Hasty pudding

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Hasty pudding is a simple dish made by cooking grains in milk or water until it becomes a thick porridge or pudding. In the United States, the term usually refers to a cornmeal version called Indian pudding.

Origin and early forms: In Britain, hasty pudding has been eaten since at least the 1500s. The English version used wheat flour cooked in boiling milk or water until thick, a staple for centuries. The earliest printed recipes appear in the 17th century, such as in The Accomplisht Cook by Robert May, with versions that mix flour, cream and dried fruit; a boiled pudding; and another with grated bread, eggs and sugar. Later writers used the word to mean batter or oatmeal porridge as well.

American adaptation: English colonists brought hasty pudding to North America and changed it. Without wheat, they used cornmeal and added milk instead of water. They sweetened it with molasses or maple syrup and added butter, eggs, spices, raisins or nuts. The mixture was baked slowly for hours, creating a smoother texture like custard. This cornmeal pudding came to be called Indian pudding.

Today and related foods: Indian pudding is a traditional New England dessert, especially in autumn and around Thanksgiving. It was very common in old cookbooks but declined in the 20th century with the rise of mass-made puddings. It’s still served warm, sometimes with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Related dishes include grits in the American South and polenta in Italy, both corn-based porridges. The connection to hasty pudding comes from the shared use of cornmeal and slow cooking.

Notes: The dish had many names and variations in history, including references such as nasaump. Slow cooking and stirring to prevent lumps were important in old recipes.