Episode 288: The Proof is in the Pudding

This week Shauna and Dan set out to see if the proof really is in the pudding. Bonus: Codfish Sherlock, Architectural Swansongs, and Puddings of the World

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Bunny Trails: A Word History Podcast
Episode 288: The Proof is in the Pudding
Record Date: August 10, 2025
Air Date: August 13, 2025

Intro

Shauna:
Welcome to Bunny Trails, a whimsical adventure of idioms and other turns of phrase. 

I’m Shauna Harrison

Dan:
And I’m Dan Pugh

Each week we take an idiom or other turn of phrase and try to tell the story from its entry into the English language, to how it’s used today.

Opening Hook
Have you ever been handed a dish, just the right amount of steam rising off of it, and someone says to you, “Trust me, it’s good!”? You eye the plate, wondering if their promise holds any weight. You can’t just take their word for it.  You’ve got to take that first bite. You’ve got to let the flavors hit your senses before you know whether they’ve been honest or they are selling you a load of crap. Because the proof… is in the pudding.

Meaning
According to the Oxford English Dictionary the proof is in the pudding means:

Quote
that which puts something to the test or (in later use) proves a fact or statement
End Quote
https://www.oed.com/dictionary/pudding_n?tab=meaning_and_use#115988760 

This one has always confused me. But there are a few points we need to clear up. First, the phrase originated as “The proof of the pudding is in the eating”.

1605
As in this example from William Camden’s Remaines concerning Britain from 1605. This is listed in the proverbs section, meaning it was already a proverb in 1605. It is given without definition:

Quote
All the proof of a pudding is in the eating.
End Quote
https://archive.org/details/remainsconcerni02camdgoog/page/n355/mode/2up?q=pudding 

To me, at least, this makes a bit more sense. The evidence of a pudding’s outcome comes from eating it. Though in this case “proof” is actually an older usage of proof then what we tend to mean today. Here is the definition from the Oxford English Dictionary:

Quote
The action or an act of testing or making trial of something
End Quote
https://www.oed.com/dictionary/proof_n?tab=meaning_and_use#28209191 

Though honestly, the outcome doesn’t change much from the way we use “proof” today. It’s mostly just a tense issue. We often use “proof” as the outcome of a test, but “proof” has historically - as in this case - meant the testing itself. But the nice thing about this idiom is it means the same thing whether you are talking about the testing, or the outcome of the test.  

The other thing is you may be thinking of pudding as a sweet treat, but there are other puddings as our Scottish, Irish, and British friends would know. And in 1605, they were definitely talking about a savory dish. Here’s an excerpt from a Mental Floss article talking about savory pudding:

Quote
During those centuries, pudding wasn’t the gloopy dessert that Americans eat today—it was a hodge-podge of minced meat, spices, cereal, and sometimes blood, all crammed into a sausage-like animal casing and steamed or boiled. Since preservative techniques were rudimentary and food regulatory agencies didn’t exist, there was always a chance that a meat dish could sicken or even kill you.
End Quote
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/635112/proof-is-in-the-pudding-origin 

Which adds more context to the proof of the quality of the pudding being in the eating of said pudding - plus the health and/or survival of the eater. 

1687
But for the proof of the pudding is in the eating, it didn’t take long for it to shorten, like in John Phillips 1687 translation of The History of the Most Renowned Don Quixote of Mancha, and His Trusty Squire, Sancho Pancha by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra.

Quote
Stick to thy Principles, Sancho, quo Don Quixote, the Proof of the Pudding’s at hand; for, if I mistake not, I have a Government just now i’my Eye. 
End Quote
https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_History_of_the_Most_Renowned_Don_Qui/sMO6eiy2xr0C?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22proof+of+the+pudding%22&pg=PA312&printsec=frontcover 

Just to be clear, nothing like this phrase was in the original work, so this usage was based on Mr. Phillips’ translation of Cervantes' work, not something Cervantes used. 

