Budino, a creamy, custard- or pudding-like Italian dessert, is made with milk and eggs and thickened with cornstarch. Our American version usually consists of sugar, milk and a thickening agent. (The eggs give the Budino its rich texture; like that of a Mexican flan.)▫️
This dessert’s origins supposedly date back to medieval England, where its earliest incarnations included mixtures made of meat, fat and blood. (That’s right, blood.) Some believe the name comes from the Latin word for “gut” or “intestine,” botellus, which relates to the modern Italian word budella. Others claim the word pudding may come from the old English and German words for swellings and lumps (puduc, puddek, etc). Leave it to the Italians to eventually turn this dish into something sweet and nutty.
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When we asked about the “Budino — chocolate mousse, almond biscotti, chantilly, caramel” ($14), on the menu at MEET MIA, an Italian restaurant located at 620 Ocean Drive, in Miami Beach, our waiter strongly urged us to try it. But the whole thing was off. Way off. Not only did the pudding have a weird consistency, but the caramel had an unpleasant aftertaste.
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Many caramel flavorings incorporate Propylene Glycol, which is a common food additive used to extend a product’s shelf life. It’s a source of some controversy, as it’s also used to make anti-freeze. While supposedly safe for human consumption (in small doses), we have our concerns. (And the terrible taste here certainly triggered them.)
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Nigella Lawson, an English food writer and TV chef, calls her version of this dessert “pure, all-encompassing bliss. When you eat this cooled, it is like chocolate satin cream and almost shocking in its pleasurable intensity.” Since what we got was more shocking in its inedibility, we rated this gutless offering an “F.”
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If you ask me, this thing should be nipped in the bud.
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