This Classic American Dessert Actually Started As A Poor Man's Treat In 11th Century England

Throughout most of human history, people have had to make do with very little. For most of us now, who have access to much more variety and volume of food than we need, it is frankly hard to imagine what day-to-day meals looked like for individuals in the Middle Ages. For example, stale bread soaked in water and mashed with sugar and spices likely doesn't sound like a particularly nice dessert to you. But in 11th century England, this was a real treat for many — and the origin of the dessert we call bread pudding.

At the time, it was common practice to have a large bowl in which to toss stale bread ends. When enough were collected, boiling water would be added to soften the bread, then it would be pressed to remove excess water. Whatever sweeteners and spices were available at the time would be added — sugar was only just arriving in England in the 11th century — and then the whole lot would be mashed together to make a dish called "poor man's pudding." While it might not sound like much, it was a tasty way to use up bread that otherwise might have ended up being fed to the chickens. Despite lacking the rich custard of a modern bread pudding, it is not hard to see how this would have been a treasured dish nonetheless.

The humble beginnings of this dish gave way within a few centuries to an offshoot recipe that will sound much more familiar to modern diners. In the 13th century, ingredients like eggs, milk, and butter began to make their way into the dish, giving it the custardy texture that is now the norm. This new dish ditched the "poor man" moniker and was dubbed "bread and butter pudding." Over time, the buttery part of the name was largely deemed superfluous, and it was shortened to just "bread pudding."

Bread pudding was and is popular throughout the British Isles and Europe and traveled to the New World in the recipe books of colonists. But this concept is not unique to European kitchens. In fact, cultures all over the world have their own recipes for bread-pudding-like desserts, which may all have been developed independently. If we look at the Egyptian national dessert, om ali, for example, we see that it was first developed in the 13th century, right about the same time that bread and butter pudding was coming into fashion. Om ali is slightly different, being made with ingredients like pastry, coconut, spices like cinnamon and cardamom, nuts, and dried fruits, but the concept is very similar: something bready cooked with rich liquids, spices, and sweeteners.

Surely there has been some cross-cultural influence in the spread of bread pudding around the world, but such food stories are always difficult to verify. It could be that bread pudding only spread to places like Peru, Pakistan, and Turkey in the minds of travelers and traders, but it is equally easy to believe that many cooks may have independently stumbled upon this sweetest way to use up stale bread.

The evolution of bread pudding obviously didn't end in the 13th century. While those recipes are much more recognizable as the progenitor of the modern dessert delights by the same name, there was still a lot of change and creativity that needed to happen before the first steamy, aromatic dish of cinnamon roll bread pudding could be pulled from the oven.

The beauty of modern bread pudding is really the same as it was when the dish was first invented. It is simple, it can be made with bread that is a little bit past its prime, and it is incredibly versatile. In the modern culinary environment, you can find thousands upon thousands of bread pudding recipes, from a simple bread pudding that would be recognizable to people in Middle Ages England to more unique and creative recipes like sweet plantain bread pudding and decadent puddings elevated with sweet bourbon sauce. It does not need to be fancy to be delicious, but it certainly can be.

Next time you whip up a batch, whether it is a classic Irish bread and butter pudding — perhaps even made with a bit of stale bread — or something more seasonal like a pumpkin bread pudding studded with pecans and chocolate, remember the humble origins of this now-classic dessert, and be grateful for the abundance of modern life.