# UK Dopers: what is vegetable suet?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-what-is-vegetable-suet/141257>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 8, 2002, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-what-is-vegetable-suet/141257 "2002-12-08T04:35:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\
**Post date:** [December 8, 2002, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-what-is-vegetable-suet/141257/1 "2002-12-08T04:35:39Z")

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OK, I know what regular suet is, but what is the U.S. equivalent of vegetable suet? Some English-to-English translation is called for, as I’m hosting Christmas caroling next week, and have promised to make a real, live figgy pudding from a book I bought in England in March.

Help! Is it like Crisco, which is vegetable shortening? Is it something for which there is a direct equivalent in the U.S.? If not, what would the closest available substitute be? Of should I fall into deep despair that I will never be able to make a real, authentic figgy pudding?

Thanks, and an extra bonus to anyone who shares their own figgy pudding or wassail recipe!

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**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\
**Post date:** [December 8, 2002, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-what-is-vegetable-suet/141257/2 "2002-12-08T04:50:54Z")

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Yeah, I’m guessing Crisco would do it.

You can Google “crisco christmas pudding” and come up with recipes for it.

[http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/Bayou/1134/Christmas\_Pudding.html](http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/Bayou/1134/Christmas_Pudding.html)  
[http://www.geocities.com/NapaValley/4908/xmasrecipes.htm](http://www.geocities.com/NapaValley/4908/xmasrecipes.htm)

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**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [December 8, 2002, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-what-is-vegetable-suet/141257/3 "2002-12-08T23:31:55Z")

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I tend to use vegetarian suet(because it typically has a longer shelf life); it’s little pellets made out of a mixture of hard vegetable fat and rice or wheat flour(or both). Like ordinary suet, this mixes well with the dry ingredients of your recipe and doesn’t need any rubbing in or difficult blending.