To get to know the country, it is not enough to visit famous places: you have to taste it by tasting local dishes. And not in an expensive restaurant for tourists, but in a small local pub, cafe, tavern … Many of those who come to the UK know only about fish and chips and consider British cuisine to be poor. Of course, fish and chips are our everything, but in addition to it, there are many dishes that you should definitely try. What can you taste in different parts of Britain? Let’s go on a gastronomic journey!
National Food in Scotland
Get ready to enjoy here not only nature and magnificent castles, but also authentic dishes.
Arbroath Smokies, salted fish smoked on hardwoods, is a delicacy that originated in a small fishing village near Arbroath. According to legend, the recipe originated like this: one night a local shop caught fire, and when the fire was extinguished, people found that the barrels with salted fish that were there were well smoked. We tried it – we liked it, so we adopted the cooking method. Thanks to the unique cooking method, the fish acquires a beautiful copper color and a thick smoky aroma. Only fish cooked within a radius of eight kilometers from Arbroath is considered original. Today, Arbroathian haddock is exported all over the world.
If you happen to be in Scotland, be sure to try Haggis (Haggis) – this is the rare case when it is difficult to guess how tasty the result is from a not very appetizing description. Minced meat from offal (heart, liver and lungs of sheep) is mixed with bacon, onions, oatmeal and spices and boiled in the sheep’s stomach. Outwardly, the dish looks like stuffed animal intestines or homemade sausage, and it is served with mashed turnips and potatoes. Haggis can be found all year round in any Scottish pub, but it is especially honored on the day (or rather, night) of Burns, which is celebrated on January 25th.
And for dessert – the famous Scottish Cranachan (Cranachan), a mixture of whipped cream, whiskey, honey, raspberries and oatmeal. Traditionally, Crowdy, a Scottish goat cheese, has been used instead of cream. If you’re lucky, you’ll be allowed to make your own cranahan: the waiter brings the ingredients, and you create a masterpiece to your taste.
Traditional Food in Northern England
From Scotland we move to the county of Cumbria, where Cumberland Sausage, famous for five hundred years, is waiting for us. These sausages got their name from Cumberland pigs, which could withstand the harsh winter conditions of Northern England. Spicy, juicy sausages are distinguished by an unusual shape: these are not the usual individual sausages, but spiral sausages about half a meter long (sometimes more). The recipe uses a lot of spices – just try to say after that that English cuisine is insipid.
The next stop is Yorkshire, with the famous Yorkshire Pudding, an indispensable attribute of Christmas dinner and traditional Sunday lunch. They say that the local cooks invented such a pudding in order to save and use the fat that dripped onto the pan when cooking meat. The dough was placed in molds and placed on a hot tray under a piece of lamb. So the dough was saturated with meat juice, and small pieces of meat could be put into the finished pudding – here’s an edible plate for you. Drops of fat are no longer collected, but a cup of pudding for gravy is used all over England. By the way, if you are going to eat Yorkshire pudding, arm yourself with a ruler: a real Yorkshire pudding should be at least four inches in height, that is, a little more than ten centimeters.
For dessert – Moggy Cake, which has nothing to do with cats (moggy, moggie in English slang means “mongrel cat”). The name most likely comes from the Old Norse word “múgi” meaning “flour” or “corn” and reflects the Viking heritage in Yorkshire. The pie is a gingerbread biscuit without eggs, generously soaked in light molasses. If you don’t find mogga, try Yorkshire parkin, a similar recipe from the same place.