# The full range of things called 'pudding' in the USA **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 28, 2024, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-full-range-of-things-called-pudding-in-the-usa/1003445 "2024-06-28T14:00:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2024, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-full-range-of-things-called-pudding-in-the-usa/1003445/201 "2024-07-04T04:49:18Z")
The same can be said about a stew that is baked in a casserole dish. To me, it sounds like the differences are - American casseroles are drier - American casseroles have a top layer of breading, cheese or both to brown in the oven - American casserole recipes usually start with cooked starches and meat, so less cooking time - Most American casserole recipes probably came out of a magazine or off a box Not that I really haven’t made a casserole, so this is from observation ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2024, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-full-range-of-things-called-pudding-in-the-usa/1003445/202 "2024-07-04T05:04:41Z")
> [@Zyada](#): > > - American casserole recipes usually start with cooked starches and meat, so less cooking time I wouldn’t say that. Many American casseroles start with uncooked noodles, rice, or potatoes. Tuna noodle casserole starts with uncooked egg noodles. Chicken and rice casserole typically starts with uncooked chicken and rice. Funeral potatoes (yes, there is such a dish) often starts with uncooked potatoes. You’re correct that most American casserole recipes came from magazines or boxes. They’re not fancy food. They’re usually made with cheap ingredients than can be thrown together quickly. A lot of casserole recipes call for things like canned cream of mushroom soup and crushed corn flakes. ---
**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:** [July 4, 2024, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-full-range-of-things-called-pudding-in-the-usa/1003445/203 "2024-07-04T05:22:45Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > What is a casserole in the rest of the English speaking world? A meat+veg stew with gravy, but cooked in the oven in an earthenware casserole, not on the stovetop (it is permitted to brown the meat there first though). Things that disqualify most American hot dishes: Starches like pasta or sliced potatoes as a major component, not root veg used as just one of the vegetables in the stew Layers Milk/cream-based sauce or else fairly dry Top layer of cheese gratin or similar Often in a shallow rectangular dish I’d call a lasagne dish, not a deep casserole. I’d consider cassoulet a casserole. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2024, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-full-range-of-things-called-pudding-in-the-usa/1003445/204 "2024-07-04T05:38:25Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > > [@puzzlegal](#): > > > > What is a casserole in the rest of the English speaking world? > > A meat+veg stew with gravy, but cooked in the oven in an earthenware casserole, not on the stovetop (it is permitted to brown the meat there first though). American casseroles are also baked, though not necessarily in an earthenware dish or pot. ---
**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:** [July 4, 2024, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-full-range-of-things-called-pudding-in-the-usa/1003445/205 "2024-07-04T05:45:29Z")
It can also be glass or even cast iron. The baking is the only thing they really have in common. But lots of other meat dishes are baked and aren’t casseroles: pies, lasagne, moussaka, meatloaf - so that’s not a distinguishing feature. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2024, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-full-range-of-things-called-pudding-in-the-usa/1003445/206 "2024-07-04T06:26:45Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > It’s a great discussion. I think we’ve plumbed the depths on ‘pudding’ anyway, so I say have at it ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2024, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-full-range-of-things-called-pudding-in-the-usa/1003445/207 "2024-07-04T07:54:40Z")
very fascinating discussion but shouldn’t this be in cafe society with all the other food discussions? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2024, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-full-range-of-things-called-pudding-in-the-usa/1003445/208 "2024-07-04T13:39:07Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > But lots of other meat dishes are baked and aren’t casseroles: pies, lasagne, moussaka, meatloaf - so that’s not a distinguishing feature. Lasagna isn’t usually called a casserole, but I would argue that it is one nonetheless. What Americans call “pie” isn’t a casserole, because it’s a dessert, and a casserole is a meal. On the other hand, shepherd’s pie is definitely an (American) casserole, and a pot pie is either a casserole or something very close to one. Coming at it from the other direction, a meatloaf also isn’t a casserole, because it’s not a full meal: Meatloaf will generally be served with side dishes. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2024, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-full-range-of-things-called-pudding-in-the-usa/1003445/209 "2024-07-04T14:33:14Z")
