Pride & pudding: de geschiedenis van de Britse pudding : hartig en zoet

by Regula Ysewijn

De geschiedenis van de Britse pudding hartig en zoet

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Food and Drink, Cooking, Nonfiction, History

Hardcover

First published October 12, 2015

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

No matter where I travel, I really feel that puddings are something that the British do really well (dare I say, best) and so I was keen to read this history of British puddings – both savoury and sweet. If you can, do buy the paper copy of this book – this hardback is a thing of beauty and is designed like a Mrs Beeton’s cookbook. Indeed, it is much more than a cookbook, as it combines history with delicious recipes and is a joy to read, as well as offering many tempting treats to try yourself.

Each recipe included contains the original recipe and the historical background. This book is written by a ‘Flemish girl,’ in her own words. However, her love for British food; for the traditions and history involved, shines through every page. As the medieval proverb says, “All the proof of a pudding is in the eating…” so, if you enjoy cooking then this will certainly appeal to you. This includes Boiled and Steamed puddings, Baked puddings, Batter puddings, Bread puddings, Jellies, milk puddings and ices, plus Master recipes.

The photography is stunning and, if you are interested in the history of food, this is an enjoyable to read as to cook from. This would make a brilliant present for any foodie in your life – but do buy yourself a copy too. It really is too tempting not to.

[Lana Svitankova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Розкішне, буквально розкішне видання, яке не лише приємно мати, але й дає неочікуваний глибинний підхід до того, що таке пудинг, у всіх його формах і історіях.

[Sammm · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read the ebook edition and it was awesome, but I'm also additionally adding this hardcover edition to my shelf as to-read, why? Because I SOOOOOOOOO want a physical copy of this brilliant book! If there's a giveaway, I am NOT missing out!

(Updates: I now do own the hardback edition <3 though unfortunately I won't have time to review it anytime soon.)

The images below are from the page about the book on Author Regula Ysewijn's official website (source)





Seriously! Just look at them!

Don't get me wrong, the ebook edition is nice enough in its own way, and I suppose I would have been content with it... had I not come across what the printed edition looked like.

My copy of the ebook does not scale the images accordingly, resulting most of the images sliced into two pieces.

[Giulia Scarpaleggia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pride and Pudding is a sensitive, passionately researched, beautifully written, stunningly photographed, warm, witty book. Regula's photos and writings are perfectly complemented by her husband Bruno's illustrations.
You learn interesting recipes, you discover facts and anecdotes about British history and, not less important, you have a collection of tempting recipes to try. They are authentic and true to their origins, a window open in a past time when there were no ovens, fridges, electric blenders. Regula opens your eyes on ingredients and techniques, giving you all the instruments to reproduce those recipes at home, to your satisfaction.

[Robin Kobayashi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I purchased this ebook a year ago. Since then I have frequently referred to it, not just for Regula Ysewijn's beautiful photographs, but because of her historical research into puddings. When I write historical fiction, including Regency Era fiction, I have referred to British puddings several times, and thanks to Ysewijn, I can describe them accurately. This book is a must have for anyone who is interested in the history of British food - here, puddings.

[Stuart · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the picture of the cover I was expecting a nice pamphlet on the subject of British puddings.

I received a 368 page scholarly treatise on the history of pudding. I received a 368 page funny, entertaining, detailed list of cracking historical and contemporary sweet and savoury puddings interspersed with hilarious anecdotes.

If you like desserts, if you like puddings, this book deserves a place on your bookshelf. Cannot recommend it highly enough.

[Hilary · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've recently noticed that any recently published books I have reviewed that I have given a low rating for has been hidden, this one comes beneath a two star review despite having 22 likes and yet I am told this is just a coincidence.

If you're looking for a book about meat puddings, then this may well be a five star read for you. I rarely eat puddings but I love making them for others. I understand that traditional puddings were often made with lard or gelatin and these are easily replaceable but I would guess about half of these puddings are made purely of meat. I've obviously heard of black pudding but haven't heard of the others, seems almost as though purely meat puddings have been included for a shock value.

What made this more bizarre were some strange illustrations for each chapter, a young women in her underwear riding a swan, a red eyed, sinister looking child with a severed pigs head on her head....

