…What's Giga Pudding?

Here at the KYM Institute for Internet Studies, we'd like to take a moment to clarify some misinformation surrounding the Giga Pudding, the Japanese baking kit behind the sensation of Puddi Puddi on 4chan last week. Perhaps it's something that was lost in the clouds of Japanese-English translation or maybe it's a common misconception in general, but this humongous pile of yellow sweetness is not exactly what it says it is:

Giga Pudding is not pudding. It's a custard.

Custards are usually egg-based treats that require oven baking while most puddings are milk-based desserts that need refrigeration. This specific Japanese style of custard is similar to a crème caramel or flan and is known as custard purin. The label of pudding is also a widely used culinary term in other foods such as blood pudding. In the case of Giga Pudding, it is an instant custard, which means it uses gelatin substitutes in addition to dried eggs and milk. The mixture must also be refrigerated according to the instructions.

What's Inside

Besides the trademark bucket and strange spoons, the package comes with little more than custard mix and caramel mix that must be mixed with only water and milk, then refrigerated for 10 hours. The dark topping of the Puddi is actually caramel flavored, not chocolate as some may be led to believe. The Giga Pudding is also available in several different varieties and flavors, including a chocolate, strawberry, and miniature versions. The original vanilla Giga Pudding went on sale in Japan in December 2008.

Where To Buy

On Amazon.co.jp, this wiggly-jiggly culinary monster is listed under the "Children's Toy" section right next to the battery operated noodle slide and the microwaveable fried Pokemon …something kit. While Giga Pudding is largely considered a novelty junk food in Japan, comparable to the Western line of Easy Bake Oven kits, that doesn't make the 8-inch high flan cake any less fantastic.

Nutritional Facts

Based on generic nutritional data for 20 servings of crème caramel, if you were to eat the entire bucket full of Giga Pudding in one sitting, it might look something like this:

Source: Caramel Custard Prepared with Whole Milk / CalorieKing.com

You could knock off a few hundred calories by substituting the whole milk with 2% milk instead, but this will significantly dilute the taste of milk, so choose your ingredients carefully!

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Note: Know Your Meme staff claims no expertise in nutritional sciences. But after reviewing the product, we felt somewhat obligated to inform the people of Planet Forever Alone that eating an entire Puddi Puddi by oneself may result in aggravated health risks, no matter how delicious it is.