Food In UK: British Cuisine And Meals - Essay Example

Food In UK: British Cuisine And Meals British Cuisine is the specialty and traditional food of UK. The country is famous for sophisticated and delicate food items. British food is known as the 'unfussy dishes that are delicate, high quality and full of enticing flavours'. The cuisine does not only represent the pure British culture, but has been influenced by numerous other cultures owing to the settlements developed consisting of people belonging to other cultures. These foreign cultural residents are Indians, Asians, Chinese, Italian, French etc. This diverse population has led to the British food and cuisine to absorb the essence of these different cultures. Thus this cultural mix has lead to the production of hybrid dishes like Anglo-Indian chicken tikka masala (BBC). The country's tradition and inclination towards Celtic agriculture and animal breeding produced numerous different variants for celts and britons. Stews are quite a common dish in the whole of Europe including Britain. The dish was created in Anglo-Saxon England where the meat and savoury herb stewing technique was initiated in the first place. In the Middle ages in England, the Norman conquest introduced the numerous striking and alluring spices now used in different dishes. The British cuisine also has a flavour of the strong Indian spices and herbs mashed together with their food, creating numerous hybrid dishes. Originally the core traditional dishes of UK include the fish and chips, full breakfast and Christmas dinner. To this core range of cuisine, further more dishes were added which included steak and kidney's pie, shepherd's pie, bangers and mash and Sunday roast. Considering the small divisions of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, the UK cuisine is a combination of the variety of regional food categories including English, Welsh and Irish cuisines. Each of these cuisines have a huge variety of their own local and regional food specialties and most of these are geographically indicated foods. These specialty dishes include the Yorkshire pudding, Welsh cakes and Arbroath Smokie (uktv..co.uk.; Brown, 2013). Apart from the food items and cuisines mentioned above, the main every day food categories or food items for which Britain is well known includes sausage rolls, pies and pastries, pop drinks, crisps and finger food and the Cadbury chocolate flaked ice cream, which is the favourite dessert for children. The region is also famous for its high quality beef and pedigree bulls. Different fruits and vegetables varieties were produced owing to the increased development in the plant breeding in the country. The Norman Conquest did not only brought in the flavours of the alluring spices, but also bring with it different continental influences again into the country. During this era, the maritime Britain became a significant part of the transcontinental spice trade, which had been followed for centuries now. Imperial Britain laid the foundations of the tradition of afternoon tea and scones, which is a major part of the daily meals for the UK citizens (uktv..co.uk; Brown, 2013). This brings us to the traditional British recipes, which are made and eaten by the residents of the country quite often. Namely, the list of these food items is quite long since it includes the recipes of Welsh, Irish and English dishes altogether. The general British cuisine includes the dishes like Apple crumble, bacon and tomatoes, beef pie, bread and butter pudding, Banbury cakes, beans on toast, broth, butter shortbread, Christmas pudding, Chicken and pear salad, Treacle tart, mince pie, tea scones, tea loafs, lemon pudding, flaming chicken, cooks salmon omelet, coffee cream sponge, Cauliflower Cheese Delux, trifle, tuna pie and Yorkshire pudding. The Scottish dish which is the most popular among many is the Haggis. While the Welsh specialties include Welsh fruitcake called Bara-brith, Cawl, Laver with mashed potatoes Welsh rarebit and Welsh cakes (Britain Express, n.d.). The food and meals culture in Britain is quite distinct from the other nations. The country has a tradition of having three courses per meal with an entre/starters, main course and dessert. Usually the Britain breakfast consists of meals like pancakes, omelette, pies, coffee, porridge or broth. Lunch and dinner consists of three courses as has been mentioned above. Afternoon tea and evening tea are traditional meals that are seen to be followed in every household of the country. The local food markets of the country is filled with numerous varieties of food items ranging from vegetables and fruits, to chicken, beef, pork and fish. The delicacy of English food comes in the presentation of the food with complete garnish and erotic sauces contributing to its flavours. BBC Food is among the most famous food channels and displays the love for not just food but innovative food their people have. Famous chefs like Jamie Oliver and Nigella are a few who display the British food markets in their programs, showing the exhaustive nature of the food items available. The dishes produced by these chefs and shown on their television shows are a complete depiction of their traditional food and in fact are an epitome of British food culture. The biggest food market and tourist attraction of Britain is the Borough market situated in London (Dillon, 2011). The modern British cuisine is a combination of Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, East Asian, South Asian and Southeast Asian cuisines. The British cuisine has in fact gained more popularity worldwide owing to the television chefs as already mentioned. These chefs have not only popularised the cuisine but has also brought on numerous innovations in the cuisine. The most famous among these chefs are Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver, Nigella Lawson, Nigel Slater, Clement Freud, Robert Carrier, Fanny Cradock, Keith Floyd, Robert Irvine, Delia Smith and Simon Hopkinson (Birtain Express, n.d.). The British cuisine, markets and meals are in fact extremely enticing and tempting especially the way they are shown on food channels like BBC Food etc. The garnishing, the side-lines, decorative eatables and other delicacy in the dishes shown by their presentation is what makes British dishes sophisticated. The cuisine mainly includes an enormous range of food