The food of United Kingdom (UK) is also termed as British Cuisine. Though this food is quite popular in the UK, it has not been able to establish its repertoire in many countries due to various reasons. The main focus of British cuisine is more on the use of high quality local ingredients and not as much on the presentation of food.
Geographic location
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country in Western Europe and a member of the British Commonwealth and the European Union. Usually known as the United Kingdom, or UK, it is made up of four parts. Three of these parts—England, Wales, and Scotland—are located on the island of Great Britain and are considered nations in their own right. The fourth is Northern Ireland, which is located on the island of Ireland and is a province of the United Kingdom.
The UK is situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe and is surrounded by the North Sea, the English Channel, the Celtic Sea, the Irish Sea, and the Atlantic Ocean.
Historical Background
- The island was first inhabited by people who crossed over the land bridge from the European mainland. Traces of early humans have been found (at Boxgrove Quarry, Sussex) from some 500,000 years ago and modern humans from about 30,000 years ago. Until about 10,000 years ago, Great Britain was joined to Ireland, and as recently as 8,000 years ago it was joined to the continent by a strip of low marsh leading to what are now Denmark and the Netherlands.
- Great Britain’s Iron Age inhabitants are known as the Britons, a group speaking a Celtic language. The Romans conquered most of the island and this became the Ancient Roman province of Britannia. In the course of the 500 years after the Roman Empire fell, the Britons of the south and east of the island were assimilated or displaced by invading Germanic tribes (Angles, Saxons, and Jutes, often referred to collectively as Anglo-Saxons).
- Scotland and England have existed as separate unified entities since the tenth century. Wales, under English control since 1284, became part of the Kingdom of England in 1536. In 1707 the separate kingdoms of England and Scotland, having shared the same monarch since 1603, agreed to a permanent union as the Kingdom of Great Britain.
- The UK was formed by a series of Acts of Union, which united the countries of England (Wales already was a part of England), Scotland, and Ireland under a single government housed in London. The greater part of Ireland left the United Kingdom in 1922 to form a separate country when it became the Republic of Ireland, while the north-eastern portion of the island, Northern Ireland, remains part of the United Kingdom.
- The United Kingdom, the dominant industrial and maritime power of the nineteenth century, played a leading role in developing Western ideas of property, liberty, capitalism, and parliamentary democracy as well as advancing world literature and science. At its zenith, the British Empire stretched over one-quarter of the earth’s surface. The first half of the twentieth century saw the UK’s strength seriously depleted in the two World Wars. The second half witnessed the dismantling of the empire and the UK rebuilding itself into a modern and prosperous nation.
Significant Features – Staple food with regional influences
- The cuisines of Britain, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales provide the basis for a cooking style that reminds people of the purpose of food, comfort, and nourishment.
- The countries that make up the British Isles have storied histories and have followed very different paths. Britain became one of the greatest empires and colonized countries all over the world, including neighbouring Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.
- This history of colonization has played a significant role in the development of modern British cuisine, whereas in Ireland, and to a lesser extent in Scotland and Wales, the cuisine developed predominately as a peasant/poor cuisine that focused mostly on survival and much less on indulging or celebrating.
- The sauces used are used to bring out the flavour of food and complement the dish rather than disguise or mask the original flavour of food.
- The historic cooking methods of the cuisines of the British Isles are boiling, griddling, and hearth baking, done over a fire burning in hearths.
- The cuisine of this area is known for its substantial breakfast.
- A sandwich has always been a very popular snack.
- Fruit desserts are popular, from pies and fruit crumbles to trifles and summer puddings made with fresh berries, as well as cakes flavored with spices or dried fruits or filled with jam and cream.
Sub-Regions of Great Britain Cuisine(British Cuisine)
English Cuisine
- England is the largest of the nation states in Great Britain. It has the richest agricultural land of Great Britain and has a long history of dairy production. This dairy culture produces well known cheeses like, Stilton, Cheddar, Cheshire, Derby, Double Gloucester and Cotswold.
- England has been known as a country of “beefeaters,” One of the traditional English meals is Roast ribs of Beef, which is traditional served with Yorkshire pudding and Horseradish sauce.
- Fish and seafood in abundant like, salmon, dover sole, turbot, mackerel, oysters, etc. Fish and Chips are traditional England take away food.
- The English also developed a number of Pasties (savory-filled pastries) and Pies that are essentially pastry-wrapped meat, seafood –filled dishes, or thick savoury fillings cooked inside a pastry shell.
- An English breakfast provides a hearty start to the day. It includes bread, egg preparation, cereals, bacon, ham & other cured meat / fish, baked/grilled/roasted vegetables, fries, etc.Afternoon tea was introduced in England by Anna, the seventh duchess of Bedford, in 1840. Traditional afternoon tea consists of a selection of dainty sandwiches, scones served with clotted cream and preserves, cakes, and pastries. Tea grown in India or Ceylon is poured from silver teapots into delicate bone china cups.
- The colonization of India brought curries and masala to England.
- Famous dishes include Shepherd’s pie, Lancashire hotpot, Bubble and Squeak, Cornish Pastry, summer puddings with fruits
Scottish Cuisine
- Scottish food is simple, with heavy emphasis on meat. Roast lamb, roast beef and steaks served with potatoes and bread make up the main meals.
- Scotland has strong culinary influences from Scandinavia (Denmark, Sweden & Norway) andFrance, from historic periods of alliances with the French.
