Food in Great Britain

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Food in Great Britain

Introduction

British cuisine has traditionally been limited in its international recognition to the full breakfast and the Christmas dinner. However, Celtic agriculture and animal breeding produced a wide variety of foodstuffs for indigenous Celts and Britons. Anglo-Saxon England developed meat and savoury herb stewing techniques before the practice became common in Europe. The Norman conquest introduced exotic spices into Great Britain in the Middle Ages. The British Empire facilitated a knowledge of India's elaborate food tradition of "strong, penetrating spices and herbs".

British cuisine is the specific set of cooking traditions and practices associated with the United Kingdom. Historically, British cuisine has meant "unfussy dishes made with quality local ingredients, matched with simple sauces to accentuate flavour, rather than disguise it". However, British cuisine has absorbed the cultural influences of the colonial era and post-war immigration, producing hybrid dishes, such as the Anglo-Indian Chicken tikka masala, hailed as "Britain's true national dish".British dishes include fish and chips, the Sunday roast, shepherd's pie and bangers and mash. British cuisine has several national and regional varieties, including English, Scottish and Welsh cuisine, which each have developed their own regional or local dishes.

Everyone has heard about “Harry Poter and the Philosopher's Stone” by J.K.Rowling, this is an extract from the book:

“ Harry's mouth fell open. The dishes in front of him were piled with food. He had never seen so many things he liked to eat on one table: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup and for some strange reason, mint humbugs”. This page of the popular book contains the most famous British dishes. What are they?

Traditional dishes. Roast beef and Yorkshire Pudding

national dish england

Traditional dishes. Roast beef and Yorkshire Pudding is England's traditional Sunday lunch, which is a family affair. This dish is not usually eaten as a dessert like other puddings but instead as part of main course or at a starter. Yorkshire pudding, made from flour, egg and milk as a sort of batter baked in the oven, usually moistened with gravy. The traditional way to eat a Yorkshire pudding is to have a large plate filled with gravy and vegetables as a starter of the meal. Then when the meal is over, any unused pudding should be served with jam or ice-cream as a dessert.

Fish and chips (cod, haddock, plaice) deep fried in flour batter with fried popatoes dressed in malt vinegar. This is England's traditional take-away food. Fish and chips are not normally home cooked but bought at fish and chip shop (called “chippie').

Roast Meat is cooked in the oven for about 2 hours. Typical meats for roasting are joints of beef, pork, lamb or even the whole chicken. More rarely duck, goose, turkey, gammon. Beef is eaten with hot white hirseradish sauce, pork- with sweet apple sauce, lamb- with green mint sauce.

“Toad - in the- hole” is sausages covered in batter and roasted. They are similar to Yorshire pudding, but with sausages placed in the batter before cooking.

There are many types of pies in Great Britain: Shepherd's pie- made with minced lamb and vegetables topped with mushed potatoes. Cottage pie- made with minced beef and vegetables topped with mashed potato. Pie and Mash with parsley liquor- the original pies were made with eel because at that time eels were cheaper product than beef. About 50 years ago, mince beef pies replaced the eels and have now become the traditional pie and mash that people know. The liquor is of a curious shade of green and definately non-alcoholic. The liquor tastes much nicer than it looks (it's bright green). Jellied eels are also an East End delicacy often sold with pie and mash. Pork pie, steak and kidney pie consist of a cooked mixture of chopped beef, kidney, onions, mushrooms and beef stock. Every now and then the villagers of Denby Dale, near Huddersfield, Yorkshire bake the world's biggest meat and potato pie. The first recorded making of a pie in the village was in 1788 to celebrate the recovery of King George III from mental illness. Since that time nine other pies have been baked, usually to coincide with a special event or to raise money for a local cause.

The pie dish in the year 2000 weighed 12 tonnes and was 40ft long, 8ft wide and 3ft 8in deep, and the pie itself contained three tonnes of beef, half a tonne of potatoes and 22 gallons of John Snith's Best Bitter.

Meal time. Breakfast

"To eat well in England, you should have breakfast three times a day."
-- said William Somerset Maugham.

