Pudding
In the British Isles, and some Commonwealth countries, pudding is the common name for dessert.
Pudding is one of two types of food.
First type
The first type of pudding is a solid mass formed by the mixing of various ingredients with a grain product (e.g., batter, flour, cereal) or another binder (e.g., blood, eggs, suet). Puddings can be cooked by three methods: baking, steaming, and boiling. This type of pudding is still common in various places, especially the British Isles, and can be eaten as either a main-course dish or a dessert. In Australia, pudding is usually used to describe this first type, though the term also may be used to refer to the second type as well. These are less common in the U.S.
Many puddings of this type resemble cakes, but are moister and usually served in chunks rather than slices. Others are types of sausages. Dessert pudding is often accompanied by custard or ice cream.
Boiled pudding was a common main course aboard ships in the British 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 savoury and include such dishes as steak and kidney pudding.
Second type
The second and newer type of pudding consists of sugar and a thickening agent such as cornstarch, gelatin, eggs, or tapioca to create a sweet dessert similar to custard or mousse. This is the most familiar meaning of the term in the U.S. Pudding may be made from scratch or a mix or may be purchased pre-made. The gelatin dessert company Jell-O is the primary producer of pudding mixes and prepared pudding snacks.
Specific types of pudding
First type, savoury
First type, dessert
- Bread pudding
- Bread and butter pudding
- Carrot pudding
- Cheshire pudding
- Chocolate pudding, British Isles and Australasian version
- Christmas pudding ("plum pudding")
- Clootie dumpling
- Duff
- Corn pudding
- Figgy duff
- Figgy pudding
- Fruit pudding
- Hasty pudding
- Jam Roly-Poly
- Rice pudding
- Spotted dick
- Sticky date pudding
- Sticky toffee pudding
- Summer pudding
Second type
- Blanc-mange
- Chocolate pudding, North American and Asian version
- Custard
- Haupia
- Junket
- Mango pudding
- Pudding Pops
- Tapioca pudding
Miscellaneous desserts
In these examples, the word pudding appears to be the British sense meaning dessert, rather than puddings as defined in this article.