What is…spotted dick?

17 Comments:

1. March 8, 2012 at 8:12 am
   Amanda Hake said:

   Well… I know it’s from Europe… or there abouts… not sure about the spotted part, but dick is a German term… dicken(which means thick) we have a New Year’s tradition where we have Speck und Dicken… which is a meat(bacon and sausage) wheat pancake… but since the can says pudding… I’d guess there is figs or something(which would be the spotted part?) And the Dick… would be the “thick” pudding? I know it’s not raunchy… but that’s my guess 😀

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2. March 8, 2012 at 8:16 am
   Amanda Hake said:

   Oh… and as for taste… (here’s your raunchy) I would bet it’s heavy on the tongue… sweet to taste… and maybe a little gritty… and probably doesn’t slide down the throat smoothly unless you use your teeth… 😀

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3. March 8, 2012 at 8:33 am
   Katiedee said:

   First time I heard about Spotted Dick was from the movie Bridget Jones. As for the term “pudding”, in England pudding refers to dessert…any type of dessert. Sponge is usually cake based. Pretty odd name if you ask me. Sounds more like a name of a fish!!

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4. March 8, 2012 at 8:34 am
   gillian said:

   Spotted Dick is a suet pudding with currants its an old Yorkshire/British Dessert served with custard very nice. But I would rather have the Dick without the spots.

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5. March 8, 2012 at 8:37 am
   gillian said:

   By the Way the tinned stuff it revoulting. I usually make it after we have a stew. Its one of the most popular puddings/desserts in England as I am English I make a right nice Spotted Dick.

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6. March 8, 2012 at 9:17 am
   RhondaRG9 said:

   I’m scared of anything called “Spotted Dick” I would never put that in my mouth:-/ YUCK!

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7. March 8, 2012 at 9:55 am
   Samantha said:

   If you are really interested, there is a recipe for Spotted Dick in my son’s Harry Potter cookbook. We are holding out for Knickerbocker Glory, ourselves.

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8. March 8, 2012 at 9:58 am
   Danielle West said:

   I am going to guess that the sodium content is outrageous.

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9. March 8, 2012 at 10:00 am
   Danielle West said:

   Also, microwavable?

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10. March 8, 2012 at 10:46 am
    MaryAnne said:

    It’s a banana with a rash?
    A hot dog with creepy crud?
    A Johnson with a social disease?
    Well, you did ask for raunchy, didn’t ya?
    Oh…looky here…it’s microwaveable too!!!!!!! 😉

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11. March 8, 2012 at 1:18 pm
    BJ. C. said:

    http://www.britsfood.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=50&Itemid=60

    Spotted dick is a suet pudding containing dried fruit that’s traditionally steamed in a cloth. Nowadays, however, most people simply bake it in an oven. It’s best served as a warm dessert with a bit of vanilla custard or moist brown sugar and salted butter. Other ingredients can include rum and such spices as cinnamon and nutmeg. Spotted dicks somewhat resemble small loafs of bread and are great for impromptu kitchen football games with the family.

    Why the dish is known as a dick is not clear. Some people believe the “dick” in spotted dick to be derived from the word “pudding” (“pudding” > “puddink” > “puddick” > “dick”), while others think it comes from the German word for “thick,” which is, oddly enough, dick. We do, however, know why the dick is spotted. The dick is spotted because the dried fruit strewn throughout it give the dick a spotted appearance. Raisins are most commonly used to spot dicks, but other dried fruits, such as currants, may also be used.

    According to the OED, dicks have been gettin’ spotted since at least 1850, when the first recipe for the dessert was published in Alexis Soyer’s The Modern Housewife of Menagere. Since that time, the recipe has pretty much stayed the same. However, a combination of vegetable fats has recently been used to create a suet pudding suitable for consumption by vegetarians (normally, suet is made using raw beef fat). But few spotted dicks are made with this type of suet pudding, as the English generally prefer their cuisine to be as unappetizing as possible.

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12. March 8, 2012 at 2:22 pm
    Michele said:

    Tastes like chicken (more like speckled hen).

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13. March 9, 2012 at 5:27 am
    Siobhan said:

    I used to have some every year at the Octoberfest here in Aus. Made properly, they are really yummy. I always thought it was named Dick because they are usually made in a long roll shape. It’s like layers of ultra thin sugared pastry with warm, soft sultanas through it. The tinned ‘pudding’ spotted dick does not look very nice or anything like the real thing. That picture makes it look like the SPAM version of meat :-S

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14. March 9, 2012 at 12:14 pm
    Sharon said:

    This pudding is found in England, this is a steamed sponge with raisins but traditional this pudding was made with dates, if homemade it is rather yummy but the tinned stuff isnt that great.

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15. March 10, 2012 at 9:18 am
    Jeannie said:

    They sell this at the grocery store we shop and everytime my husband sees it, he picks up a can , turns to me, and says, “Hey darlin, you want some of this?”

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16. March 11, 2012 at 10:58 am
    Debbie said:

    B.J. C – thats really judgemental of you to comment on english cuisine, totally out of the spirit on which the comments are flowing. I could be equally rude but I won’t. Spotted dick has been around for years, its a winter pudding, and fairly heavy on the stomach, but intended to be. Don’t buy the tinned versions they are awful but make your own. My mother comes from the north of england and at 80 she still makes the best pudding and doesn’t use suet either. As for taste, it is a soft sponge consistency and if you remove the dried fruit but put jam (preserve) in the bottom of the bowl before cooking you get a steamed jam pudding!

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17. March 12, 2012 at 7:50 am
    LL said:

    Well, I am from a little village n North Wales, UK. And this is a staple in my home.

    Comes from an old english pudding, the ‘spots’ are raisins. Its basically a warm sponge pudding with raisins, lush, with custard. Happy to send you one if you want.
    xx

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