Are you ready for the artery-clogging black forest gateauA rich cake containing layers of cream or fruit., layer upon layer of cream and chocolate? Or perhaps the smooth, wobbling mound of cream and sugar known as a blancmange?

To the delight of some and the horror of others, 1970s-style desserts are back in. Gone are plates of sliced fruit. According to reporting by The New York Times, America's hippest restaurants have embraced classic puddings.

It is part of a wider uptickAn increase or rise. in sweet treats. As many people face inflation and financial uncertainty, sugary foods have  become more popular.¹ As business reporter Alex Bitter writes, "Consumers are turning to comfort snacks."

Pastry chef Maggie Scales began serving a gateau after lockdown. She wanted to "offer her customers solaceComfort in times of sadness or worry. in the form of a nostalgic sweet." Diners rebelled when she tried to remove it.

There is a physiologicalRelating to the way in which the body functions. benefit to cakes in lean times. The sugar provides a quick energy boost. Fat helps us store energy for the future, when food might be scarce. It also helps us keep warm: useful in a time of soaring energy bills.

It can help us through sickness. The Ancient Greek doctor Hippocrates said: "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food."

There are also psychological benefits. Food brings comfort and happiness. And humans are at their strongest when they are together. 

Desserts have an extraordinary power to bring communities together.² Germans meet to chat over KaffeeCoffee in German. und KuchenGerman for cake.,³ while Turkish hosts present baklavaA rich Greek and Middle Eastern dessert made of thin, flaky layers of pastry filled with chopped nuts, butter, and cinnamon and soaked in a honey or sugar syrup. and lokum A fragrant jelly candy recipe native to Turkey, otherwise known as Turkish Delight. to their guests. Pudding offers a universal language. But it also serves to mark out a nationality or group.

Some even claim that desserts and the rituals they create stand at the heart of human society. Politicians come and go. Countries rise and fall. Regions are ravagedSeverely damaged; devastated. by war. But desserts stick around. The British, for example, have eaten Christmas puddings since at least the 16th Century.⁴

Others warn against over-egging the pudding. We need to eat to survive. But sweet treats are a luxury in a world where as many as 828 million people suffer from hunger. Thinking too much about desserts serves as a distraction from the world.

Yes: Ice cream has existed for around five thousand years, far longer than any one civilisation or political system. Our love for such sweet treats has hugely impacted how our societies developed.

No: A pudding is enjoyed by a few people for a short time. Political decisions can permanently affect millions. When the history books are written, puddings will not even merit a footnote.

Or... Neither is more important. Politics affects food: Ukrainians and Russians argue over who owns borscht. And food inspires politics, as when Marie Antoinette told her starving subjects to eat cake.