Fun Facts About Rice Pudding

Rice pudding is considered by many food lovers as one of the best desserts or snacks that you can eat. While there have been hundreds of different desserts that have popped in and out of the trend for many years, rice pudding has remained quite popular among people of all ages, from the youngest up to the eldest, and even from different countries around the world. While it is very popular, there are some things about rice pudding that are unknown to many. So, to fill you up with a little bit of knowledge about this delicious dish, here are some fun facts related to rice pudding.

There are Many Types of Rice Pudding

While most of us are probably familiar with the common recipe of how to make rice pudding, which is done by mixing rice with milk or water, there are actually more types of rice pudding with different ingredients that you can eat in various regions and countries. Some of the most well-known variants include:

  • Arroz con Leche – a Spanish rice pudding made with rice, milk, sugar, and lemon zest
  • Dudhapak – an Indian rice pudding made with basmati rice, slow-boiled milk, saffron, and nuts
  • Tsamporado – a Philippine rice pudding that is made using rice, cocoa powder, sugar, and milk
  • Ba bao fan – a Chinese dish that consists of glutinous rice, sugar syrup, red bean paste, and eight kinds of fruits and nuts

There are many more variants of rice pudding that you can discover, and almost every country has its own version of the dish.

National Rice Pudding Day

Believe it or not, there is a special holiday called “National Rice Pudding Day” that is held in the United States on August 9. No one exactly knows who created or invented National Rice Pudding Day, so people just started celebrating the tastiness or deliciousness of rice pudding dishes without any explanation or reason.

During this special holiday, several cities in the US would often hold festivals or conventions that allow restaurant and independent cooks to showcase their unique rice pudding recipes to ordinary citizens. For people celebrating the holiday at home, they would usually use the #NationalRicePuddingDay hashtag on their posts about a rice pudding dish they created or enjoying the delicious dish with family and friends. So, on August 9, remember to celebrate National Rice Pudding Day by eating a delectable bowl of rice pudding.

Rice Pudding, the Poem

sweet rice porridge

There is a poem written by famous English author A.A. Milne (best known for creating Winnie-the-Pooh) called “Rice Pudding,” which is centered on a young girl named Mary Jane who doesn’t want to eat her rice pudding. Throughout the poem, the reader would figure out that Mary Jane is upset about something, hence the reason why she is crying and not eating.

By analyzing the poem, we would see that Mary Jane is upset because her mother or father promised her to buy dolls and other precious gifts. But, she became sad because that promise was broken, and the parent is oblivious as to why Mary Jane is feeling that way. Due to the popularity of A.A. Milne’s other works, “Rice Pudding” became one of his underrated poems that most people haven’t read.

The Unknown Origin of Rice Pudding

Much like the creation of National Rice Pudding Day, the actual invention of rice pudding is still unknown to many historians. Some historians believe that rice pudding originated in India, but there are a lot of historians that agree that the dish was invented in China, although it was called a different name in that country. In China and some Asian countries, rice pudding is called “sweet rice porridge,” and it is assumed that the “pudding” name was just adapted after the dish became popular in European countries.

When rice pudding came to Europe before the 1800s, it became so popular that it became a staple dish. In addition, the Europeans believed that rice pudding had medicinal properties, which further contributed to its popularity in the region. From then on, rice pudding became more prominent in other regions, including North America, South America, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.

Rice Pudding is One of the Healthiest Desserts

Speaking of its medicinal properties, rice pudding is arguably one of the healthiest desserts you can eat, as most recipes and variants of the dish are made using natural ingredients that have plenty of health benefits. Here is a list of benefits that your body can get from eating rice pudding.

  • Protein – used by the body to build and fix tissues
  • Carbohydrates – gives different organs more energy to function efficiently
  • Fiber – improves bowel movement and helps control blood sugar levels
  • Calcium – helps strengthen bones
  • Iron – improves the health of blood cells in your body

Of course, consuming too much of one dish (no matter how healthy it is) is not recommended, and this principle can also be applied to rice pudding since it also contains calories, sugar, and fat. It is good to eat rice pudding once a day during snack time or for breakfast, but pair it with a balanced meal for lunch and dinner.

These are just five of the most fun and interesting facts about rice pudding. If you want to make this sweet and tasty food dish yourself, there are many recipes that you can read online, but be sure that the recipe you will follow is simple and easy to make so that you will make fewer mistakes. Try making one and see if your rice pudding can also be enjoyed by your loved ones.