It’s National Chocolate Pudding Day! Did you know that dessert puddings can be traced all the way back to the 17th century? During that time, this English “pudding” was actually a very moist cake (similar to a modern-day bread pudding or plum pudding – see food facts, below).
The sweet and creamy confection we know and love today emerged in the mid-19th century when an English chemist named Alfred Bird developed an egg-free custard powder. This remarkable invention made it very easy to produce a delicious pudding with the perfect consistency. Today, pudding is a popular dessert all over the world.
Five Fun Food Facts about Pudding (courtesy Foodimentary.com):
- Originally a British dish, this pudding could be made on very short notice.
- Ingredients vary, but it was basically a sweetened porridge made from flour, tapioca or oatmeal and milk. The term originated in the late 16th century.
- In Colonial America cornmeal was cheaper and more readily available, so here, Hasty Pudding was a cornmeal mush (cornmeal added to boiling water and cooked) with molasses, honey, brown sugar or maple syrup and milk.
- There are both savory and dessert versions of this dish.
- An example of a savory version would be a meat pudding.
Sorry, but none of those options hold a candle to good ol’ American Chocolate Pudding. To celebrate National Chocolate Pudding Day, make your own chocolate pudding for dessert tonight!
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