NATIONAL VANILLA PUDDING DAY
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NATIONAL VANILLA PUDDING DAY
We recognize National Vanilla Pudding Day on May 22 and use it as an excuse to enjoy a delicious dish of cold, creamy vanilla pudding.
#VanillaPuddingDay
The puddings we enjoy as desserts today are not what was commonly known as pudding at ancient dinner tables. Most medieval puddings were meat-based and seasoned with herbs and spices. Even sweetened cooks usually served them hot. Toward the end of the 18th century, people more than likely made puddings from grains or day-old bread with nuts, fruit, or meats. They used these puddings to stretch meals for a large family.
Necessity may be the mother of invention, but spouses who are chemists are the inventors. When you are Alfred Bird and your wife is allergic to eggs, that is very true. In 1837, Bird invented an egg-free custard powder using flavored cornstarch. The creamy pudding we are more familiar with today is related to the custard, minus the eggs.
My-T-Fine produced the earliest packaged pudding in the United States in 1918. This and other puddings like them still required cooking on the stove. The instant version came along in the mid-1940s. On its own or as an ingredient in a larger recipe, pudding can be enjoyed in various flavors.
HOW TO OBSERVE VANILLA PUDDING DAY
You can celebrate by enjoying vanilla pudding on its own or making another dessert. A few suggestions include:
Layer fresh fruit and pound cake to make a trifle.
Poke holes in a cake and pour the pudding over the top to make a poke cake.
Use vanilla pudding to make a parfait.
Make a pudding pie.
What are your favorite ways to use vanilla pudding? Share your recipes using #VanillaPuddingDay to post on social media.
NATIONAL VANILLA PUDDING DAY HISTORY
National Day Calendar continues researching the origins of this dessert holiday.