This easy and delicious Thanksgiving dessert was beloved by American colonists and is still made today
It was a favorite of Founding Father John Adams.
The Thanksgiving dessert Indian pudding was a favorite of Founding Father John Adams.
No Thanksgiving feast is complete without some yummy desserts. While pie tends to be the crowd favorite, it can be a predictable dish to prepare.
But one dessert dish that may bring an element of surprise and American history to your Thanksgiving meal is Indian pudding. Dating back to the 1700s, Indian pudding is a twist on the British classic hasty pudding—a thick porridge dish made by boiling wheat flour in water or milk.
For American colonists, access to wheat was sparse. However, corn was abundant—an ingredient heavily favored by native Americans—and 'Indian' pudding was created. "The Native Americans made cornmeal, which early settlers called 'Indian flour,'" according to the Old Farmer's Almanac.
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"The dish dates back to the 17th century, when settlers were introduced to corn and cornmeal by the native Americans, and referred to it as Indian corn or Indian meal," Anna Stockwell, writer at food magazine Epicurious, explains. "While wheat flour and white sugar were scarce, cornmeal and molasses (used to produce rum) were abundant, and Indian pudding is thought to have evolved from the British hasty pudding traditionally made with wheat flour, milk, and sugar."
Indian pudding was a favorite of Founding Father John Adams. His wife, Abigail Adams, created her own recipe for Indian pudding.
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YouTuber and historic food chef Max Miller of Tasting History recreated an Indian pudding dish from 1829. He noted, "Once a popular dessert (or breakfast) across the country, Indian Pudding is rarely seen outside of New England today. But, while it’s not the most beautiful dish, it’s absolutely delicious and deserves a comeback." (You can try his recipe here.)
The dessert has New England roots, and people on Reddit offered their thoughts and experiences with the dish (as well as their own recipes).
"My Mayflower descended New England grandmother used to make this for me every Thanksgiving, and it was my absolute favorite, one commented. Another added, "I grew up in Western Mass. We used to get this occasionally at our school lunches. We used to walk back and forth to school before cafeterias were built. But once we got a cafeteria, we had some old-fashioned New England ladies who made old fashioned New England dishes and Indian pudding was one of them. It was our dessert for hot lunch. It was delicious. I made it a few years ago and I ate the whole thing myself."
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Others offered advice on how to serve it, while noting it may not be the most beautiful dessert on the dining table:
"It looks nasty, but it’s absolutely delicious warm with heavy cream or ice cream on top," one commented. Another shared, "It’s awesome. Definitely serve hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream." And another home chef added, "I would serve it like you would a trifle: in glass and with a couple of layers of cake and cream."