Christiane from Brunswick, Germany, says her family uses the phrase um den Pudding gehen or “to walk around the pudding,” a phrase that refers to taking a stroll around the block or neighborhood. This idiom is apparently unique to northern and northwestern Germany, especially Bremen and Hamburg. The earliest uses found date to 1938 and are all from Bremen, which fits a region known for making pudding. The inventor of German pudding powder hailed from that area. This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “North German Phrase “um den Pudding gehen” Means a Stroll around the Block”
Hello.
You have A Way with Words.
Hi.
This is Christiane calling from Brunswick in Germany.
That’s amazing.
But what part of the country are you in?
In the Northern part of Germany.
Gotcha.
I have a question, and it is about a saying that was quite much used in my family when I was younger.
And it is called in German den Block gehen, den Pudding gehen, which translates to English as walking around the pudding and which means nothing more or less than just taking a little walk around your block or around your area.
So I was wondering, does anybody where you are or around the world who’s listening to this podcast also know this idiom, the saying.
So, say it in German for us again?
Den Puddingien.
Den Puddingien.
And this means to walk around the pudding and we’re talking about I n g.
This is a word borrowed from English.
Yeah, well, it is quite well widespread in German also.
Yeah.
Was it was borrowed from English about three hundred years ago, but it was a different food from it.
It was more of a savory dish and not a sweet when it was bought.
And so, at the top of the call, when you said you were from Northern Germany, that made sense to me because this expression is kind of specific to the North and Northwest of Germany, including places like Bremen and Hamburg.
And, when we look into the history of it, that’s pretty much the only place in the world, that part of Germany, kind of north and Northwest, that uses this particular construction to talk about going around the block or to walk around as to walk around the pudding.
No other country that I know of has it.
None of the nearby ones, not in Denmark, not in The Netherlands, certainly not in English.
And so, the verb sometimes changes.
Like, people will use a verb meaning to drive’, like if you’re in your car, you might say, I mean, driving a Yeah, you can say that.
But that meaning’s a little different, right?
That’s kind of maybe you’re looking for parking or you have to take a detour.
Mhmm.
Yeah, right.
-huh.
I know that too, yes.
And so when we’re talking about a pudding, we’re talking about what in English we call ‘blanc mange’ which is a word we borrowed from French, or ‘m like a flan’ so this is a round dessert made of gelatin and like milk and sugar, maybe some fruit.
Yeah.
So the comparison is like this physical comparison of that is kind of like the building or buildings that you would walk around when you were on the street.
It’s kind of like a metaphor for space.
Okay, yeah.
Yeah.
But, Okay, that’s quite interesting.
It is.
I don’t know if you Googled this, but that particular part of Germany is known for the manufacture of pudding.
And the fellow who invented pudding powder in Germany is from near there.
And the earliest uses that I find of this expression from 1938 are all from Bremen.
But it’s just a really interesting expression, but it’s a local one.
I don’t think you’re going to find we’ll ask our listeners, but I don’t think you’re going to find anybody else in the world who says it except for Germans from that part of Germany.
Yeah, great.
That was interesting, Yeah, is.
Thank you for helping us introduce this to all of our listeners.
I love these local expressions.
This is why we’re do.
Doing Feel free to.
Feel free to.
Take care now.
We appreciate your time.
Okay.
All right.
Yep.
Bye bye.
I like it very much.
Bye.
Später!
Bye.
Später, bye.
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