It's a pity that this was so meat orientated because I really enjoy historical detail and traditional, regional dishes.

[Aurélie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much! The old fashion design is great, the illustrations are lovely, the photos are amazing. So much care and hard-work were poured into this book!
And the recipes are so good. Really well explained, easy to follow and what you see is what you get. I love the explanations and I learned a lot! A really good surprise!

[Pixie Unger · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ones I have tried are good recipes. Mostly I bought it to read. The history is interesting. It's pretty, which sounds flip but in a cookbook pictures are important.

[OvercommuniKate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this cookbook and I am so grateful to have received it as a gift from a friend! I think it would make a perfect gift for any Anglophobe or pudding-lover.

Recipes - I skipped the Haggis, Hog, Dripping, and Black pudding recipes. I figure we can eat those when we go to Edinburgh and York. I don't need to figure out how to smuggle sheep lung into the USA or ruin my oven with drippings. Other than those ~6 recipes, I made everything else (which is roughly 75 recipes)!

I substituted almonds anytime apricot kernels were called for in a recipe. Even though apricot kernels are legal in the USA, I prefer not to take the risk of cyanide poisoning.

All of the recipes worked and most tasted good. A few of the meat recipes were disgusting: the British's fascination with nutmeg with meat during the Napoleonic war is so foreign to my Southwestern USA tastebud it just tastes bad. Christmas spices only belong in hot drinks or fruit pies. #america. I also messed up a few of the breadcrumb based dishes but that's on me, I used the wrong bread.

Organization - Very well organized! Did notice a typo on the Syllabub recipe where "lemon" is in the description instead of "sherry" while "sherry" is listed in the ingredient list.

Interestingly, the "basic" recipes are in the back while in other cookbooks, they tend to put puff pastry and sauces in the front. I like this choice! The sections are well organized and the index is great, they even index the photos.

Text - I really appreciate the detail in sources and description of variations. The details of which century and creation of each recipe adds necessary historical details.

One of the most fascinating things is how cyclical food trends are. Jelly dishes were popular in the early 1400s, 1590s, 1720s, 1860s, and 1950s. Based on this, I expect aspic and jelly creations to become popular again in 2200s!

Photographs Wonderful photos of finished products and a few "in process" photos.

