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Why do we say "The proof of the pudding is in the eating"?

Well-Known Expressions

The proof of the pudding is in the eating

Meaning:

Judge everything by the results

Background:

This proverb has been traced back to around 1300 but was popularized by Miguel de Cervantes in Don Quixote (1605).

Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) was a Spanish novelist, poet and playwright who is best remembered for his two volume opus about Don Quixote (from which we get the word quixotic) which many consider the first modern novel.

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