1792
Here’s an example out of the Monthly Review; or Literary Journal, Volume 8, May to August 1792. 

Quote
Yes, to use such phrase, I would say,  - “ the proof of the pudding is the eating;” and that proof, or test, my readers shall soon have; whereby fairly, and honestly, and truly to judge for themselves
End Quote
https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Monthly_review_New_and_improved_ser/i5QFAAAAQAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22proof+of+the+pudding%22&pg=PA570&printsec=frontcover 

1805
The New Hampshire Gazette out of New Hampshire, USA dated February 19, 1805. 

Quote
The proof of the pudding is in the eating, ah surely it is! But what is better? The proof of the money is in receiving it! Now whose is the lucky lottery office?
End Quote
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83025588/1805-02-19/ed-1/seq-3/#date1=1756&sort=date&date2=1963&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&index=0&words=proof+Pudding&proxdistance=5&rows=20&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=%22proof+of+the+pudding%22&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1 

1895
This one is out of the Guthrie Daily Leader, out of Oklahoma, USA. It is dated November 9, 1895. This one takes the phrase and I think mashes it together with another phrase that I’m not familiar with. It is a full-page advertisement from Brooks’ Boston Store. Here is part of the advert:

Quote
We have brought back and opened up at the old stand the largest, finest, and best stock of Dry Goods and Clothing ever brought to Guthrie, and are positively in position to sell you goods at one-half the price you will have to pay elsewhere in the city. The proof of the pudding is to chew the string, so we will respectfully invite one and all to come and examine this great stock.
End Quote
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86063952/1895-11-09/ed-1/seq-4/#date1=1756&index=7&rows=20&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&words=proof+pudding&proxdistance=5&date2=1963&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=proof+of+the+pudding&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1

If anyone has heard “chew the string” please let me know. I couldn’t find anything about the phrase in our usual references. But the proof of the pudding part is clearly being used in the historical sense.

1936
This next one is an advertisement in the Brownsville Herald out of Texas, USA and dated January 19, 1936. It identifies a thank you letter from the owner of the Star Electric Company, R.W. Pitts, to the newspaper regarding the effectiveness of advertising in the paper.

Quote
Thank you, Mr. Pitts!
Again! The Proof of the Pudding Is Proven in the Eating
Advertising Pays
End Quote
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86063730/1936-01-22/ed-2/seq-6/#date1=1756&index=0&rows=20&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&words=Proof+Pudding&proxdistance=5&date2=1963&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=proof+of+the+pudding&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1

1945
We’ll end this half of the show with a 1945 novel by Phoebe Atwood Taylor. Proof of the Pudding is the 21st of 24 books in the Asey Mayo Cape Cod Mystery series which ran from 1931 to 1951. Here is the synopsis from the front and back flaps of the book cover. 

Quote
The beach was strewn with debris: all that the hurricane had left of the summer colony at Pogue Neck was a lot of drunken walls, odd chimneys and latticed porches quite unattached to anything else. Salvagers were poking around among the wreckage near the inlet and Asey Mayo decided to join them and hunt up the blinds blown off his house.

And then he found the body. He knew at once that the girl had been murdered, though the obvious intent was to have death seem an accident. A trifling circumstance betrayed the plan - the simple fact that Sey was a thrifty Cape Codder who never let anything go to waste. Later, certain other trifles relating to the dead girl or those who knew her took on sinister significance - the rosebud plate, the lobster-pot buoy, the square plum pudding. Cousin Jennie and Lieutenant Hanson of the State Police offered lots of interference but did come up with some right answers to the wrong questions. But Zanies, the Siamese cat, was really responsible for clinching the case in the end. 

Fresh as paint is this smoothly written yarn that brings Phoebe Atwood Taylor in top form, with her brightest dialogue, a grand set of lively characters, and the authentic atmosphere of storm-torn Cape Cod. 
End Quote
https://archive.org/details/proofofpudding0000phoe/page/n1/mode/2up 

We’ll learn more about Ms. Taylor and her works, including Mr. Mayo - known as the Codfish Sherlock - in our behind the scenes episode which airs every Friday on our Patreon. That’s patreon.com/bunnytrailspod 

With that, it’s time to move to our more modern uses but first we need to say thank you to our sponsors. 

A Quick Thank You
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Modern Uses

1975 Music Group
We’re going to start our modern uses in 1975. That is the year the music group Proof of the Pudding was founded. Here’s a little about the SSAA jazz group, meaning it has two distinct Soprano sections and two distinct Alto sections. 

