ur guide to weird british foodz
Let me be the first to tell you, about 99% of people in California think that British and English are the same thing, and they also think that everyone in the UK eat fish and chips every day for dinner. Not trying to throw shade at my home state, but in California we live in our little bubble and rarely think about anything other than our beautiful tanned selves. At the same time, half of the Brits I've ever met think everyone in California lives 15 minutes from the beach so it goes both ways!
Thanks to some of my readers, I've gotten a few questions on my contact form asking about British delicacies. To help clear some things up, here's a guide to the most strangely named British foods and what they actually consist of:
black pudding
Out of all the weirdly named British foods, I think black pudding was the one I was most horrified by, though not due to the name, but more about what it's actually made of. The infamous black pudding is essentially blood sausage, or as I like to tell anyone from home, "it's fried up pig blood!!!"However, black pudding is a British delicacy and people absolutely adore it. It's very rich but honestly not half bad! Definitely try some with an English breakfast if you're ever on this side of the Atlantic.
bubble and squeak
The thing about bubble and squeak is that nothing bubbles or squeaks at all, which is lame! The traditional English dish consists of leftover vegetables from a roast dinner, which is another traditional meal (meat, potatoes, etc.) served on Sundays and on holidays like Easter and Christmas. Along with the leftover vegetables, usually cabbage and brussels sprouts, bubble and squeak's main ingredient is potatoes, either boiled or roasted. All the ingredients are chopped up, put together into little patties, and then shallowly fried until golden brown. A delicious way to redo your leftovers!
toad in a hole
I've never actually tried toad in a hole before, but I was specifically asked about this on my contact form, so here goes! Toad in a hole isn't something you will really find at restaurants, especially in central London, as it's more of a homemade British delicacy. Thankfully, there's no actual toad or even a hole for that matter. Instead, sausages are cooked lightly in hot oil, then Yorkshire pudding batter is poured over them and the whole thing cooks together. Essentially the dish is sausages cooked in an English pastry, all topped off by a savoury onion gravy.
*Yorkshire pudding isn't actually a pudding, but a simple batter made from eggs, flour and milk or water, then crisped up and typically served with a roast dinner to mop up gravy.
spotted dick
If you asked for spotted dick in any Californian restaurant, you'd probably be asked to leave
or at least been given directions to the nearest clinic, but fear not, spotted dick is totally harmless! It's actually a pudding or dessert, a steamed sponge cake made up of milk, flour, sugar, suet (a type of mutton or beef fat), and currants or raisins, hence the 'spots'. The dick part supposedly comes from an old English word for pudding or dessert, but everyone might just be having a laugh. Who knows?!
scotch egg
I was also asked about what 'the hell is up with a scotch egg', so I want to cover this despite the
fact that it's not really a weird name! Scotch eggs are a delightful British invention that I bet Americans could totally get into. Basically, scotch eggs are hard boiled eggs covered in sausage meat, then covered again in bread crumbs and either baked or deep fried. You can find them at any food market or British pub if you need something to soak up the beer. Saucy!
piccalilli
Picalilli, which just rolls off the tongue in the most exquisite way, is a bright chartreuse condiment, a British twist on Indian pickles. The yellow coloured picalilli you find in the shoppes is generally smoother and more vivid than usual, due to the addition of turmeric. Picalilli also consists of cauliflower, onion, mustard, and of course, pickles!
Though in Britain pickles are referred to as gherkins, which is confusing because I assume picalilli comes from pickles, but I guess gherkalilli doesn't have quite the same ring. Regardless, spread that ish on your sandwiches, sausages, and whatever else your heart desires.
Don't forget in the States we have our own version of picalillii - the neon green relish we spread on our hot dogs!
Any other freaky British foods or over the top American goodies you want explained? Hit me up on my contact form!!!
xo,
the GAl from Cali
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