Spotted Dick: Sounds So Bad, Tastes So Good

When I think of countries with rich culinary heritages that boast cuisine full of amazing flavor combinations and cooking techniques that I’m hankering to try, England has never been a country that springs to mind. Sure, England’s known for pub food, fish and chips, and a host of dishes with adorable and hilarious names: bangers and mash, bubble and squeak, Welsh rabbit, sticky toffee pudding (which I love), pasties, and crumpets just to name a few.   But, England is definitely not on my top 10 list of countries to visit when I think of places to visit just to try an authentic dish the country’s famous for.  I don’t even think it’s on my top 50 list.  The only time I think of England in relation to food and drink is when I think of tea.  I don’t say that to be disrespectful or insulting.  I’m an avid tea drinker and have the greatest respect for the art of crafting fine English tea or any tea for that matter. I never thought their lack of food that truly interests and inspires me hurt my opinion of the English culture.  I always felt that what they lacked in cuisine they make up for it with those fantastically snazzy hats so many of them like to wear. 

With all that being said, England does have one funny sounding food that’s intrigued me ever since I was five-years-old: spotted dick.  Spotted dick is a steamed sponge pudding traditionally made with wheat flour, eggs, sugar, suet (fat from around the loins and kidneys of animals, usually sheep or beef –mine was made with canola though…they’re a little more health conscious now), spices, currants or raisins (the spotted part of the dessert) and other ingredients.  It’s often served over or topped with warm custard.  Spotted dick was featured on a cooking show one Saturday morning, long before we were lucky enough to have TV channels dedicated solely to food.  The ladies on the show went wild over it.  At that age, the only puddings I was familiar with were chocolate, vanilla, and rice pudding.  So, the idea that there was such a thing as sponge pudding intrigued me, and the idea that it cooked inside of a can baffled me.

With the exception of beans, tomatoes, peaches, and beets, I normally steer clear of food that comes in a can.  But, for years I’d secretly hoped I would get the chance to try what seemed to me a strange phenomenon of a dessert, spotted dick.  For some reason, I never, ever saw it in ANY store until here recently. When I saw it in the display case I immediately reverted back to the kid I was in 1985 and jumped up and down like an idiot and exclaimed, “Oh, my God! I finally get to taste spotted dick!”  I don’t think I need to explain why that’s not the best comment to make around people who have no idea that I was talking about food.  Needless to say, I quickly made my way to the cash register before the senior citizens who were shooting laser death ray-like looks at me could pick up any of their produce and throw it at me.  On a bright note, the cashier knew what spotted dick was and completely shared my enthusiasm over it being in our store.  She made me promise to come tell her how it tasted after I’d tried it.

Last night, I stood over a pot of simmering water and watched my can of spotted dick gently bob up and down and swirl around the pot. I read the short ingredients list for the fifth time and tried to imagine what this pudding was going to taste like.  The ingredients in it were normal enough, especially without the suet in it.  But, after coming right off of the bacon cupcake disaster which also featured normal ingredients that should’ve tasted good together, I couldn’t imagine what I was in store for which made my stomach sink.  Regardless as to how the TV ladies reacted when they ate it, how could it be possible that something with a name that sounds so terrible even remotely taste good?  Someone had to have given it a bad name for a reason.  I REALLY didn’t have high hopes for this dessert at that point.  I didn’t make custard to go with the spotted dick like I was supposed to (sue me).  I figured the spotted dick would be gross and it wasn’t worth making custard since I’d be throwing the pudding out anyway.  

After 35 minutes of can bobbing, I removed the pudding from the pot with a slotted spatula, dried it off, sat it on the counter, and stared at it.  I realized that in 2 minutes I would finally have an answer to a question I’d wanted an answer to for 26 years:  Is this funny sounding food really as good as they said it was on TV?  I pulled out my can opener and opened the can.  Almost immediately I felt warm and fuzzy inside.  The aroma from the spices was completely reminiscent of the holidays.  That’s when I panicked; I should have made the daggone custard!  Instead, I quickly toasted some walnuts, made a quick caramel sauce, and whipped cream. I took a knife and unloosened the pudding from the sides of the can and turned it out on the plate.

The steam from the spotted dick and the spices were very inviting.  I cut a wedge of it with my knife; it was a little dense, yet moist. I took a bite and was utterly surprised. It was delicious!  The wheat flour gave it an earthy taste.  It wasn’t very sweet, but the raisins gave a much needed pop of sweetness when I bit into them, and there were just the right amount of spices that made me want to go in for another bite.  It was definitely a dessert pudding, but I could taste how easily it could be repurposed to make a savory stuffing. I almost kicked myself because I immediately saw how good this pudding would have tasted with custard.  Then, I remembered my walnuts, caramel, and cream.  I put a thin layer of cream on top of the spotted dick, and sprinkled toasted walnuts on top.  I loved the contrast in texture the nuts provided.  A few drizzles of caramel gave me the sweetness I was looking for to make it a nice little dessert.

I completely see why spotted dick has been eaten in England for so many years.  It’s a nice dish to have while hunkered down in front of a fire place on a cold winter’s night.  The spices evoke a sense of warmth and hominess. I’m glad to know that my first taste of this dessert wasn’t an interpretation of what a foreigner like me thought spotted dick should taste like.  With the exception of using caramel, cream, and walnuts instead of custard, this spotted dick was the real deal.  It was made IN England BY English people.  So, knowing that what I had was authentic was very exciting.  Spotted dick.  Who knew?  It sounds so bad, but tastes so good.  I really enjoyed it, and plan to make it again…WITH CUSTARD.  :-)

Here's a pic of the spotted dick with nuts and some of the cream that had melted on top.