The Proof of the Pudding

They say the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Well, this age-old proverb holds true for all things and persons in life, which also includes pudding.

Pudding is a very common but delicious dessert or savoury dish in the western countries. It has also gained much popularity in India. Our own rice pudding is termed as kheer. Pudding as a dessert is often served with fruits and cream toppings. Though puddings are commonly perceived as desserts, they are also treated as a savoury dish, and have the history of serving as a part of the main meal.

There are various types of puddings, such as Rice pudding, Christmas pudding, Yorkshire pudding, Black pudding, Suet pudding, etc. Yorkshire pudding, black pudding, suet pudding are all savoury versions of pudding. The word pudding is believed to have a French origin; it is derived from the French word boudin, which means small sausage. It is not surprising, because in the medieval Europe, encased meats were used in the puddings. In fact, medieval puddings were mostly meat-based.

The puddings can be baked, steamed and boiled. Here it deserves a mention that boiled pudding was a common main course aboard ships in the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom, during the 18th and 19th centuries.

Short History

It is being claimed by many that the British discovered the pudding in its modern form. However, this claim is not without its share of disputes. The rice puddings from Asia came much before the advent of British puddings. Though typical British pudding (barring rice pudding, which has its origins in Asia), as we know today, found its rightful place in the Victorian England, its origins can be traced to the early 15th century.

During the course of centuries, pudding has gone through considerable transformation. The 17th century English puddings were either savoury (meat-based) or sweet (flour, nuts & sugar) and were generally boiled in special pudding bags. Surprisingly, pudding emerged into the gastronomic scene of Europe not as a dessert, but as a way of preserving meat in the winter.