> [@nightshadea](#): > > very fascinating discussion but shouldn’t this be in cafe society with all the other food discussions? Good idea. @Mangetout , if you think this is a problem, I’ll move it back . ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2024, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-full-range-of-things-called-pudding-in-the-usa/1003445/210 "2024-07-04T16:40:17Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Lasagna isn’t usually called a casserole, but I would argue that it is one nonetheless. If the same dish were made with other types of noodles (like fusilli) I think most Americans would consider it a casserole. I think the fact that lasagna is in its own category keeps people from thinking of it as a casserole. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2024, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-full-range-of-things-called-pudding-in-the-usa/1003445/211 "2024-07-04T16:43:06Z")
I think that a large part of the reason that lasagna isn’t thought of as a casserole is because those noodles aren’t really used for anything else. I’d bet most Americans would categorize baked ziti as a casserole. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2024, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-full-range-of-things-called-pudding-in-the-usa/1003445/212 "2024-07-04T16:48:12Z")
I’m good, but thanks for asking. It might be an idea to prefix the thread title with [Food terminology and] ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2024, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-full-range-of-things-called-pudding-in-the-usa/1003445/213 "2024-07-04T19:53:48Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > The first time I ever heard the word “blancmange” was in the Monty Python scifi skit, when I was in college. I was maybe eleven years old when I ran across it in _Little Women_. Nobody’s mentioned haggis yet? "Fair fa’ your honest, sonsie face, Great Chieftain o’ the Puddin-race! Aboon them a’ ye tak your place, Painch, tripe, or thairm: Weel are ye wordy of a grace As lang ‘s my arm.’ – Robert Burns, “Address to a Haggis” ‘Good luck to your honest, happy face / great chieftain of the pudding race! / Above them all you take your place / Gut, stomach-lining or intestine / You’re well worth a grace / As long as my arm’. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2024, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-full-range-of-things-called-pudding-in-the-usa/1003445/214 "2024-07-04T20:05:47Z")
There’s a series of youtube vids called Babies Talking with a Scottish Accent. One was a baby given haggis to eat for the first time. Liking haggis is _not_ genetically linked. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2024, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-full-range-of-things-called-pudding-in-the-usa/1003445/215 "2024-07-04T20:11:36Z")
Yeah, and i think it really is a type of casserole. It’s just a popular one that also has its own name. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2024, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-full-range-of-things-called-pudding-in-the-usa/1003445/216 "2024-07-04T20:13:44Z")
By and large, in the US, haggis exists only as the butt of jokes (though I think it’s since been displaced in that role by hakarl). Most Americans have never tried it, and certainly no American would consider it a kind of “pudding”. ---
**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:** [July 4, 2024, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-full-range-of-things-called-pudding-in-the-usa/1003445/217 "2024-07-04T20:34:50Z")
Any dish baked in pan, especially one containing multiple ingredients, is considered a casserole by somebody here in the US. Layered ingredients are often named ‘\_\_\_\_\_ casserole’. The contents can be anything from the consistency of a stew dished out with a spoon, to a dish that sets up and can be served in slices. There are [dessert casseroles](https://www.allrecipes.com/gallery/dessert-casserole-recipes/), both hot and cold. And of course vegetarian casseroles with no meat. It seems the term casserole here in the U.S. of A. means food served in a _casserole pan_. So the real question here (or some other thread) is “What is a casserole pan?”. We all know one when we see one. They may be square, rectangular, circular, or oval shaped, etc., but if a recipe specifies a casserole pan we know what will work. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2024, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-full-range-of-things-called-pudding-in-the-usa/1003445/218 "2024-07-05T06:19:15Z")
Good one. Haggis is not only a pudding in the original sense of boudin, but Burns’ mention of the ‘pudding race’ is referring to a taxonomic or familial category of puddings. ---
**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:** [July 5, 2024, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-full-range-of-things-called-pudding-in-the-usa/1003445/219 "2024-07-05T06:55:24Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > “What is a casserole pan?”. This is a “casserole pan”: [![](https://www.allrecipes.com/thmb/sCQS2DuqlgZ5r5hqTwm7hB-lagk=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/231808_GrandmasGroundBeefCasserole_MFS-WD1-a0626af0a5d9468985d12f83d40800f2.jpg) ](https://www.allrecipes.com/thmb/sCQS2DuqlgZ5r5hqTwm7hB-lagk=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/231808_GrandmasGroundBeefCasserole_MFS-WD1-a0626af0a5d9468985d12f83d40800f2.jpg) This is a casserole: [![](https://www.ramonascuisine.com/wp-content/uploads/Beef-casserole.jpg) ](https://www.ramonascuisine.com/wp-content/uploads/Beef-casserole.jpg) I don’t think the latter would work well for the dishes you typically make in the former (and vice versa). ---
**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:** [July 5, 2024, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-full-range-of-things-called-pudding-in-the-usa/1003445/220 "2024-07-05T06:57:14Z")
IOW, you don’t make a casserole in a casserole pan. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-full-range-of-things-called-pudding-in-the-usa/1003445.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-full-range-of-things-called-pudding-in-the-usa/1003445.md?page=12)