Pudding most often refers to a dessert, but may also refer to a savory dish.
In the United Kingdom and some Commonwealth countries, pudding refers to rich, fairly homogeneous starch- or dairy-based desserts such as rice pudding and Christmas pudding), or, informally, to refer to any dessert. The word is also used for savory dishes such as Yorkshire pudding, black pudding, suet pudding, and blood pudding.
In the United States, pudding characteristically denotes a sweet milk-based dessert similar in consistency to egg-based custards, though it may also refer other types such as bread and rice pudding.
The word pudding is believed to come from the French boudin, originally from the Latin botellus, meaning "small sausage," referring to encased meats used in Medieval European puddings.
Baked, steamed and boiled puddings
The original pudding was formed by mixing various ingredients with a grain product or other binder such as butter, flour, cereal, eggs, suet, resulting in a solid mass. These puddings are baked, steamed or boiled.
Depending on its ingredients such a pudding may be served as a part of the main course or as a dessert.
Boiled pudding was a common main course aboard ships in the Royal Navy in the 18th and 19th centuries. Pudding was used as the primary dish in which daily rations of flour and suet were prepared.
Suet pudding
Steamed pies consisting of a filling completely enclosed by suet pastry are also known as puddings. These may be sweet or savory and include such dishes as steak and kidney pie.
Creamy puddings
The second and newer type of pudding consists of sugar, milk, and a thickening agent such as cornstarch, gelatin, eggs, rice or tapioca to create a sweet, creamy dessert. These puddings are made either by simmering on top of the stove in a saucepan or double boiler or by baking in an oven, often in a bain-marie. These puddings are easily scorched on the stovetop, which is why a double boiler is often used; microwave ovens are also now often used to avoid this problem and to reduce stirring.
Creamy puddings are typically served chilled, but a few, such as zabaglione and rice pudding, may be served warm. Instant puddings do not require boiling and can therefore be prepared much quicker. Kraft Foods, under its gelatin dessert brand Jell-O, is the primary producer of pudding mixes and prepared puddings in North America.
This is pudding terminology is common in North America and some European countries such as the Netherlands, whilst in Britain egg-thickened puddings are considered custards and starch-thickened puddings called blanc-mange.
List of types of pudding
Savory
Dessert
Non-pudding desserts
In these examples, the word pudding is used in the British sense meaning "any dessert," rather than the specific puddings discussed above.
Cultural references
- The proverb, "The proof of the pudding's in the eating" (often erroneously shortened to "the proof is in the pudding") dates back to at least the 17th century. The 17th Century saying translates .... for whatever the ingredients, let the final-sweet taste alone be judged.
- The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson by Mark Twain reflects the term's use as a metaphor for the gray matter of a fool.
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