British cuisine is often criticized by foodies and gourmets. The British value practicality, and therefore rarely pay attention to both the form and the content of lunches and dinners. However, some of the national dishes of the United Kingdom are widely known and popular around the world. Today we want to tell you about the features of British cuisine, and also to offer you some simple, but quite interesting recipes.
UK Diet
The British are very conservative, and therefore the traditional breakfast, lunch and dinner schedule has been preserved for centuries. What does Queen Elizabeth’s average day look like?
It is well known that modern British people like to have a cup of coffee in bed. This ritual helps them to fully wake up, as well as prepare for the hardships of the coming day. After that, they go to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Thanks to Russian films about Sherlock Holmes, there is a stereotype that in the mornings the British eat only porridge (moreover, oatmeal). However, this statement is only partially true. Oatmeal can really be present at the tables of British citizens, but more often in their homes they serve for breakfast eggs and bacon, sausages, toasted slices of bread, tea or coffee.
Between the first and second breakfast, the British, as a rule, drink tea. And most often it is diluted with thick cream or cow's milk. Interestingly, the British called lemon tea the British “Russian drink” and find it somewhat strange. Tea is, of course, served with cookies or any other pastries. At lunch (we can unknowingly call it lunch), modern Britons often eat sandwiches or hot dogs. Often working citizens during the break go to eat at the nearest fast food establishment.
It is impossible to imagine the diet of the British without the traditional “fife-o-cloc”, or a five-hour tea party. At this time, children and adults enjoy a freshly brewed drink, which is usually served with muffins, cupcakes, cookies and sweet rolls. For those who are very hungry, often prepare sandwiches with vegetables, sour cream and herbs. English dinner usually starts after seven in the evening. Meat, stewed vegetables, soups and broths are served.
What popular British dishes can I recommend to Russians? Next, we will offer you some interesting recipes.
Yorkshire pudding
We often associate British national cuisine with this particular dish. Many people think that pudding is a sweet dessert decorated with chocolate or nuts. In fact, there are many types of popular English product. Puddings are made from cereals, dairy products, fat, dried fruits, meat and even fish. The recipe for the famous Christmas pudding includes 16 ingredients, and it is prepared several months before the holiday. It is customary to pour rum over it during serving and set it on fire right on the festive table.
Fortunately, British cuisine (recipes of which can sometimes cause shock at an unprepared chef) knows the recipe for a simple but delicious pudding from Yorkshire. This dish is prepared from dough and served at the table with meat dishes. Famous cook and showman Daimi Oliver offers to cook it from the following products:
- Wheat flour and milk - one glass each.
- Egg.
- Seedless olives - five pieces.
- Salt is one pinch.
- Vegetable oil.
The Yorkshire pudding recipe is very simple:
- To start, turn on the oven and place muffin molds in it.
- Sift the flour into a bowl and mix it with salt. Pour in milk and beaten egg, and then whisk all the products with a whisk.
- Cut the olives in half rings and put them in the resulting mass.
- Lubricate heated molds with a silicone brush. Pour the dough into them and send the baked goods.
Ready-made puddings can be served with tea, as well as with first or second courses.
English meat pie
How else can traditional British cuisine surprise gourmets and culinary experts? Of course, we will talk about classic meat pies! In the UK, they are the indispensable attribute of holidays, picnics or Sunday dinners.
Ingredients:
- Pork - 500 grams.
- Smoked bacon - 100 grams.
- Salt - two teaspoons (one for dough, and the second for the filling).
- Butter - 25 grams.
- Fat - 75 grams.
- Flour - 240 grams.
- Eggs - two pieces (one for dough and one for lubrication).
- Gelatin - six grams.
- Meat broth - 250 grams.
- Herbs (basil, thyme) - one teaspoon.
- Ground black pepper - half a teaspoon.
- Nutmeg is a third of a teaspoon.
- Water - 100 ml.
Recipe
- Cut the meat and bacon into cubes, then mix the foods with salt, herbs and spices.
- Melt the fat and butter in a pan, and then pour in the water and add salt.
- In a separate bowl, mix the sifted flour with the egg. Pour the hot liquid from the pan into the bowl. Stir the food with a spoon, and then knead the dough with your hands. Put it in the refrigerator for half an hour.
- Take a baking dish with high sides and grease it with oil. Divide the dough into two parts. Roll out a large, lay on the bottom of the dishes and form the sides.
- Put the filling on the base, and make a “pie cover” from a small piece of dough. Pinch the edges, make a hole on top and grease the baking surface with a beaten egg. Bake the cake in the oven for 45 minutes.
- Dissolve gelatin in hot meat broth. When the cake is ready, pour the liquid through the hole in the lid.
It will be possible to serve refreshments to the table after it cools down.
Tuna Sandwiches (British)
The British are happy to have sandwiches during lunch, prepare them for breakfast or for a traditional five-hour tea party. Also, this snack is often taken for a picnic or prepared for children at school. Here is a list of the necessary products:
- Sandwich Bread - eight slices.
- Canned Tuna - 300 grams.
- Eggs - four pieces.
- Cheddar Cheese - Four slices.
- Tomatoes - two pieces.
- Red onion.
- Salad - four leaves.
- Mayonnaise - 80 grams.
- Capers - one tablespoon.
- Anchovies - two pieces.
Appetizer Recipe
- Boil the eggs, peel them and cut into rings.
- Free the onion from the husk and cut into strips.
- Tomatoes also cut into circles.
- Open a can of fish, drain the liquid, and mash the contents with a fork.
- Grind the anchovies and capers, and then mix with mayonnaise. If desired, you can add a little mustard.
- Brush the bread with the sauce. Put canned food and prepared vegetables in half slices. Cover the workpieces with the remaining pieces.
Preheat the sandwiches in a sandwich maker, and cut them diagonally before serving.
Stuffed goose
An indispensable attribute of a festive English table is a bird stuffed with fruits, vegetables, nuts and herbs.
Ingredients:
- Goose - two kilograms.
- Onions - one and a half kilograms.
- White bread is one kilogram.
- Milk - two glasses.
- Salt - three teaspoons.
- Ground black pepper - half a teaspoon.
- Nutmeg - two pinches.
- Sage - two or three branches.
Holiday Recipe
- First you need to process the bird, wash and dry it with paper towels. Then cut the tail and remove the internal fat.
- Rub the goose with salt and pepper, and then send the carcass to the refrigerator for two hours.
- Bake the unpeeled onions in the oven, peel and chop them.
- First, soak the bread in milk, then squeeze it and mix with onions. Add half a spoonful of salt, herbs and spices to the foods.
- Fill the goose with the mixture and sew. If you want the finished bird to be rosy, rub the skin with lemon juice.
- Pour some water into a deep pan, put a bird in it.
Bake a festive treat for two hours at a temperature of 180 degrees.
Conclusion
We hope that British cuisine (photos and recipes of some dishes you have already studied in our material) will cause you genuine interest. The peoples who live in the United Kingdom are contributing to its development and prosperity. Each region of the country is famous for special dishes and recipes. So, in England you can try black pudding, in Scotland a beef tripe, and in Ireland a colcannon of mashed vegetables. After the colonization of India in Britain, spices and spices became widespread. And in recent years, dishes sold in fast food chains have gained great popularity. Thus, studying the national cuisine of this amazing country, you can trace the history of entire nations, learn a lot of new and interesting things.