What I Made

- Rice Pudding (solid rice dish)
- Pease Pudding (mint hummus!)
- Cabbage Pudding (this was gross. ground meat with cabbage steamed is fine in buns sometimes, but it's not my favorite, but here the historic spices is off-putting to my American taste.)
- Hackin Pudding (disgusting. Mine turned out exactly like the photo but Christmas flavorings with meat is just wrong. Very wrong.)
- Beef Pie (I love myself a pot pie in any form)
- Plain Suet Dumplings (great)
- Oxtail Soup (great but I made too much as I normally do with soup)
- Carrot Jam (I thought this worked, roommate was unconvinced. As the author mentions, it goes bad really fast)
- Toad-in-the-hole & Yorkshire Pudding
- Plum Pudding
- White Pudding
- Rice Pudding in Skins
- Sussex Pond Pudding (lovely! Wasn't quite sure if it would work but it's like a cake apple pie empanada cross)
- Quaking Pudding with Sak Sauce and Raspberry Vinegar
- Plum Duff
- Castle Pudding (beautiful. But also the most American like)
- Cabinet Pudding (too boozy which is my fault)
- Spotted Dick (I learned my lesson and this was the perfect booze and spice level)
- Treacle Sponge Pudding
- Sticky Toffee Pudding
- War & Peace Pudding (this was part of my breadcrumb missteps so this was gross but was certainly my fault)
- Jam Roly-poly (like a version of pop tarts and went better than my attempt at a Swiss roll)
- Sambocade (egg whites, elderflower, rosewater, and cheese curds sounds wild but it worked! I would never make this again but it's fascinating combo)
- Daryols (this worked and feels like a proto-ice cream cone, but would never make again as we have ice cream cones now and I don't like custard)
- Prune tart (absolutely lovely!)
- Quince tart (makes me think of christmas)
- Tort de Moy (I made a vegetarian version with butter as a substitute for bone marrow. Scandalous! I know but I ended up buying the wrong bones to get marrow so just decided to go the veggie route. I'm shocked this worked but it was very good).
- Chestnut Tart (this was weird. I've never eaten chestnuts that are baked into something and they're weirdly meaty)
- Bakewell Pudding (I know this is a favorite, but I had such low expectations and it was wonderful!)
- General Satisfaction (the sponge cake seems overkill but I do love meringue pie things)
- Eve's Pudding (this was another one of my breadcrumb mess-ups. I'm sure it's lovely, I just struggled with baking with breadcrumbs)
- Queen of Puddings (this was another one of my breadcrumb mess-up)
- Semolina Pudding
- Black Caps (amazingly delicious)
- Trinity Burnt Cream (aka crème brûlée which was possibly first an English dish!), my vegan version just tastes like burnt pudding. Needs some more work like my vegan custard.
- Kentish Cherry Batter Pudding (aka American Cherry Popovers, which IMO are too eggy for my non-egg person, but they're cute like popovers! My grandmother would have liked this recipe). It's fun to see them puff-up with no raising agent.
- Apple Tansy (made a vegan version which is good, which is a glorified apple pancake, while the non-vegan version is a glorified apple omlette)
- Snake Fritters
- Hasty Fritters (these tasted mostly like vinegar so I probably wouldn't make them again, but I did eat them all!)
- A Quire of Paper (English crepes! very fun, and was good with raspberry vinegar, though maple syrup is definitely better than Sak Sauce)
- Curd Fritters (this worked well with maple syrup and raspberry vinegar but it's still kinda of odd. I'm not sure if I would make these again. I know cheese pancakes are more popular in Europe so may just be my American tastes).
- Jersey Wonders
- Pain Pur-dew (fun! but rosewater is not my favorite, I much prefer orange blossom)
- Poor Knights of Windsor (essentially just egg toast, I like that the non-egg version includes wine as the substitute)
- Devon White-pot (bread pudding if your like custard, not my thing)
- Apple Charlotte (delicious of course!)
- Bread-and-butter pudding (delicious and there's a popular Tik Tok going around right now where this is made with Hawaiian Bread Rolls instead of Hot Cross Buns and it's even better)
- Summer Pudding (Great taste 10/10; essentially just toast and jam in a mold)
- Blancmange (fun to try as it's one of the oldest English recipes but wow am I happy we live in the age of chicken salad and spices)
- Strawberry Blancmange (worse than blancmange because of the rose flavoring)
- Jaune Mange (tastes like mimosa jello shot. In the future I'd make it without the egg yolks)
- Ypocras Jellies (mine didn't set but they were cool, like mulled wine jello)
- Syllabub (way too boozy and I miss vanilla, maybe whipped syllabub with vanilla would be cool)
- First Trifle (again! Way too boozy and I crave vanilla flavoring with my cream as a modern American)
- Retro Trifle (so good!!! Takes a lot of work but it's great)
- Fruit Fools (amazing. it's just whipped cream and fruit ｡⁠◕⁠‿⁠◕⁠｡)
- Sack Posset / Custard Cream / Almond Cream (I'm not a fan of white Russians and can't eat egg yolks so I don't think I'll be repeating these almond cream drink / wine cream drink / orange cream cinnamon drink. An orange Julius with cinnamon is fun but also not good for you)
- Devonshire Junket (Similar to the Carrot Jam, it's interesting to look at World War recipes but since we're not in rationing, I'm good).
- Custard Creams (not a custard fan)
- Icy Cream (essentially just mace flavored ice cream, was interesting and good!)
- Brown Bread Ice Cream (I was really surprised by this texture! It's fascinating. Not something I'd eat normally but it was a fun novelty)
- Tamarind Ice Cream (this is a wild flavor! It's sweet, sour, tangy, and tart all at once. Like lemon and prunes together.)
- Princess Surprise Bomb (this is like a Baked Alaska but I don't have a blow torch so it didn't really work)
- Raspberry Vinegar (somehow this works but I didn't get it at first)
- Sak Sauce (glorified sherry syrup, but maple syrup is better)
- Ratafia Biscuits (delicious 10/10)
- Lady Fingers (epic fail, need to try these again one day)

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a nice cookbook. Interesting, beautiful pictures. It has a lot of information about the history of pudding which can be interesting but can also be skipped over if you don't need that much info. However, the info makes the recipes more meaningful. The author does say that she isn't one for sweet puddings and embraces the traditional savory pudding which she lives up to as most of the recipes are savory. The photography in the book help to highlight history of these puddings and are beautiful.

