Ozark pudding
| Ozark pudding | |
|---|---|
| Custard | |
| Place of origin: | |
| United States | |
| Region or state: | |
| Missouri | |
| Main ingredient(s): | |
| custard, nuts | |
| Recipes at Wikibooks: | |
 Ozark pudding | |
| Media at Wikimedia Commons: | |
 Ozark pudding |
Ozark pudding is a dry fruit custard with nuts that,[1] as the name implies, seems to originate in Missouri, being named after The Ozarks region.[2] It is most famous for being a favorite food of President Harry Truman,[3] a recipe by his wife Bess Truman having been widely published in the 1950s, including it being her contribution to the Congressional Club Cookbook.[4]
The Pudding
Ozark pudding always contains fruit and nuts,[5] which comprises most of its volume, with the custard only serving as a glue between the packed bits.
History
According to the book All American Desserts,[6] the predecessor for Ozark pudding, gateau aux noisettes (cake with hazelnuts), was brought to the New World by the French Huguenots who settled in Charleston, South Carolina. Because hazelnuts were not common in the US, pecans were used, and it came to be known as Huguenot torte. By the time the recipe reached the Ozarks and acquired its current name, black walnuts were a common alternative to pecans.
Pop culture
Aside from popularity as a "First Lady's Recipe", this food was mentioned in a 2012 episode of the sitcom Mike & Molly as a food that the two might eat in Saint Louis, if they stopped there on a riverboat ride during their honeymoon. Though it is not commonly served in Downtown St. Louis, it could be occasionally produced at a formal restaurant or a re-interpretation of the dessert could be made as part of the menu of a New American cuisine chef. Ozark pudding may be more visible in the town of Branson in deep southern Missouri, a location whose attractions are popular with tourists, and it is in the middle of the Ozarks region. However Branson isn't on the Mississippi river, a common location for old fashioned riverboats.
See also
- Mayfair salad dressing, specialty at a St. Louis hotel that Truman stayed at