Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Spotted what? Odd English Food of the Day




So, after reading the Princess Anne entry, perhaps I should point out it was Katie who made that trip--I only get giggly over Prince William. He's soooo cute. (Ok, end of UK teenage girl impression).

In any case, for those who get this blog by email, I wonder if this entry will survive your filters.

Pudding seems to be a general term for dessert here (except when it's black pudding, which means blood sausage).

There are two types of pudding (italicized stuff stolen and adapted from Wikipedia):

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.... Many puddings of this type resemble cakes, but are moister and usually served in chunks rather than slices. 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 adn 19th centuries. Pudding was used as the primary dish in which daily rations of flour and suet were prepared.

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.


So, the whole reason for this entry is because I took juvenile delight in learning that a popular pudding is known as Spotted Dick. (more adapted Wikipedia here):

Spotted Dick is a suet pudding (steamed pies consisting of a filling completely enclosed by suet pastry--fillings can include steak and kidney!), containing dried fruit, usually currants. The dessert is especially popular in the United Kingdom, usually served either with custard or with butter and brown sugar. Spotted refers to the currants (which resemble spots), and dick may be a corruption of the word dough. It is also known as Spotted Dog, Plum Bolster, and Spotted Richard.

For trivia buffs out there, French cyclist Richard Virenque's nickname is "spotted dick", due to his record seven polka dot jersey wins at the Tour de France.

I wonder what US desserts sound odd to the UK: mud pie, rocky road....?

I now return you to your UK royalty updates.
--john