Quote
Proof of the Pudding was founded in 1975 as Yale’s first jazz and 
swing a cappella group! In the 50 years since then, we’ve expanded our repertoire and enjoy singing everything from retro jazz standards to new favorites like Lorde and Lake Street Dive. Known for our love of music past and present and our incredible sisterhood, Proof loves to show audiences from San Francisco to Seoul that, when it comes to the talent of an SSAA jazz group, the proof really is in the pudding.  
End Quote
https://www.yaleproofofthepudding.com/ 

You can find examples of their recent work on their website, which we’ll link to on our Patreon and our website. 

1993 Song
Proof is in the Pudding by Nuttin’ Nyce is a R&B song off the 1993 album Down 4 Whateva. In this song, the singer says she can love you and the proof of her love is in the physical expression. Here are the lyrics that start the chorus:

Quote
The Proof is in the Pudding
Come and get it, you know you want my love
Gonna lay that loving on you baby
Whoa oh
End Quote
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_YH0yEr96E

2004 Music Competition (to Current)
Since 2004, “The Godfather of Shock Rock” Alice Cooper himself has hosted his annual Proof is in the Pudding music competition. It serves to showcase musical talent of all genres. It is aptly named as the contest gives teens a chance to prove that they have the talent they think they have. The winner of the first competition was none other than Jordin Sparks, who then went on to win American Idol in 2007 and has been nominated for 2 grammy awards. 
https://www.westvalleyview.com/features/alice-cooper-s-proof-returns/article_7b5a5046-82a7-11ef-bad8-6b5934f51b22.html 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrCgchGdMUs 

One might say Alice Cooper’s Proof-is-in-the-Pudding’s proof is in the pudding. I certainly won’t say that again. It was difficult and confusing. But one might.

This year’s competition is currently underway at the time of this recording. 

2018 Song
Proof is in the Pudding by Parliament is a song off the 2018 album Medicaid Fraud Dogg. This album was the first in 38 years by the George Clinton lead band. Here are some of the lyrics of the spoken word part:

Quote
And I go nuts for your choco latte almond rocha
The proof is in the pudding, evidently tapioca
End Quote
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODJ6oyXoTlY 

This song, as with the whole album, is mocking the health care system in the United States. I’m not quite sure what to make of these lyrics, but to be honest the song wasn’t well mixed and it was difficult to understand. And I’m clearly not the only one who had trouble since I couldn’t find the lyrics on any of the usual corners of the internet.  

2022 Movie
The Proof of the Pudding is a 2022 Dutch language movie. The trailer is available on Vimeo, and here is the synopsis from the vimeo description.

Quote
Laureate architect Herman Hertzberger is still going strong at 90.

His most iconic building, ‘Centraal Beheer’ in Apeldoorn from 1972, will undergo a transformation from an abandoned office building into contemporary, sustainable spaces for housing, offices, and leisure. Hertzberger calls this transformation ‘the proof of the pudding’, as his structuralist ideals from the 60s and 70s intended buildings to be flexible and sustainable.

But is the present day still receptive to his vision? What prevails? Profitable square meters or space for people?


In this film portrait we get to know Hertzberger as a passionate, humoristic, and modest man whose vision on what architecture means for people and society is valuable to this day.
End Quote
https://vimeo.com/760569341 

I love the idea of Mr. Hertzberger being able to put his supposedly flexible designs to the test some 50 and 60 years later. It’s the epitome of a swan song, where you can showcase how you meant for your work to be able to be updated to keep with the times, and now you get to see the culmination of that work. It’s a great example of the idiomatic usage of the phrase. 

2023 Book
The Proof in the Pudding by Rosemary Shrager is a 2023 cozy mystery book, the second in the Prudence Bulstrode series. The author, a British Chef, has a number of books including this series and several cookbooks. Here is the synopsis of this one from the publisher:

Quote
Preparing a midwinter's feast for all hundred residents of the little Yorkshire village of Scrafton Busk is exactly the kind of challenge Prudence Bulstrode adores. A chance to show off her muffin-topped winter stew, lamb shank hotpot and Scarborough woof - and, of course, her famous figgy pudding - is just the thing to shake off the winter blues.

But on the night of the feast, local vagabond Terry Chandler is found dead - his body entombed in the pristine snowman standing pride of place on the village green. Who could have wanted Chandler dead? Why would they stow his body in such strange circumstances? And what is the meaning of his last enigmatic message, directing his brother to Mystery Hills, a place of which no one has ever heard?