Most people around the world seem to think that a typical English breakfast consists of eggs, bacon, sausages, fried bread, mushrooms and baked beans, all washed down wih a cup of coffee. Nowadays, however, a typical English breakfast is more likely to be a bowl of cereals, a slice of toast, orange juice and a cup of coffee. Many people, especially children, will eat a bowl of cereals with milk. They are made of different grains such as corn, wheat, oats. In winter some people eat “porridge” or boiled oats.

Lunch. Many children at school and adults at work will have a 'packed lunch'. This typically consists of a sandwich, a packet of crisps, a piece of fruit and a drink. The 'packed lunch' is kept in a plastic container.

Sandwiches are also known as a 'butty' or 'sarnie' in some parts of the UK.

Some people have their biggest meal in the middle of the day and some it in the evening, but most people today have a small mid-day meal usually consisting of sandwiches and crisps and some fruit.

They have three main meals a day:

· Breakfast - between 7:00 and 9:00,

· Lunch - between 12:00 and 1:30 p.m.

· Dinner (sometimes called Supper) - The main meal. Eaten anytime between 6:30 and 8:00 p.m. (Evening meal) . and tea- from 5;30 till 6;30, for some people it has always been a tradition.

Traditional British dinner is meat and 2 vegetables. One of them is always potato. A recent survey found that most people in Britain eat curry, rice, pasta. Vegetables are carrots, peas, cabbage, onions.

Traditional drinks in England

Britain is a tea-drinking nation. Every day we drink 165 million cups of the stuff and each year around 144 thousand tons of tea are imported.

It is believed by some that the English "drop everything" for a teatime meal in the mid-afternoon. This is no longer the case in the workplace, and is rarer in the home. A formal teatime meal is now often an accompaniment to tourism, particularly in Devon and neighbouring counties, where comestibles may include scones with jam and butter or clotted cream. There are also butterfly cakes, simple small sponge cakes which can be iced or eaten plain. Nationwide, assorted biscuits and sandwiches are eaten. Generally, however, the teatime meal has been replaced by snacking, or simply ignored.

Tea itself, usually served with milk, is consumed throughout the day and is sometimes drunk with meals. In recent years herbal teas and speciality teas have also become popular.

Tea in Britain is traditionally brewed in a warmed china teapot, adding one spoonful of tea per person and one for the pot. Most Britons like their tea strong and dark, but with a lot of milk. ( an interesting fact is that many years ago, the milk was poured into the cup first, so as not to crack the porcelain).

The traditional way of making tea is:

§ Boil some fresh cold water. (We use an electric kettle to boil water)

§ Put some hot water into the teapot to make it warm.

§ Pour the water away

§ Put one teaspoon of tea-leaves per person, and one extra tea-spoon, into the pot.

§ Pour boiling water onto the tea.

§ Leave for a few minutes.

§ Serve

If someone asks you if you would like a `cuppa'- they are asking if you would like a cup of tea. If someone says “let me be mother” or “shall i be mother”- they are offering to pour out the tea from the tea pot.

There is another famous expression- it's not my cup of tea- which means that something is not to your taste.

Coffee is perhaps a little less common than in continental Europe, but is still drunk by many in both its instant and percolated forms, often with milk (but rarely with cream). Italian coffee preparations such as espresso and cappuccino and modern American variants such as the frappuccino are increasingly popular, but generally purchased in restaurants or from specialist coffee shops rather than made in the home. Sugar is often added to individual cups of tea or coffee, though never to the pot.is now as popular in Britain as tea is. People either drink it with milk or have it black and either have freshly- made coffee or instant coffee.

Bitter

Britain is also well known for its ale which tends to be dark in appearance and heavier than lager. It is known as "bitter"

Bitter is served in Pubs

Wine

Britain's wine industry is growing from strength to strength and we now have over 300 wine producers. A growing number of British vineyards are now producing sparkling white wine as well as full bodied red wine. There are over 100 vineyard in Kent.

Dessert

In Britain they also use the words “dessert”, “sweet” and “ after”. Here is another extract from the book:

"......... a moment later the puddings appeared. Blocks of ice cream in every flavour you could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate eclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, jelly, rice pudding ......"

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, J. K. Rowling.

