Is Greek rice pudding different from any other countries rice pudding?

[acamp7]

As Ive traveled the world a bit, I noticed that so many different countries have rice pudding!! So my question is....is there anything that makes the Greek variation special/different? Because from the pictures, everyones rice pudding pretty much looks like this lol

 

[Worldwide Greeks Editor]

Great question! I have only had Greek rice pudding, so I am not sure and look forward to other replying on this one

 

[Deborah]

Every country seems to put its own touches on one of the World’s favorite comfort foods….rice pudding. The major differences are: the type of rice used (or available), the method of cooking (stove top or baked), the binding ingredient (milk, eggs, cornstarch etc.) and perhaps most important, the seasonings and accompaniments used. For example I’ve made a Lebanese rice pudding with rose water and almonds. An Indian pudding might contain cardamom and raisins; an Italian pudding could even contain coffee and chocolate! While most rice pudding recipes are very similar to the Greek in their use of cinnamon, what surprised me most about the Greek version was that it was often served in the villages warm for breakfast….like waiting for the fresh donuts!!

 

[acamp7]

Every country seems to put its own touches on one of the World’s favorite comfort foods….rice pudding. The major differences are: the type of rice used (or available), the method of cooking (stove top or baked), the binding ingredient (milk, eggs, cornstarch etc.) and perhaps most important, the seasonings and accompaniments used. For example I’ve made a Lebanese rice pudding with rose water and almonds. An Indian pudding might contain cardamom and raisins; an Italian pudding could even contain coffee and chocolate! While most rice pudding recipes are very similar to the Greek in their use of cinnamon, what surprised me most about the Greek version was that it was often served in the villages warm for breakfast….like waiting for the fresh donuts!!

Great point!! What type of rice do you recommend? And what type of rice do Greeks use?

 

[k_tsoukalas]

The Greek version is pretty simple. Usually rice, milk, honey or sugar, cinnamon. I have seen recipes with orange peel, maybe some mahleb or vanilla. Other countries have similarities, some even do it the same way. Some versions use other types of milk, like coconut milk (I think I saw that in a Thai restaurant). The nice thing about this dish is that it is pretty versatile.