pudding that’s been known for hundreds of years. It even has a place in classic literature: Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.  As for the term, “dick,” that’s a bit fuzzier. Etymology resources suggest that in the 19th century, “dick” was understood as an abbreviation for dictionary, a policeman, an apron, a riding whip, and, um, other things, but insofar as the dessert goes, it’s thought that “dick” might be a corruption of the last syllable of pudding, or a corruption of ‘dough’, or even a reference to the German dick, meaning thick or viscous.

In time, Spotted Dick also became a nickname for the Dalmatian. Timid souls can wear any of the wonderful Dalmatian t-shirts available on the Internet, but the more adventurous may opt to wear a Spotted Dick t-shirt. The tamest one we found was here. But we digress.

Most Dalmatians have to wait before being called “Spotted Dicks” with accuracy since puppies are born white and must wait for their spots to come in (though some are born with patches). In that regard, we’re told they have something in common with German Shorthair Pointers which are also born white and without their ticking (except for those that are solid liver).