Tweet
OK, so the Brits get teased all the time about their native foods being crap but much of the UK's traditional specialties are pretty good. Let's share a few so that other people can learn more about the under appreciated culinary delights from Britain and Ireland. I'll start by naming a few.
Yorkshire forced indoor rhubarb - My own experience with rhubarb is that it is tough, chewy, and rather tart in flavor but I think I'd like to try some of this indoor rhubarb. Supposedly by taking rhubard seedlings and keeping them in a dark room or basement (with nothing more then dim candle light) the flesh becomes soft and sweet to the taste making it excellent for puddings, crumples, or pies. This is supposedly a unique practice which has just been given protected status in the EU (we'll forgo discussing what a terrible idea the EU's protectionist policies on foodstuffs is). http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6474741.stm
Arbroath smokies - a traditional process for smoking haddock which supposedly gives the fish a wonderful woody flavor. I found a web site about Arbroath smokies but I'm not sure what makes it so different from other ways of smoking fish or meats which are used around the world. http://www.arbroathsmokies.net/
Cheeses - Artisan Cheddars, Farmhouse Cheshire, Lancashire, Stinking Bishop, Clotted Cream, Mature Blue Stilton, White Stilton with Fruit, Welsh Caerphilly, and Red Dragon are just a few of the hundreds of unique cheeses native to the British Isles and I haven't even mentioned any Irish cheese yet. Everyone goes on and on about cheeses from France, Spain, and Italy but there is a treasure trove of traditional cheeses in the UK & Ireland which are world class.
Beer & spirits - one thing the Brits were never short of was lots of good alcoholic beverages. I'll let others expand on this list.
That should be enough to get us started. What other foods from the British Isles do you think deserve special mention or which are not well known outside of the communities where they are produced?
Yorkshire forced indoor rhubarb - My own experience with rhubarb is that it is tough, chewy, and rather tart in flavor but I think I'd like to try some of this indoor rhubarb. Supposedly by taking rhubard seedlings and keeping them in a dark room or basement (with nothing more then dim candle light) the flesh becomes soft and sweet to the taste making it excellent for puddings, crumples, or pies. This is supposedly a unique practice which has just been given protected status in the EU (we'll forgo discussing what a terrible idea the EU's protectionist policies on foodstuffs is). http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6474741.stm
Arbroath smokies - a traditional process for smoking haddock which supposedly gives the fish a wonderful woody flavor. I found a web site about Arbroath smokies but I'm not sure what makes it so different from other ways of smoking fish or meats which are used around the world. http://www.arbroathsmokies.net/
Cheeses - Artisan Cheddars, Farmhouse Cheshire, Lancashire, Stinking Bishop, Clotted Cream, Mature Blue Stilton, White Stilton with Fruit, Welsh Caerphilly, and Red Dragon are just a few of the hundreds of unique cheeses native to the British Isles and I haven't even mentioned any Irish cheese yet. Everyone goes on and on about cheeses from France, Spain, and Italy but there is a treasure trove of traditional cheeses in the UK & Ireland which are world class.
Beer & spirits - one thing the Brits were never short of was lots of good alcoholic beverages. I'll let others expand on this list.
That should be enough to get us started. What other foods from the British Isles do you think deserve special mention or which are not well known outside of the communities where they are produced?
.
Comment