To Make White Puddings (Mrs Stafford)
From the treasured pages of Cookbook of 1720 approximately
Unknown Author
To Make White Puddings (Mrs Stafford)
"boyl Some Rice till it is pretty Soft, then steep as much in Milk as will be pretty stiff, for four hours steeping put in equal quantity of bread & a good quantity of beef suet shred very fine; Corrants, Cloves, Mace, & Nutmeg, rowle in Eggs & leave out half the whites, a little Salt to your taste, the stiffer the pudding is the better you must fill the Skins, but the thinner it is, the finer."
Note on the Original Text
Early 18th-century recipes were more narrative than instructive, expectant of the reader’s kitchen knowledge and rarely precise with quantities. Terms are often spelled idiosyncratically (e.g., ‘boyl’ for 'boil', ‘rowle’ for 'roll'), and directions such as ‘as much as will be pretty stiff’ rely on the cook’s experience. Explanations reflect a world where recipes were handed down orally or via handwritten manuscripts, with measurements and times guided by a lively sense of intuition and adaptability, spiced with the occasional hint to the cook’s personal taste.
Title
Cookbook of 1720 approximately (1720)
You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome
Writer
Unknown
Era
1720
Publisher
Unknown
Background
A delightful window into early 18th-century kitchens, this historical culinary tome brims with recipes, culinary wisdom, and the flavors of a bygone era—offering food enthusiasts a taste of both tradition and intrigue.
Kindly made available by
Folger Shakespeare Library
This recipe for White Puddings hails from early 18th-century England, around 1720, when puddings in skins were a staple at country tables and urban feasts alike. The use of rice and bread signifies a blending of English pudding tradition with new world imports and increasingly globalized trade. Unlike today’s often sweet breakfast puddings, these were savory-sweet and designed for both sustenance and celebration. Suet was the fat of choice for its richness and practicality in preservation before refrigeration. The inclusion of spices like mace, nutmeg, and cloves is a testament to the increasing accessibility and desirability of exotic flavors among even middling households of the era.
The historical cook would have prepared these puddings using a large iron pot or cauldron for boiling the rice and later for simmering the filled puddings. A wooden spoon and a large bowl would be used for mixing the filling, along with a sharp knife for finely shredding suet. Filling the casings was done by hand, often using a horn funnel or the cook’s own fingers. Cleaned animal intestines served as the humble yet indispensable casing before the advent of modern synthetic alternatives.
Prep Time
4 hrs 40 mins
Cook Time
40 mins
Servings
8
We've done our best to adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, but some details may still need refinement. We warmly welcome feedback from fellow cooks and culinary historians — your insights support the entire community!
Ingredients
- 5.3 oz short-grain white rice
- 1 1/4 cups whole milk
- 5.3 oz fresh white bread crumbs (substitute: panko breadcrumbs if needed)
- 5.3 oz beef suet, finely shredded (substitute: vegetable suet or cold grated butter)
- 3.5 oz currants (substitute: small raisins or dried barberries for slight tartness)
- 3 whole eggs
- 1.5 egg whites (from above eggs, retain yolks for richer pudding)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground mace
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon fine salt (to taste)
- natural sausage casings (sheep or hog, soaked and cleaned)
Instructions
- Begin by boiling about 5.3 oz of short-grain white rice in water until it becomes soft but not mushy.
- Drain, then soak this rice in 1 1/4 cups of whole milk, allowing it to steep and absorb the milk for about four hours.
- After steeping, add roughly 5.3 oz of fresh white bread crumbs (crusts removed), ideally from day-old bread, and 5.3 oz of finely chopped beef suet (for a vegetarian version, use shredded vegetable suet).
- Stir in 3.5 oz of currants, 1/4 teaspoon each of ground cloves, mace, and nutmeg.
- Beat 3 whole eggs with 1.5 egg whites (use only half the egg whites for a slightly richer texture), and fold into the mixture.
- Season with about 1 teaspoon of salt or to taste.
- The mixture should be relatively stiff, but for a more delicate pudding, allow it to be a little looser.
- Carefully stuff the mixture into well-cleaned natural sausage casings (approximately 1 1/4–1 1/2 inch diameter sheep or hog casings are traditional), tying off in segments.
- Poach the filled puddings gently in simmering water (not boiling) until they are firm and cooked through, about 30–40 minutes.
- Serve warm.
Estimated Calories
370 per serving
Cooking Estimates
Preparing this dish takes some time because you need to cook the rice, soak it in milk, mix all the ingredients, and fill the casings. Cooking is gentle and hands-on. Each portion is filling and hearty, with a typical calorie count for a rice pudding sausage.
As noted above, we have made our best effort to translate and adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, taking into account ingredients nowadays, cooking techniques, measurements, and so on. However, historical recipes often contain assumptions that require interpretation.
We'd love for anyone to help improve these adaptations. Community contributions are highly welcome. If you have suggestions, corrections, or cooking tips based on your experience with this recipe, please share them below.
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