If there was ever a discussion on countries around the world that have helped shape who we have become as a civilization, then speaking of the United Kingdom and its countries is a definite must. From a language, both written and spoken perspective, the UK gave the world amongst other gigantic authors Sir William Shakespeare. You know him, “Romeo and Juliet”, “Othello”, “Macbeth”, he has been credited for inventing many words and phrases that are still used to this day.
If we speak of music, The Beatles, Queen, Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Elton John, and much more. Even in sports, especially in soccer, the UK has always found a way to give the world some of the best exponents around. But then we get to food.
British food, while delicious, it’s a cuisine that many people don’t know. With some very present international twists and influences in their dishes, Brit food is still lagging in the popularity department, but not to worry, here we are to save the day and talk to you about some definitive dishes you should try to fall in love with UK fare. And don’t worry, there will be more food apart from tea and biscuits.
Fancy Some Breakfast?
I think we can all start by agreeing that breakfast is definitely the most important meal of the day. Breakfast is the mealtime where you literally fuel up your body with delicious food to give you the best head start to your days. In Britain, they take no exception to this concept and go all out with their traditional breakfast.
The traditional “Full English Breakfast”, Britain’s favorite day starting dish according to surveys, is anything and everything you could dream of in a hardy breakfast. Eggs, fried or poached are accompanied by toast, baked beans, sausage, bacon, black pudding, grilled tomatoes, fried mushrooms, and a bit of ketchup to make this a meal meant to be in the Breakfast Foods Hall of Fame, if there was one of course.
Other great options for an early morning meal in the UK that doesn’t necessarily involve as much food can be crumpets or scones with fresh jams, bacon and sausage sandwiches, and porridge. A personal favorite is sausage rolls, which while usually had as a treat for lunch, work well at any time of the day with the mix of puff pastry and sausage. While coffee is the universal drink of choice for breakfast, if you’re going to go full British, of course, tea is the way to go, the question being with or without milk?
Lunch and Dinner Must Try Dishes!
So you made it out of the full English breakfast and now you’re looking for some great fare for lunch and dinner. While Britain is known as a melting pot of different cultures from around the world, meaning that the food offerings can vary from Indian to Asian, going through Middle Eastern and stopping by African, brit food can hold its own ground fair and square. Let’s start off with a classic known and loved around the world, Shepherd’s Pie.
A perfect mix of stewed meat with peas and carrots and a covering of silky smooth mashed potatoes make this British staple a worldwide favorite. Other great meat alternatives include bangers and mash, sausages with mashed potatoes, peas and gravy, and of course steak and kidney pie.
Looking for something fried and delicious? Well then, there’s no doubt that traditional brit Fish and Chips with a side of mushy peas is a definite must. While the peas can be somewhat of an afterthought, perfectly fried fish and some good chips aka thick-cut potato fries will definitely do the trick. If it’s dinner we’re talking about then there is nothing more brit than a typical Sunday Roast. Be it beef, lamb, or even pork, the typical weekly roast dinner is as much of a social event as well as a culinary one. While the options of meats can vary, there is one thing that is a must for Sunday roasts, Yorkshire puddings. These simple baked treats are the absolute best accompaniment for the hearty meat, vegetables, and gravy meal for a perfect beginning of the week dinner.
The spotted dick is a sweet dessert, a cake filled with raisins or chocolate chips topped up with warm custard.
Funny Names, Delicious Food
Just like in any other part of the world, there are some specific traditional foods that are named with some very local lingo that non-locals might not understand and find funny. Thankfully that’s where something like a top-tier translation company comes into hand. With some help from a translating tool, finding foods like spotted dick, toad in the hole, the previously mentioned bangers and mash, sticky pudding, bubble and squeak, and other traditional British dishes will not only work as good material for a joke but also as delicious food to enjoy.
If ever in the UK or if by any luck there is a traditional British restaurant or pub in your city now you know a bit of what you can expect to see on the menu and also enjoy afterwards.