Sweets consist of many original home-made desserts such as rhubarb crumble, bread and butter pudding, trifle and spotted dick. The traditional accompaniment is custard, which is a thick, rich, sweet mixture made by gently cooking together egg yolks, sugar, milk or cream, and sometimes other flavorings. Most people today use a yellow powder mixed with milk, water and sugar. Custard can be served as a hot sauce, poured over a dessert, or as a cold layer in, for example, a trifle. When it is cold, it 'sets' and becomes firm. It is sometimes known as crиme anglaise (English sauce or English cream made with eggs and milk) to the French however in Victorian times Alfred Bird, a Birmingham Chemist, operating from premises in New Street found that his wife much enjoyed custard but was allergic to eggs and so he invented a substitute made from cornflour and vanilla . The dishes are simple and traditional, with recipes passed on from generation to generation. There is also a dried fruit based Christmas pudding, and the almond flavoured Bakewell tart.

Trifle is made with layers of sponge cake altternate with custard, jam or fruit and Whipped Cream. Sometimes alcohol-soaked sponge cake is used.

There are a lot of cakes with strange and attractive names in the country:

- The Victoria Sponge - Named after Queen Victoria;

- Parkin - A spicey cake combining oatmeal and ginger. Traditionally enjoyed around Guy Fawkes Night (November 5)

- Simnel Cake-a traditional cake for Easter and Mothering Sunday (Mothers' Day) and

Apple and Plum Crumble with custard, served hot or cold with cream, custard or ice cream.

Apple and Blackberry Crumble, served hot or cold with cream, custard or ice cream.

Vanilla creme brulee with a Shrewsbury biscuit

Lemon Meringue served cold with cream or ice cream.

Strawberry cheesecake with strawberry sauce.

Food found in Great Britain

Britain is an island between the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. No one in England lives more than 120 km (75 miles) from the sea. For people living near the sea, fish and shellfish have always been popular foods.

Away from the sea, people first ate wild animals, but then hundreds of years ago they began keeping sheep, cows and chickens on farms. Farmers have grown fruit, vegetables and cereals (for bread making) for centuries too.

During the Middle Ages (11th to 15th Century), Ships brought sugar, nuts and spices from far away. The spices were often used to hide the taste of the food which was going bad! When sailors went to foreign places they bought back more kinds of food.

When fridges and freezes were invented, people could keep food much longer.

What food was "invented" or discovered in England?

1762: The sandwich was invented in England.

We have a town named Sandwich in the south of England. John Montagu, the Earl of Sandwich invented a small meal that could be eaten with one hand while he continued his nonstop gambling.

1902: Marmite was invented in England.

Marmite is dark brown-coloured savoury spread made from the yeast that is a by-product of the brewing industry. It has a very strong, slightly salty flavour. It is definitely a love-it-or-hate-it type of food.

HP Sauce was invented in England at the end of the 19th century by Mr FG Garton, a Nottingham grocer. He was down on his luck and couldn't pay his bills, so when Edwin Samson Moore, owner of the Midland Vinegar Company, offered to cancel his debt with the company and pay him Ј150 for the recipe, plus the use of the name HP, Garton jumped at the chance.

Moore had been looking around for some time for a sauce to manufacture and market. He liked both the taste and the name of Garton's HP Sauce, which had an appropriately patriotic ring to it. The HP stood for Houses of Parliament, as it was rumoured that the sauce had been seen gracing the tables of one of the dining rooms there.

Worcestershire Sauce (Worcester Sauce)

1837 John Lea and William Perrins of Worcester, England started manufacturing Worcester Sauce (Worcestershire).

Worcester sauce was originally an Indian recipe, brought back to Britain by Lord Marcus Sandys, ex-Governor of Bengal. He asked two chemists, John Lea and William Perrins, to make up a batch of sauce from his recipe.

There are many types of food in Great Britain

There are many types of food in Great Britain from different countries. Indian cuisine is the most popular alternative to traditional cooking in Britain, followed by Chinese and Italian cuisine food. Thai, Spanish, Jewish, Greek, Tex-Mex and Caribbean restaurants can also be found, with American and Middle Eastern food mostly represented in the take-away sector. Whereas most international food is pitched in the middle of the price range, French food tends to be considered haute cuisine.

