In the U.K. at one time "pudding" was an generic term for dessert, or afters I think that this generic usage is dying out. 'though just a few years ago I encountered a British couple eating ice cream in a shady spot outside a restaurant in Vietnam. The woman said "we're having our pudding".
A wide array of very different foods are called pudding.
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| Yorkshire Pudding (should be eaten straight out of the oven while it is still hot |
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| Sticky Toffee Pudding (unhealthy but delicious!) |
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| Rice Pudding (so good!) |
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| Black Pudding (or Blood Pudding). Our Mum would never serve this, but in my later years I have grown to like it (in moderation) |
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| Steak and Kidney Pudding (made with a suet based pastry). I like it more than the more familiar Steak and Kidney Pie. Most likely not often made in the U.K. these days. |
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| Steak and Kidney Pie. Oh so delicious,'though most Americans blanch at the thought of eating kidney. |
On Thursday last I was listening to a panel of pundits on the WAMU/NPR programme called
IA ( a clever reference to the First Amendment to the American Constitution.
The wiseacres droned on and an as they opined on some political plan or other. They wondered if it would work. With an air of assurance one of them said
"Of course, the proof is in the pudding".
I wanted to stop my car and scream (I exaggerate!).
No, no, the proof may be in the Whiskey, but it is not in the Pudding. The panelist was misquoting this:
The proof of the pudding is in the eating".
In other words, you do not know if the pudding is good until you eat it.
(Or you do not know if a plan is good until you try it out).
Here's hoping for some Steak and Kidney Pudding when I visit England later this year.
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