# Is a Yorkshire pudding like a Roll? And why do they call it a pudding? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 11, 2017, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-yorkshire-pudding-like-a-roll-and-why-do-they-call-it-a-pudding/796077 "2017-09-11T19:09:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-yorkshire-pudding-like-a-roll-and-why-do-they-call-it-a-pudding/796077/21 "2017-09-22T13:17:13Z")
I know you can buy mixes, but I’ve made them from scratch in muffin tins and they are so good. The secret is since roast beef was served only at Sunday dinner, you had to eat the pudding before the meat…the trick being to fill up on the pudding so there would be more roast beef left over. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-yorkshire-pudding-like-a-roll-and-why-do-they-call-it-a-pudding/796077/22 "2017-09-22T14:00:14Z")
Yorkshire pudding is very much like a pudding if made right. It shouldn’t be dry, it should be moist, more firm than pudding, but not bread like. Popovers are smaller and made in muffin tins and usually end up much drier than Yorkshire. It’s a tricky dish to make without overcooking, a hot oven and pan are needed to get it to rise properly, but then wait too long and it turns into a bread. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-yorkshire-pudding-like-a-roll-and-why-do-they-call-it-a-pudding/796077/23 "2017-09-22T14:21:49Z")
♬ _Girls and boys, come out to play, The moon doth shine as bright as day; Leave your supper, and leave your sleep, And come with your playfellows into the street. Come with a whoop, come with a call, Come with a good will or not at all. Up the ladder and down the wall, A halfpenny roll will serve us all. **You find milk, and I’ll find flour, And we’ll have a pudding in half an hour.**_ ♬ ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-yorkshire-pudding-like-a-roll-and-why-do-they-call-it-a-pudding/796077/24 "2017-09-22T14:37:39Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > Easily made. You just have to remember to get the oven and the cooking dish (and the cooking fat) **as hot as can be** before you put the batter in. This is the essential part. **Hot** cooking vessel. And don’t peek at them while they cook. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-yorkshire-pudding-like-a-roll-and-why-do-they-call-it-a-pudding/796077/25 "2017-09-22T14:45:17Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > This is the essential part. **Hot** cooking vessel. And don’t peek at them while they cook. I like [Jamie Oliver’s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUvIJqhq0KQ) recipe for them. (The first time I came across that video, I did not at all recognize Jamie Oliver. I guess I just hadn’t seen him for a number of years since his Naked Chef days.) ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-yorkshire-pudding-like-a-roll-and-why-do-they-call-it-a-pudding/796077/26 "2017-09-22T15:16:43Z")
Officially they should be evenly puffed up and crispy but i prefer mine to have a puffed up edge and a squishy bottom. It’s the same batter as in Toad in The Hole. There sausages are heated in oil before the batter is poured in and cooked. I lost my British Cook credentials recently. I got the proportions of flour to liquid in the batter wrong and ended up with sausages in egg custard. I was so ashamed 😃 ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-yorkshire-pudding-like-a-roll-and-why-do-they-call-it-a-pudding/796077/27 "2017-09-22T15:45:18Z")
Since this has been revived, I’m going to pick a nit that’s nagging me > [@teela\_brown](#): > > you pour the au jus Aaargh. No, you pour the _jus_. Just _[jus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Au_jus)_. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-yorkshire-pudding-like-a-roll-and-why-do-they-call-it-a-pudding/796077/28 "2017-09-22T15:52:47Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Since this has been revived, I’m going to pick a nit that’s nagging me > Aaargh. No, you pour the _jus_. Just _[jus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Au_jus)_. In American English, “au jus” is pretty much idiomatic. You might not like it; it may not be linguistically “pure,” but language is language, and that’s the direction it turned here. You’ll even see and hear constructions like “with au jus gravy” which I’m sure will set your ears on fire. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-yorkshire-pudding-like-a-roll-and-why-do-they-call-it-a-pudding/796077/29 "2017-09-22T16:30:24Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Since this has been revived, I’m going to pick a nit that’s nagging me > Aaargh. No, you pour the _jus_. Just _[jus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Au_jus)_. Might as well complain about entering your PIN number at the ATM machine. It’s a fossilized usage. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-yorkshire-pudding-like-a-roll-and-why-do-they-call-it-a-pudding/796077/30 "2017-09-22T16:35:04Z")
