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Dessert

Whortleberry Pudding

A steamed pudding made with flour, baking soda, spices, and whortleberries.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 6 ingredients
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Why it works: Cinnamon and nutmeg match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 11,917 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

Whortleberry Pudding

Ingredients

Directions

Make the batter

  1. Dissolve the baking soda in boiling water and let it cool.

  2. Mix in the cinnamon or ginger and grated nutmeg.

  3. Add the flour and stir until combined.

  4. Gently fold in the whortleberries.

  5. If the batter is too thin, add more flour.

Steam and serve

  1. Steam the mixture for 4 hours or longer.

  2. Serve with sauce.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Cinnamon + nutmegtop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together11,917 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  2. Nutmeg + flourtop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together18,623 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  3. Cinnamon + flourtop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together17,341 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Baking soda
Helps the pudding rise and become lighter in texture as it reacts and releases gas.
Flour
Provides structure, so the batter sets into a firm pudding when steamed.
Whortleberries
Add moisture and tart fruit flavor throughout the pudding.
Cinnamon or ginger
Adds warm, spicy aroma and flavor.
Nutmeg
Adds warm, aromatic flavor to the pudding.

The step that matters

Judging the batter consistency. Flour thickens the batter so it holds the berries evenly and sets firmly during steaming. A batter that is too thin may let the berries sink and produce a soggy, loose pudding.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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