Pud

Pud, short for pudding, is a term used in British and Irish English to describe a wide range of foods that are related to puddings. In informal speech, pud serves as a casual shorthand for both sweet desserts and several savory dishes within the broader category of puddings.

The word pudding has medieval roots and has developed into many regional forms. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, puddings can be steamed, boiled, baked, or chilled, and the category includes both dessert-style and savory preparations.

Common sweet puddings include steamed suet puddings such as Christmas pudding, as well as baked desserts like bread and butter pudding, and rice or corn puddings. Savory puddings include black pudding (blood sausage) and steak and kidney pudding. Regional varieties are numerous, with local ingredients shaping texture and flavor.

Preparation typically involves combining grains or starches with fat, sugar, dairy, eggs, and flavorings, then cooking by steaming, boiling, baking, or setting. Serving often occurs warm with accompaniments such as custard, cream, or sauce. Many puddings are associated with holidays or seasonal meals, though they remain common as everyday desserts.

In contemporary usage, pud is a familiar informal shorthand among speakers of British English and is sometimes used in informal writing to refer to pudding in general. The term can also appear in various unrelated contexts when capitalized as an acronym (PUD), but that usage is outside the culinary sense described here.