I’m English and have eaten many, many Yorkshire puddings. Let me summarise my experience. Yes, it’s an odd name (they are served with the main course, not as a dessert.) They are shaped like a flat bottomed circular bowl, designed to hold e.g. gravy. They are made of batter. A traditional Sunday roast dinner always includes them; together with: - roast meat - roast potatoes - vegetable (often carrots, cabbage and parsnips) - gravy (safely stored in the Yorkshire pudding) I have also eaten a main course of just huge (almost plate-sized) Yorkshire puddings filled with mince, vegetables and gravy. Yum! ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-yorkshire-pudding-like-a-roll-and-why-do-they-call-it-a-pudding/796077/31 "2017-09-22T16:36:07Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > In American English, “au jus” is pretty much idiomatic. You might not like it; it may not be linguistically “pure,” but language is language, and that’s the direction it turned here. You’ll even see and hear constructions like “with au jus gravy” which I’m sure will set your ears on fire. Just for fun, [here’s a picture of “au jus gravy”](https://fa74d61d848a20b729bb-0251b36b713060ab3e0e8321940e01ff.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/0052100096900_CF_default_default_large.jpeg) that is sold in supermarkets. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-yorkshire-pudding-like-a-roll-and-why-do-they-call-it-a-pudding/796077/32 "2017-09-22T17:53:11Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > In American English, “au jus” is pretty much idiomatic. You might not like it; it may not be linguistically “pure,” but language is language, and that’s the direction it turned here. You’ll even see and hear constructions like “with au jus gravy” which I’m sure will set your ears on fire. Just because it’s common, doesn’t mean it should be acceptable. Individuals can be taught better even if _hoi polloi_ are idiots. You’ll note, I didn’t say “the _hoi polloi_”, either. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-yorkshire-pudding-like-a-roll-and-why-do-they-call-it-a-pudding/796077/33 "2017-09-22T18:02:17Z")
Yes, I noticed your wit before you had to explain it. Hoi polloi without the definite article in English grates on me and sounds completely unnatural. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-yorkshire-pudding-like-a-roll-and-why-do-they-call-it-a-pudding/796077/34 "2017-09-22T18:15:02Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > JYou’ll note, I didn’t say “the _hoi polloi_”, either. 😃 I’ll contemplate this as I commute on the 5. ---
**Author:** ![Wednesday\_Evening](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b2d939/32.png) [@Wednesday\_Evening](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wednesday_Evening)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-yorkshire-pudding-like-a-roll-and-why-do-they-call-it-a-pudding/796077/35 "2017-09-22T19:23:52Z")
YORKSHIRE PUDDING Let’s call Yorkshire pudding A fortunate blunder; It’s sort of popover That tripped and popped under. -Ogden Nash ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-yorkshire-pudding-like-a-roll-and-why-do-they-call-it-a-pudding/796077/36 "2017-09-22T20:21:04Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > In American English, “au jus” is pretty much idiomatic. You might not like it; it may not be linguistically “pure,” but language is language, and that’s the direction it turned here. You’ll even see and hear constructions like “with au jus gravy” which I’m sure will set your ears on fire. I told my kids it was pronounced “ow juice”. I got one of those looks when the older one started taking French in Middle School. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-yorkshire-pudding-like-a-roll-and-why-do-they-call-it-a-pudding/796077/37 "2017-09-22T21:35:18Z")
> [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](#): > > I lost my British Cook credentials recently. I got the proportions of flour to liquid in the batter wrong and ended up with sausages in egg custard. I was so ashamed 😃 Yum - sausages in egg custard. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-yorkshire-pudding-like-a-roll-and-why-do-they-call-it-a-pudding/796077/38 "2017-09-22T23:25:59Z")
I just called my local English restaurant and pub (in the US midwest) to ask if they ever had Yorkshire pudding on the menu. I was told they did not, but staff person did read off the list of all their dessert offerings. She seemed to think I wanted something sweet. When I told her Yorkshire pudding was savory, she just seemed confused. They do offer a decent Scotch egg there, along with fair Fish & Chips and Shepherd’s pie. Also some curries, that are almost, yet not completely unlike actual Indian food. But they also offer poutine and steak Tartare, which I never considered traditional English food. \<\\> I wants me some Yorkshire Pudding sooooo bad right now. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-yorkshire-pudding-like-a-roll-and-why-do-they-call-it-a-pudding/796077/39 "2017-09-22T23:26:05Z")
No, not a roll. The only thing I can think to compare it to is egg custard, but that’s not really accurate either. ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2017, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-yorkshire-pudding-like-a-roll-and-why-do-they-call-it-a-pudding/796077/40 "2017-09-23T00:28:33Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > Yum - sausages in egg custard. I extracted the poor sausages and ate them with the veg. Definitely not my best meal. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-yorkshire-pudding-like-a-roll-and-why-do-they-call-it-a-pudding/796077.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-yorkshire-pudding-like-a-roll-and-why-do-they-call-it-a-pudding/796077.md?page=3)