- Dominance of cured and smoked foods reveals the influence of Scandinavian countries. The methods of Scottish pastries and soups, as well as culinary terminology show French connection.
- Scotland in regarded for its Smoked Salmon, Scotch Broth, Finnan Haddock, Kippers, Arbroath Smokies, Haggis and Scotch Whisky. Scotland is also where scones and marmalade originated, and it was a significant contributor to the development of the Royal high tea.
- Famous dishes include Mince & Tatties, Cullen skink, Stovies, Clapshot.
Irish Cuisine
- The culinary customs have remained unchanged for long, and lay emphasis on oats, barley, lamb, fish, sloke (seaweed), bacon and dairy.
- Famous for the fine-quality meats.
- There is an overreliance on potato. Famous potato dishes include colcannon, boxty, camp, potato bread, Irish fry.
- Soups and stews are also common.
- Famous dishes include Irish stew, Carrageen, Black pudding
Welsh Cuisine
- Wales has an excellent reputation for local fish, lamb and cheese.
- Well known welsh cheese is Caerphilly, which is eaten with breads and in the preparation of Welsh Rarebit.
- Another welsh speciality is Laverbread and it is made from local seaweed eaten with oatmeal.
- The national dish of Wales is Cawl, a kind of broth.
Popular Ingredients
- Cheese: Stilton, Red Leicester, Cheddar, Gloucester, Derby, Lancashire
- Swede: Also known as Rutabaga or yellow turnip.
- Parsnip: Vegetable related to the carrot family but is dirty white in colour.
- English Cucumber: Dark green seedless cucumber used in salads and sandwiches.
- White Radish: Pungent root vegetable eaten with cold cuts and pickled fish.
- Proprietary Sauces: HP sauce, Worcester Shire sauce.
- English Mustard: Served with pickled vegetables and cold meat, sandwiches.
- Clotted Cream: 55% butter fat cream, served with scones.
Specialities
- Cockaleekie: A thick chicken, leek, and barley soup from Scotland.
- Bangers: Sausages are called bangers in England and Ireland. They are traditionally made with pork, although beef bangers are now common. “Bangers and mash,” the familiar pub meal, is made from mashed potatoes, good-quality sausages, and onion gravy.
- Cornish Pasty: The word “pasty” comes from “pasta.” Originally made with a hard pastry that served as a container rather than something to be eaten, forming a sealed pastry envelope.
- Haggis: A Scottish pudding made of the heart, liver, and other parts of a sheep or lamb, minced with suet, onions, and oatmeal, highly seasoned and boiled in the stomach of the same animal.
- Fish and Chips: Fish is usually batter-fried or can be crumbed and deep fried. It is served with French fries or potato chips, accompanied with tartar sauce and tomato sauce.
- Dingle Pies: A simple, filling, one-handed meal, these small meat pies traditionally fed farmers working the fields or fishermen out at sea. They consist of a “hot-water pastry”—a sturdy mixture made by boiling butter and water, then combining them with flour—with a filling of mutton, carrots, and onions.
- Black Pudding, Blood Pudding, or Blood Sausage: Sausage made of pork and seasoned pig’s blood.
- Bubble and Squeak: An old English dish, made from leftovers and named for the sounds the ingredients make while cooking. The dish is usually made from left over vegetables that are finely minced or mashed and seasoned with salt, mixed herbs and cream.
- Roast Beef: Portioned out beef cut is marinated and roasted to medium doneness and served sliced with roast gravy, Yorkshire pudding and roasted potatoes.
- Yorkshire Pudding: A batter of egg, flour, and milk cooked in beef drippings. Originally served with gravy before the main course to reduce the appetite, today it is used as an accompaniment to beef roast.
- Shepherd’s Pie: Traditionally, minced lamb or mutton stew topped with mashed potatoes. Cottage pie is the beef version.
- Kedgeree: Originally known as Khitcheri in India; consists of boiled rice, fish, and eggs (cumin seeds and lentils are optional).
- Toad in the Hole: A large Yorkshire pudding cooked with sausages embedded in it.
- Oatcakes: Oatcakes were one of the traditional foods that the Irish cooked over a fire in a griddle.
- Brandy Snaps: These cookies are a common sight at the tea table in England and are often served with sweetened whipped cream.
- Fool: Mixture of sweetened fruit and cream
- Crumpet: A light and spongy small, round, unsweetened bread, cooked on a griddle, similar to an English muffin.
- Scones: A Scottish quick bread said to have taken its name from the Stone of Destiny (or Scone), the place where Scottish kings were once crowned.
- Trifle: A dessert typically consisting of ladyfingers, plain or sponge cake soaked in sherry, rum, or brandy, and topped with layers of jam or jelly, custard, and whipped cream.
- Dundee Cake: This is a rich fruit cake from Scotland and is made by creaming butter, sugar, eggs and flour, garnished with almonds.
- Welsh rarebit: A dish of cheese sauce served over or with toast; also called Welsh rabbit.
Important Terms
Bastible – Heavy iron pot with three legs used to bake and roast foods over a fire.
Griddle – Flat cast-iron cooking surface used to make the many examples of quick drop breads and seared foods found in the cuisines of the British Isles.
Hearth – Low fireplace found in homes throughout the British Isles, used for heating the home and for cooking.
Pasties – Pastry filled with savoury ingredients and baked.