Definition

Noun: 1. A sweet, creamy dessert: A type of pudding that is flavored primarily with vanilla. Its texture is typically smooth and custard-like, but it is traditionally thickened with a starch such as flour or cornstarch, rather than relying heavily on eggs for thickening.

Usage

This term refers specifically to the dessert item itself. It is commonly served as a standalone sweet dish, used as a pie filling, or served alongside fruit. - For dessert, she made a simple vanilla pudding. - The recipe calls for cornstarch to thicken the vanilla pudding. - He doesn't like chocolate, so he always chooses vanilla pudding.

Advanced Usage

• As a flavor descriptor: The term can be used attributively to describe other items that have the characteristic flavor of this pudding.
  • The cake had a vanilla pudding filling.

Variants and Related Words

• Pudding (n): A general term for a soft, sweet, creamy dessert, which can be of various flavors and textures (e.g., rice pudding, bread pudding, chocolate pudding).
• Custard (n): A cooked dessert made with milk, sugar, and eggs, which gives it a rich, thick texture. Vanilla pudding is a type of custard that uses starch as the primary thickener.
• Blancmange (n): A sweet, opaque dessert pudding made with milk or cream and sugar, thickened with cornstarch or gelatin, and often flavored with almonds or vanilla. It is a close relative of vanilla pudding.

Synonyms

• Vanilla custard (when referring to the general flavor and texture, though traditional custard is egg-thickened).
• Vanilla blancmange.

Antonyms

• Chocolate pudding
• Butterscotch pudding
• Tapioca pudding (differs in texture and primary ingredient)

Noun

1. sweet vanilla flavored custard-like pudding usually thickened with flour rather than eggs