Crime and cookery continue to collide as Prudence and her granddaughter Suki get drawn into another mystifying murder . . .
End Quote
https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Proof_in_the_Pudding/jfF5EAAAQBAJ?hl=en

I like cozy mysteries. I grew up watching Murder, She Wrote which was my first introduction to the cozy mystery genre and I really enjoy the fun of the mystery without all the blood, guts, and sex that can oftentimes accompany mystery stories. 

2023 Song
Next up is Proof is in the Pudding by Don Trip, a song off the 2023 album Fireworks. While the song doesn’t use the phrase, the title captures the concept of learning life through trial and error and how the person you are now is because of the experiences you’ve had. Here are some of the lyrics:

Quote
Truthfully, no truthfully
What else could you do to me
I watched Momma pawn all of her jewelry, just so she can buy food to eat
You know who wins if it's you or me
I ain't half the Sane as I use to be
You damn right I been losing Sleep
I been on a three year losing streak
But I ain't lost a step
I was in too deep, than I caught my Breath
They say that experience is the best teacher, in that case, I guess I taught myself
End Quote
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfyvUG3PkMQ 


Current - Catering Company
One more, this is a catering company called Proof of the Pudding. They are based in Atlanta, Georgia and now work all over the United States. Here is their about me from the website:

Quote
Founded in 1979, Proof of the Pudding began as a local Atlanta caterer. Since then, we’ve evolved into an award-winning company excelling in catering, events, and hospitality. Our remarkable journey includes serving clients across local, regional, and national levels, underscored by a rich timeline of growth and dynamic partnerships. This snapshot is just a glimpse of clients we have worked with – we have TONS more amazing partnerships, just look around our website. The proof truly is in the pudding!
End Quote
https://www.proofpudding.com/about/ 

Wrap Up
And that is what I love about this phrase. I like the idea that the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Firstly, because I like pudding. Both the dessert kind and the sausage kind. And second, because I like the idea that the outcome determines if something was worth it - at least when it comes to products. I feel like Merriam Webster's sums it up nicely with this statement about the proof is in the pudding and its variants: 

Quote
Generally, the expressions are used to say that the real worth, success, or effectiveness of something can only be determined by putting it to the test by trying or using it, appearances and promises aside—just as the best test of a pudding is to eat it. 
End Quote
https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/origin-of-the-proof-is-in-the-pudding-meaning

And frankly, in a world full of mis-, dis-, and malinformation, biased opinions, and intentionally misleading advertisements, I love knowing that the proof of my products, indeed, are in the pudding. 

Dan:
That’s about all we have for today. If you have any thoughts on the show, or pop culture references we should have included, 
reach out to us on Patreon, patreon.com/bunnytrailspod or comment on our website bunnytrailspod.com

Shauna:
It’s poll time!

Recently we asked our patrons, what is your favorite moon phase?

The Full moon was the far and away winner, followed by the New moon and Waxing/Waning Gibbous. 

Mary said:
Quote
I really just love looking at the moon in any phase but the full moon, especially at harvest is just magical.  
End Quote

Dustin added:
Quote
Full moons are great to take the dog out on a walk. It is night but so light and I can see so much.
End Quote

Dan:
I love summer nights under a big, bright full moon. Whether it's camping, sitting on the porch, or fishing on the lake/river, the full moon makes it feel like I've stolen a little more light out of the day. 

JGP went in a different direction:
Quote
I always liked crescent moons since they're what every kid ever will draw when they have to draw a night sky, so whenever I see one I can't help but think of that and think it's just charming and cute.
End Quote

Emily agrees:
Quote
Crescent Moons are my favorite
End Quote

Shauna:
And Jan added:
Quote
I’m a fan of the new moon. I live out in the country away from most light pollution. When we turn off our outdoor lights and the moon isn’t bright in the sky, we can see so many stars. 
End Quote

I agree, Jan. Being able to see so many more stars in the sky is really incredible. 

I love a full moon… and I love when it’s a crescent but you can make out the outline of the rest of the moon… it just feels sort of mystical. Which is also how I feel about the circle that is sometimes seen around the moon. Called a lunar halo… it’s more about the weather than the phase of the moon, but it just looks cool.

As a reminder, our silly polls mean absolutely nothing and are not scientifically valid. And patrons of all levels, including our free tiers, can take part. Head over to patreon.com/bunnytrailspod to take this week’s poll!

Outro 

Shauna:
Thanks for joining us. We’ll talk to you again next week. Until then remember, 

Together:
Words belong to their users.