Good pud guide
The first written record of
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black pudding comes from Greek poet Homer in The Odyssey from around 800BC. He says: “We’ve got these goat paunches on the fire, Stuffed with fat and blood, ready for supper.”
The oldest actual recipe for 2
black pudding was traced back to a Roman cookbook called the Apicius. It contained egg yolks, pine kernels and even leeks.
It has been a favourite for 3
centuries in Britain and the casing was stomach or intestines. First recorded as “blak podyngs” in 1450, one 15th-century recipe involved a porpoise. Black pudding was also served to
Henry VIII.
Today’s contain blood, oats, onions, fat & flavourings.
Despite its saturated fat
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and salt, some consider black pudding a “superfood” thanks to its nutritional value. It’s low in carbs, high in protein and contains zinc and iron.
The variety made in
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Stornoway, Scotland, has protected geographical status – like Champagne. In Bury, Lancs, it’s often served boiled with vinegar and eaten directly out of a paper wrapping.
In France, there’s an organisation named The Confrerie des Chevaliers du Goute Boudin, or Brotherhood Of The Knights Of The Black Pudding.
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It’s controversial. In the
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18th Century, Sir Isaac Newton, known for his theory on gravity, was opposed to eating black pudding. He said the Bible’s Old Testament forbade consuming blood.
A Perthshire man was once arrested after he was alleged to have caused a commotion after being aggressive with a pudding! 8
The World Black Pudding
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Throwing Championships takes place annually in Ramsbottom. Rooted in the War Of The Roses between Lancashire and Yorkshire, contestants aim to knock down Yorkshire puddings using a black pud. Last year, it was won by an electrician called Stu.
Comedian Les 10
Dawson and Prince Philip used to have a longrunning shared gag about whether black pudding should be fried or boiled.
TV chef Nigella Lawson is a fan of the foodstuff and Bury-born pop star Suzanne
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Shaw once said she missed them when away from her hometown.
American singer Barbra Streisand’s claim at a Manchester gig that she loved tucking into black pudding and chips wasn’t all it seemed. A spokesman later admitted it was “banter”.
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The longest black pudding ever made, in Poland in 2014, measured 743ft.
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Brits prefer black pudding over baked beans in their traditional fry up, according to a HelloFresh survey.
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Yet, amazingly, 10% of us believe that black pudding is a fictional dish, with a third of us never having tried it at all, research by Aldi reveals. Go on folks, you know you want to really!
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