Why do Brits call dessert pudding? - Great British Mag (2024)

FAQs

Why do Brits call dessert pudding? - Great British Mag? ›

The reason for using the word 'pudding' instead of dessert is actually based on the British class system. Traditionally, pudding referred to homely and rustic desserts that were commonly eaten by the lower classes, such as spotted dick and rice pudding.

The modern usage of the word pudding to mean a dessert has evolved from the almost exclusive use of the term to describe a savoury dish, specifically those created using a process similar to sausages, where meat and other ingredients in a mostly liquid form are encased and then steamed or boiled to set the contents.

In Commonwealth countries these [North American] puddings are called custards (or curds) if they are egg-thickened, blancmange if starch-thickened, and jelly if gelatin based. Pudding may also refer to other dishes such as bread and rice pudding, although typically these names derive from the origin as British dishes.

As noted by the Oxford dictionary, the term "pudding" means a dessert of creamy consistency but can also be used informally as an insulting term for a person. In its informal sense, it carries connotations that the person is fat and stupid.

Traditional British puddings are usually steamed, baked or boiled desserts, such as Christmas Pudding, Spotted Dick, or Summer Pudding. They're a bit like cake that is steamed so they're very moist, take the shape of the bowl or basin they are cooked in and have a 'close' texture - very unlike traditional fluffy cake.

American puddings are closer to what the Brits would call “custard.” A British pudding is a dish, savory or sweet, that's cooked by being boiled or steamed in something: a dish, a piece of cloth, or even animal intestine.

The Jell-O Americans use for colorful cookout snacks or party shots is called jelly in England, where the delineation between jam, marmalade, and preserves is more commonly understood. In the United States, you may find all of these terms used interchangeably for what is likely jam in the UK.

In the posh parts, they`re called cumbercues. The famous actor Benedict Cumberbatch`s family were the original growers of it. The first lot were called Cumber`s batch, hence the surname. Up north, the Geordies and Scousers call them green dild*es.

If you want a bag of what Americans call 'chips' in the UK, just ask for crisps.

In the US, what us Brits call a biscuit, Americans would call a cookie - whilst an American biscuit is something resembling a British scone…

Do posh people say pudding or dessert? ›

A pudding usually is a dish of more homely or rustic. A dessert is lighter and more sophisticated, such as chocolate mousse. However, the word Dessert is rarely used by the British upper class. Some fine restaurants and private clubs would use Pudding to refer to the sweet course.

While the dish has been known as black pudding for centuries, blak podyngs having been recorded c. 1450, a number of dialect names have also been used for the dish, such as black pot (in Somerset), and bloody pot.

It has its origins in medieval England, with early recipes making use of dried fruit, suet, breadcrumbs, flour, eggs and spice, along with liquid such as milk or fortified wine.

In British English, crackers are sometimes called water biscuits, or savoury biscuits.

A Biscuit (U.S.) Is a Scone (U.K.)

Both baked goodies use flour, fat, liquid and a leavening agent. The main differences are that scones tend to have less butter (because you'll add butter to it when you eating it — or else, clotted cream or jam) while American biscuits tend to have more butter and light layers.

So, the humble apple crumble clinched the top spot, pipping Vicky sponge to claim the title as the UK's favourite dessert. And who could blame Brits for being besotted by this classic British pud?

Class Makes a Bit of Difference

Though many don't like to admit it, using the term "pudding" or "dessert" in the U.K has connotations of class. Using "dessert" is thought to be posher than a homely pudding.

In the UK, what Americans know as pudding might be called custard or simply dessert. Furthermore, Brits enjoy a variety of sumptuous desserts that mirror the texture and taste of American pudding, such as blancmange or the layered delight known as trifle.

It's worth stating that most foreigners outside the UK think of a sweet, soupy, dessert when they hear the term "pudding"; however, Yorkshire pudding gets the second part of its name because centuries ago in England, puddings were a sausage-like meal that was not water-based and was solid.