[Kathie · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Pride and Pudding" isn't a reference to Jane Austen content, but is meant in the patriotic sense as the author comes to the defense of British cooking in an informative, historical look at puddings. It's interesting, particularly if you're a fan of The Great British Bake Off and would like both historical and how-to insight into the traditional dish. But it can be tough to find some ingredients and/or molds in the States and I'm not sure I'm interested enough to put money into it (varying pans, online specialty shops, visiting a butcher for suet, etc.).

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't actually cook, so I can't speak to the recipes. I'm just here for the food history, which is both solid and thorough. I don't know if this would be a book worth buying if you're not going to be trying the recipes, but it's certainly worth a read if you're interested in British food history. Also some really great food photography.

[Siobhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book, what delicious puddings can be made from the traditional recipes. Beautiful photographs and illustrations. The hardback edition I got from our local library. Would make a lovely gift.

[De lezende barista Ildee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heerlijk into British pudding boek van Regula.
Van hartig tot zoet, tot black pudding en haggis.
Ideetjes opgedaan, easy pastry maken, broodpuddings allerhande.
Ik vind de foto's te donker, zouden op een lichte achtergrond moeten gemaakt worden.

[Elizabeth Judd Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

As much a history of food book as a recipe book, this is a treasure trove of information, food, illustration, and photography. Really nice!

[Shawna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting history. I did not read the recipes though.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you like history and food?
Ideally together?
Well then this is the book for you

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really well put together book of food history. Clearly well-researched with a choice between modern and original recipes, and the photos and art were great. I learned a lot.

[Vicki Baldwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very much enjoyed this book. It only took 4 months to read due to having a toddler who likes my full attention.

[Sammm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review WIP

Super underrated!

Content
"Introduction" (Ch. 0)

Ch. 1 "Boiled & Steamed"
From "Plum Pudding" to "Sticky Toffee Pudding" (21 recipes and their history in total).

Ch. 2 "Baked Pudding"
From "Sambocade" to "Black Caps" (15 recipes and their history in total).

Ch. 3 "Batter Pudding"
From "Yorkshire Pudding" to "Jersey Wonders" (10 recipes and their history in total).

Ch. 4 "Bread Puddings"
From "Pain Pur-dew" to "Summer Pudding" (6 recipes and their history in total).

Ch. 5 "Jellies, Milk Puddings & Ices"
From "Blancmange" to "Mock Plum Pudding Ice" (23 recipes and their history in total).

Ch. 6 "Master Recipes"
From "Clotted Cream" to "Lady Fingers" (11 recipes and their history in total).

[X · Rating 3 out of 5]

Has some historical recipes which are always good for a laugh, but also plenty of recipes that are actually doable in a modern kitchen with modern ingredients.

Living outside the UK, I was looking for a lot more variety in puddings to make without suet readily available to me (and/or helpful advice on what suet achieves in a pudding so I can make viable substitutions). Unfortunately, all the non-suet puddings are just very bog-standard (like Bread and Butter pudding).

[Suhailah Iskandar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice! colourful and much info given with regards to I story of British desserts and fine puddings. derived from the best sources, I got to know more about the time frames of the evolution of the fine puddings.

[David John Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant

This book is dangerous to your waistline but when you have delicious pudding recipes as these who cares anyway in a word brilliant

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a gorgeous and exceptional book. The detail and care with which this was written is evident; this is not something that was slapped together in an attempt to capitalize on a fad or passing fame. The passion that went into its creation on both the author and illustrator's part shines through on every page. I cannot recommend it highly enough (although I have not cooked anything from it yet). Also, the introduction is lovely and is written by one of me most favorite people (who is coming out with a book of her own that promises to be equally gob-smacking).