Rice pudding, banana pudding, chocolate pudding….the list of sweet and delicious pudding options is endless! But although most of us think of dessert when we hear the word pudding, it really depends where you are in the world. Puddings actually originated as meat-based meals in medieval times and this type of savory pudding is still very popular in the UK. The popular steak and kidney pudding is one such dish that I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t want to serve for dessert!
There are a few different theories about where the word “pudding” originated from, but the most common theory is that its derived from the French term “boudin”, which is often used to refer to sausage. This isn’t too far-fetched a theory since many British puddings are strangely sausage-like. British Christmas pudding is a mixture of dried fruit, nuts, suet/butter, flour, eggs, alcohol, and spices, and up until the 20th century it used to be wrapped in cloth and left to dry for weeks or months – like a sausage!
Yorkshire pudding is a baked pudding that’s made from a batter consisting of eggs, flour, milk or water and typically served with beef. This is a very common side dish in the UK but it also has an American version which you may know as popovers!
Both use the same batter, and the only difference is that popovers are baked in individual molds and coated with butter, whilst yorkshire pudding is traditionally cooked in beef drippings using the pan a piece of beef has previously been roasted in.
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Blood pudding is a type of sausage that’s especially popular in Ireland and the UK where it’s known as black pudding. It’s made from pork blood with pork fat or beef suet and a cereal such as oatmeal, oat groats vs barley groats. This type of pudding definitely isn’t a good idea for dessert!
Figgy pudding is an infamous Christmas Carol dish straight from Charles Dickens himself! Figgy pudding is a type of Christmas pudding that’s been around for centuries. If you want to try it, give my Grandma Marion’s Christmas Pudding recipe a try.
This is a dense, rich pudding that’s typically made with flour, suet, and other dried fruit. Although, it doesn’t actually have to contain figs at all!
Tapioca pudding is one of the best comfort foods there is. This creamy treat is made with tapioca and either milk or cream, and it can be served hot or cold. As simple as that sounds, this is a timeless dessert that has stayed popular throughout the ages!
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