Word for Wednesday: Pudding

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Before you tuck in to your Christmas dinner tomorrow, let's look at the not-so-appetizing origins of the word ‘pudding’.

It’s worth noting first the difference in meanings between the American English and British English word ‘pudding’.

In the US, ‘pudding’ now almost exclusively refers to a sweet, soft milk-based dessert usually eaten cold.

In the UK, you can usually take the word ‘pudding’ to mean ‘dessert’ unless referring to a specific savoury dish such as ‘black-pudding’ or ‘Yorkshire pudding’…

The beginnings of the word arose at the turn of the 14th century and the word ‘poding’ which referred to a kind of sausage made using the stomach or entrails of a pig or sheep (yuck!) which was stuffed with mincemeat and seasoning then boiled.

Personally, I much prefer today’s definition and can’t wait to dig into my 'Christmas pud' tomorrow!

Happy holidays from Spellzone!


24 Dec 2014
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