Pudding is a creamy-textured dessert, almost always sweet in flavor, and has been the delight of gourmets for many centuries. It belongs to that genre of desserts that come in limitless variations, all with their special charm.

From classic vanilla custard to exotic durian pudding, there is pudding for every palate out there.

A Brief History of Pudding

Pudding traces its origins to ancient Rome when the major constituent ingredients were grains and milk to make a dish called puls. With time, the simple recipe changed to include many other ingredients such as eggs, sugar, and spices. Puddings during the Middle Ages were also prepared in bags of cloth, which is the probable reason behind the term "pudding."

The Many Faces of Pudding

Custard pudding is probably the most understandable form of pudding-aaa dessert made with milk, eggs, sugar, and flavorings such as vanilla or chocolate. Custard puddings can be consumed hot or cold. Bread pudding is a comfortable dessert wherein bread is soaked into custard mixture mostly with raisins or other fruits.

Rice Pudding: Very creamy dessert, rice, milk, sugar, and spices are used in its making. Rice pudding can be consumed both hot and cold. Very often, it is served with a dollop of whipped cream or possibly with honey.

Tapioca Pudding: A smooth and chewy dessert made from tapioca pearls cooked in milk or coconut milk. Tapioca pudding can be flavored with vanilla, mango, or other fruits.

Chocolate Pudding: Chocolate, milk, and eggs come together to make a very dense dessert. It is usually served with whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream. Classic Vanilla Custard Pudding

Ingredients:

2 cups milk

4 large egg yolks

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

In a medium saucepan, the following items need to be whisked together milk, egg yolks, sugar, and salt.

Cook, stirring over medium heat, until the mixture thickens to the point where it coats the back of a spoon. This will take about 5-7 minutes.  

Saucepan off heat, and stir in vanilla extract.

Now, pour the custard into a serving bowl and let it cool before serving.

Lykkers: A Place for Pudding Lovers

But being a pudding lover, have had an equal share of communication with the members of Lykkers: people avid for pudding in all ways, shapes, and forms introduce us to various recipes and types of puddings that were never heard of. Through these online discussions and exchanges of recipes, we have managed to develop an online community of people who share in the pleasure of this delightful dessert.

Be it for a pudding gourmet or for one who has just started to like the different variants of this dessert, one thing is sure: pudding can offer something for everybody. Why not give in and relish that bowl of your favorite pudding with a sweet symphony of flavors?