How do you make rice pudding without rice? No, that’s not a pun, but a genuine question that Justice Thurgood Marshall asked himself before creating Farmers Rice Pudding (Rice Not Included). A gem of Depression era cooking, making the most of meager rations, I can’t help but respect such reckless creativity.
It’s hard to imagine a time when rice, renowned for being abundant and affordable, would be subject to such shortages. In the early 1900’s, however, most American farmers focused their efforts on wheat and corn, leaving rice production concentrated in a relatively small number of regions along the Gulf Coast and in parts of California. Domestic production alone wasn’t enough to meet growing demand and imports were out of the question on rapidly shrinking budgets.
The technique itself, of cutting an egg into flour until it resembles tiny grains, is much older than the Depression. It’s a traditional Central and Eastern European method used to make tiny dumplings or noodles, such as Hungarian tarhonya, nokedli, or German spaetzle. These dishes are usually savory, rather than sweet, saying more about the American proclivity for sugar than anything else. Even in tough times, we must have our desserts.
While my pantry will never be without rice, the same can be said of flour. And oh, so many types of flour at that! Driven now by innovation rather than scarcity, this recipe presents a unique opportunity for customization. Personally, I adore all-purpose einkorn flour and will always use it over conventional white wheat, which is exactly what I did here. It adds an uncanny buttery flavor and flaxen color, to say nothing of all the vitamins, minerals, fiber, and protein, especially compared to long grain white rice. Studded with tiny dumplings, chewy but yielding, I might like it even better than the conventional whole grain custard.
Justice Marshall was clearly ahead of his time. Riceless pudding never garnered the same acclaim as mock apple pie or wacky cake, which is a real shame. Maybe rice pudding was just never as popular as other desserts, too homely to share, even in a time before social media. It may sound like a novelty, but I’m shocked to find myself making it as a regular treat now. For such humble fare, it really tastes stunningly decadent.
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