Sunday Reflection-Pudding
While other minds ponder great intellectual or philosophical pursuits, mine gets hung up on how a unique word like ‘pudding’ can mean so many different things.
I was at the supermarket when my thoughts began to wander. I was standing in the meats section…bacon, sausages, things like that…and my eyes landed on the pudding.
You know, the black and white kind.
Well, more like bloodish-brown and deathly-gray.
The kind that’s fried and served with a full Irish breakfast.
The kind that’s made of unknown leftover animal bits.
The kind that, in my opinion, is rather revolting.
So why in the world, I wonder, did they decide to call it ‘pudding?’
In my North American frame of reference, pudding is a lovely custardy dessert. And if you really love your kids, you will make it on the stovetop…from scratch. But if you’re more of a modern mother, you’ll open the familiar little Jell-O brand box, add milk, stir, refrigerate, and you’re kids will make short work of it.
However, if you’re sitting next to my posh English friends, you might hear them say, ‘Mummy, what are we having for pudding?’ They aren’t asking if there’s a custardy concoction coming soon, rather they’re asking what’s for dessert. So how did the word pudding come to stand for all sweet things following dinner?
Illustration of ‘pudding’ from Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management, 1861
And yet, if you’re sitting somewhere in the British Isles during the Christmas season, you will more than likely see a Christmas pudding on the table topped with ever present brandy butter or rum sauce. If you’re lucky, it will be set alight. And if you’re really lucky, as we were, you may see someone’s sleeve catch on fire. Anyway, how did a goopy, underdone cake come to be called a pudding?
And then there’s Yorkshire pudding…more of a pancake gone wonky. Surely a quick internet search will clear things up.
Sadly, Wikipedia isn’t troubled by the vast differences in what makes a pudding a pudding and is rather all-inclusive to incorporate them all. How politically correct of them to quite simply outline it like this…!
3.1 Baked, steamed and boiled puddings
3.1.1 Savoury
3.1.2 Dessert
3.2 Creamy puddings
They also say the word pudding probably comes from the French boudin via the Latin botellus, meaning “small sausage,” referring to encased meats used in Medieval European puddings.
So as I look at the little-meaty-remnants-encased-to-make-a-sausage, I realise that these represent the original intent of what it means to be a pudding. Sigh. I just can’t accept that. And when I’m feeling the need should I say I’m going to rip open a little box of Jell-O-brand-chocolate-creamy-custardy-dessert-mix?
Nope…just gotta call it pudding.
so, what did you have for pudding?
17 Feb 2008 at 7:50 am
I’ve decided that I’m probably too much of a Californian to ever be able to relate to the whole ‘pudding’ thing, so I just try and say “chocolate pudding” if I’m actually going to say it.
Oh, and the Californian bit? Mean I make mine with tofu…
I know. Shudder. But it’s really good, tastes like the stuff you make on the stovetop, and I can pretend it’s good for me that way!
17 Feb 2008 at 10:35 am
No wonder that word has left me confused at times.
I have been reading here for a while, and find your word and pictures inspiring. Therfore I want to give you an ‘You make my day award’.
17 Feb 2008 at 10:39 am
Heh — for awhile whenever I’d watch Nigella Lawson I’d wonder, “What is it with her and pudding?” thinking the custard kind. “No one like pudding every single night of the year…”
17 Feb 2008 at 2:14 pm
“While other minds ponder great intellectual or philosophical pursuits, mine gets hung up on how a unique word like ‘pudding’ can mean so many different things.” I don’t know, after hearing your excellent points about it, I’d say you’ve hit on one of the mysteries of the universe. Definitely worth pondering.
18 Feb 2008 at 4:33 am
If the Xmas pudding you had was like underdone, gloopy cake, someone served you some seriously bad Xmas pudding. What a shame!
My personal pudding catalogue separates “Pudding: Steamed” from “Pudding: From a Mix” and “Pudding: Sweet Dessert But Not Steamed or From a Mix”. Black pudding is also known - less romantically - as blood sausage, and that’s how I think of it - and why I don’t eat it!
18 Feb 2008 at 1:59 pm
Nice to have found you. We were having dinner with my in-laws last night — my mother-in-law was an English war bride—-and we were talking about pudding. She said that when she first came to the United States she was very confused since her experience with pudding was quite different! I wrote about her here:
http://fromskilledhands.com/2007/09/29/my-mother-in-laws-hands/
18 Feb 2008 at 3:39 pm
I find really fascinating to read about those cultural things, especially about food. What I can say about pudding for French people is that we don’t have some
even if the word apprently comes from “boudin”. And believe me, a “boudin” is not only a small sausage but a blood sausage ! 
18 Feb 2008 at 7:00 pm
I loved this. I’ve often wondered about about this very issue, but have never wondered while near a computer or equally useful source of information. Glad to know there are other people like me pondering life’s truly perplexing issues.
21 Feb 2008 at 5:22 am
And if you happen to fair from the southern parts of the United States, a shortened form of the word, ‘puddin’, is a term of affection.
01 Mar 2008 at 6:35 pm
Oops! And I really do know the word should have been “fare” not “fair”. :-p
01 Mar 2008 at 6:36 pm