Instant Pudding

I haven't made pudding from a box  since the 60's and there was nothing then
like "instant" where I lived.
A few weeks ago I bought at a "pantry" store some "instant pudding mix." (by
weight).

When I poured milk into the mix, I let it sit for a couple of minutes while
I was doing something else; lo and behold!  when I looked at it again, it
had thickened up!

Since I didn't know whether people eat  instant pudding without cooking it,
I thought I'd better cook it, which I did and it was familiar looking to
normal pudding.

question:
Do people eat "instant pudding" without cooking it?
I'm laughing while I'm writing this -- I know all you youngsters will laugh
at me, too.

thanks,
Dee