hasty pudding
Definition
Noun: 1. A simple, quickly prepared cooked dish, typically made by boiling a grain or starch (such as cornmeal, oatmeal, or flour) in water or milk until it thickens into a soft, porridge-like consistency. It is often served sweetened.
Usage
- As a subject:
- As an object:
- With modifiers:
Examples
Advanced Usage
- Historical/Cultural Context: In American history, "hasty pudding" frequently refers specifically to a version made with cornmeal (maize), which was a staple grain for colonists. The name emphasizes the dish's quick preparation time compared to more elaborate puddings.
- Literary Reference: "Hasty Pudding" is the title of a 1796 humorous poem by Joel Barlow that celebrates this simple dish as a symbol of American ingenuity and simplicity.
Variants and Related Words
- Porridge (n): A more general term for a hot dish of cereal or grain boiled in water or milk. All hasty puddings are a type of porridge, but not all porridges are called hasty pudding.
- Mush (n): A thick, soft, and often bland porridge, especially one made from cornmeal. "Cornmeal mush" is essentially the same as cornmeal hasty pudding before sweetening.
- Gruel (n): A thin, watery porridge, often associated with subsistence diets or poverty. Hasty pudding is typically thicker and more substantial than gruel.
Synonyms
- Porridge
- Mush (specifically for cornmeal-based versions)
- Hot cereal
Related Phrases & Idioms
- (As) fit as hasty pudding: An old, largely obsolete idiom implying something is soft, formless, or lacking substance. (e.g., , meaning it was weak and unconvincing).
Noun
-
cornmeal mush served with sweetening (maple syrup or brown sugar)
-
sweetened porridge made of tapioca or flour or oatmeal cooked quickly in milk or water