Indian restaurants typically allow the diner to combine a number of base ingredients - chicken, prawns or "meat" (lamb or mutton) - with a number of curry sauces, without regard to the authenticity of the combination. (Most restaurants are run by Bangladeshi Muslims, so pork is rarely offered.) Meals are almost always accompanied by rice, usually basmati, with bread sometimes ordered in addition. India's well-developed vegetarian cuisine is sketchily represented.

Anglo Indian Fusion food started during the British Raj with such dishes as mulligatawny soup, kedgeree and coronation chicken. The process continued with chicken tikka masala in the 1970s and Balti in the 1980s, although some claim the latter has roots in the subcontinent.

Pizza and pasta dishes such as spaghetti bolognese and lasagna with bolognese ragщ and Bйchamel sauce are the most popular forms of Italian food.

Chile con carne is also a popular Tex-Mex dish: it is generally made with kidney beans and minced beef, and served with rice.

Chinese food is predominantly derived from Cantonese cuisine, and so adapted to Western tastes that Chinese customers may be offered an entirely separate menu. Spare ribs in OK sauce is an example of crossover cuisine.

Caribbean and Jewish food are mostly eaten within their respective communities, although bagels are becoming more widespread as a snack.

The portion is enormous, that a typical British person wouldn't eat in one sitting. The names of dishes are diverse too; chicken salad, steak and kidney pie, Cornish pastie with chips, bubble and squek (made from cold vegetables that have been left over from the previos meal). Bangers and Mash. Bangers are sausages in England. The reason why they are so nicknamed is that during wartime they were so filled with water they often exploded when they were fried. Scolland is famous for its game and salmon, the national dish is haggies and neeps (innards and offal chopped up with spices and cooked in a sheep's stomach, served with mashed turnip). Traditional Scottish dishes such as haggis exist alongside international foodstuff brought about by migration.

What do they call haggis?

Haggis is made from lamb's offal (lungs, liver and heart) mixed with suet, onions, herbs and spices, all packed into a skin bag traditionally made of a sheep's stomach. Haggis is often served with mashed potatoes and mashed swede or turnips. It is traditionally served on Burns' Night. Traditional Welsh food includes: Laverbread- it's basically boiled seaweed; Bara Brith- a rich cake; Cawl- a rich stew made with bacon, lamb and vegetables, faggots are Welsh pork meatballs.

Welsh cuisine has influenced, and been influenced by, other British cuisine. Although both beef and dairy cattle are raised widely, especially in Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire, Wales is best known for its sheep, and thus lamb is the meat traditionally associated with Welsh cooking. Breakfast is traditionally an important meal in Wales. A hearty breakfast of eggs and cockles fried with bacon and sausage, served with laverbread, is known as a traditional Welsh breakfast. The custom of dipping one's breakfast eggs in ketchup is often associated with Wales. Ketchup is a common Welsh breakfast condiment.

Various cheeses are produced in Wales. These include Caerphilly cheese, Y Fenni cheese, Hen-Sir cheese, Llanboidy cheese, Tintern, Pantysgawn, Red Dragon, Red Devil, and an exceptionally strong variety of cheddar, the "Black Bomber."

Take-away meals

Take-away meals are very popular and most towns have a selection of Indian, Chinese, Greek restaurants. You will also find Macdonalds, Burger King and Subway. Fish and Chips

Fish and chips is the classic English take-away food and is the traditional national food of England. It became popular in the 1860's when railways began to bring fresh fish straight from the east coast to the our cities over night. The take away food is cheaper that to eat in.

Vegetarianism. Since the end of World War II when their numbers were around 100,000, increasing numbers of the British population have adopted vegetarianism, especially since the BSE crisis of the 1990s. As of 2003[update] it was estimated that there were between 3 and 4 million vegetarians in the UK, one of the highest percentages in the Western world, and around 7 million people claim to eat no red meat. It is rare not to find vegetarian foods in a supermarket or on a restaurant menu.

In Britain today there is more interest in food than there has ever been before, with celebrity chefs leading the drive toward raising the standard of food in the UK.

In 2005 British cuisine reached new heights when 600 food critics writing for (British) Restaurant magazine named 14 British restaurants among the 50 best restaurants in the world with the number one spot going to The Fat Duck in Bray, Berkshire and its chef Heston Blumenthal.

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