Pudding

Pudding is a type of food that can be a dessert or a savoury dish. In the United States, pudding usually means a sweet, milk-based dessert. It is similar to egg-based custards, instant custards, or a mousse. These sweet puddings are often made thicker using cornstarch or gelatin.

In places like the United Kingdom, Ireland, and some other Commonwealth countries, pudding can mean both sweet and savoury foods. Savoury puddings include dishes such as Yorkshire pudding and black pudding. Sweet puddings in these areas include treats like sticky toffee pudding and tapioca pudding.

The idea of pudding has changed over time. In America, the word pudding used to mainly describe savoury dishes made by steaming or boiling meat and other ingredients. Over time, it came to mean mostly sweet desserts. Today, whether pudding means a sweet treat or a savoury dish depends on where you are in the world.

Etymology

The word pudding likely comes from the French word boudin, which means a type of sausage. Over time, the meaning of "pudding" changed. In the 13th century, it referred to a dish made from animal parts mixed with other ingredients. Later, it came to mean a sweet or savory dish made with milk, eggs, and flour, often cooked by boiling, steaming, or baking.

Savoury and sweet

The word pudding originally described a savoury dish made by cooking meat and other ingredients in a liquid. Famous examples of these savoury puddings include black pudding and haggis. Other savoury puddings are steak and kidney pudding and some kinds of suet pudding.

Today, pudding most often means a sweet dessert. In many parts of the world called the Commonwealth, dessert puddings are rich foods like rice pudding or treacle sponge pudding, often served with dried fruits, especially around Christmas. In the United States and parts of Canada, pudding usually refers to a sweet dessert made with milk, ingredients like cornstarch, tapioca, or gelatin. These are different from the Commonwealth terms for similar foods, which may be called custards, blancmange, or jelly depending on their texture. Other popular puddings include bread pudding.

History

One of the earliest mentions of pudding is in Homer's Odyssey. This described a special kind of pudding made from a pig's stomach. This type is still known today as black pudding, a kind of blood sausage popular in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Another early recipe for pudding comes from a 10th-century Arabic cookbook. This dish, called asida, was a thick pudding made from dates and butter. Over time, different cultures added their own ideas to puddings, using local ingredients like barley flour or argan oil.

In the United Kingdom, the word "pudding" can mean either a sweet or savoury dish, but it most often means a dessert. Puddings became especially popular from the 1600s onward, when people started using special cloths to shape and cook them. This made puddings easier to prepare and they became a common treat for many families.

Types

See also: List of puddings

The word "pudding" can mean many kinds of food. It started as a dish made by mixing things like grain, flour, eggs, or suet, and then baking, steaming, or boiling it. These puddings could be eaten as part of a meal or as a sweet dessert. Some savoury puddings are Yorkshire pudding and steak and kidney pudding, while sweet ones include bread pudding and Christmas pudding.

Today, some puddings are creamy desserts made from sugar, milk, and something to thicken them, like cornstarch or gelatin. These are often cooked on the stove or in the oven, and they are usually served cold. Examples are rice pudding, banana pudding, and mousse.

Cultural references

The phrase "The proof of the pudding is in the eating" comes from old times. Famous writer Miguel de Cervantes used it in his book The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote. Another famous story, Pudd'nhead Wilson, by Mark Twain, uses "pudding" in a fun way.

An beloved Australian children’s book, The Magic Pudding, written by Norman Lindsay, tells the story of a magical pudding named Albert. The rock band Pink Floyd also used pudding in their song "Another Brick in the Wall".