items inspired by varying other cuisines. Main cuisines which have a significant influence on the Britain food are the English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish and Anglo-Indian cuisines. Watching the different dishes, their enticing and sophisticated names and their recipes make me want to try the British food even more. APPENDIX BBC Good Food. http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/british. Food Cuisines. http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/cuisines. Foodnetwork.co.uk. http://www.foodnetwork.co.uk/. The Best of British: Food and Drink 99 - When you visit England, go up to the ice cream van and ask for a 99. You will get a cone filled with soft ice cream and a Cadbury's flake - a long crumbly stick of chocolate. Mmmm! Afters - What's for afters? When you hear a kid say that they are asking what is fordessert. Nothing if they didn't eat their liver and greens! Aubergine - Eggplant to you. Bacon - You also have bacon, but one of the things I missed was British bacon. Not the fact that it comes from Britain, more the choice. You seem to have one choice - bacon. We have back, throughcut, streaky, smoked, green and dry cured. The one we call "streaky" is the cheapest as there is almost no meat on it. It is the closest to the bacon you have in the US. The most expensive is back, as it is almost all meat. Your bacon is nice and crisps up, but for the country that likes choice, it's odd that there is none. Banger - The good old British banger is bigger and fatter than the American breakfast link sausage. It is served for dinner with fried onions and gravy, in batter as toad in the hole or for breakfast with eggs, back bacon, mushrooms, black pudding, fried potatoes, grilled tomatoes, toast and marmalade. There are also many regional sausages that combine different meats, herbs and spices. And don't forget good old Bangers and Mash. Bap - A soft round roll, lightly floured. These are like hamburger buns in America, but also eaten as sandwiches. Yummy with bacon and egg oozing out! Barbie - Apart from being a doll, the barbie is the grill. Either charcoal or gas fired, it's what we cook our dinner on in the 2 days that makes up a good British summer. It's full name is the barbecue. So when we say barbie or BBQ we are talking about the cooker itself not the food. If you have people around you would call the event a BBQ as well. Beer - Normally called bitter, this is the most popular alcoholic beverage of the UK male drinking population. It is served in pints at just under room temperature (real ales, however are served AT room temperature). Real Ales are non carbonated beers made from hops and barley. Beer mat - Pubs always serve beer on a little card coaster which advertises the brewery or beer. They make great frisbees and are used for several pub games/jokes/tricks. You'll have to come and visit to find out more. Beetroot - This is called beet or beets in America. Here they come ready cooked normally in a little jar or in a bucket in street markets. Actually quite scrummy! Best - "A pint of best please landlord". You should walk into a British pub and say this at the bar in your best British accent. After telling you that "you're not from round here" you will be served with a pint of fine British ale. You might find it a little warm but it grows on you. Bevvy - If someone asks you if you want to come out for a bevvy, they are asking you to the pub for a beer. Bevvy is just short for beverage, but in this context the beverage in question is obviously of the alcoholic nature! Bickie - Short for biscuit. Usually said by kids and means cookie where you live. Bill - When you have finished your meal in a British restaurant or pub, ask for the bill not the check. Biscuit - Cookie in America. Though the large home-made chocolate chip type things would also be referred to as cookies in England. We also use the word "biscuit" to mean cracker, for instance you will see "biscuits for cheese" in the supermarkets, which are assortments of crackers. Bitter - Bitter is what we call beer. However, this is not what you call "beer" - we call that lager. Beers are the dark ales that are so popular amongst British drinkers. Served a little below room temperature, but not cold like yours. Black pudding - Missed by Brits in America, thin or thick black pudding is one of the staples of a cooked breakfast. Looking like a black sausage it is made from pigs blood and fat. Sounds horrid, but like faggots, you should try it before passing judgement! Blancmange - Blancmange is custard that has been made thick, and allowed to set. It is generally served as one of the layers in a trifle. The bottom layer would be sponge cake soaked in jelly, then some fruit, then the blancmange, then a layer of whipped double cream and finally a chocolate flake crumbled over the top. Yummy! Brown bread - In cheap restaurants the choice of bread may be "white" or "brown". This is our equivalent of white or wheat. If you asked for "wheat" you'd get a strange look. Brown sauce - If you are eating all day breakfast or something similar in a pub, you are likely to be asked if you would like brown sauce. It is pretty much like steak sauce, except the last thing we would put it on is a steak- yuck! We put it on things like cooked breakfast, which is probably just as disgusting to you. Bubble & squeak - No, this isn't what happens to you when you drink too much. Bubble & squeak is an old English breakfast dish made from frying up left over greens and potato. Bucks fizz - Apart from being a terrible pop group, bucks fizz is a drink made from ruining champagne with orange juice - mimosa to you. Buns - Fruit buns are made by aunties and grandmas and often served with a cuppa. It is perfectly acceptable to say "Mmmmm, nice buns Grandma". http://www.effingpot.com/food.shtml References BBC, n.d. Ever wondered food. [online] Available at: [Accessed 8 Dec 2013]. Britain Express, n.d. British Food-Traditional Recipes. [online] Available at: [Accessed 8 Dec 2013]. Brown, L., 2013. 5 British Food Items You Won't Find in Major U.S. Grocery Stores. BBC America. [online] Available at: [Accessed 8 Dec 2013]. Dillon, S., 2011. What do British food markets say about us? BBC Food. [online] Available at: [Accessed 8 Dec 2013]. uktv.co.uk., n.d. British Cuisine. Good Food Channel. [online] Available at: [Accessed 8 Dec 2013]. Read More