Traditional Meals of English Speaking Countries

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Cottage Pie

t is made with minced beef and vegetables topped with mashed potato.

Shepherd's Pie

t is made with minced lamb and vegetables topped with mashed potato.

Gammon Steak with egg

Lancashire Hotpot

s a dish made traditionally fromlamb or mutton andonion,topped with slicedpotatoes,left to bake in the oven all day in a

heavy pot and on a low heat. Originating in the days of heavy industrialization inLancashire in theNorth West of England,it

requires a minimum of effort to prepare. It is sometimes served at parties in England, because it is easy to prepare for a

arge number of people and is relatively inexpensive.

Bubble and Squeak

s a traditional English dish made with the shallow-friedleftover vegetables from aroast dinner.The main ingredients

arepotato andcabbage,butcarrots,peas,brussels sprouts,and other vegetables can be added. The dish is so named

because it makes bubbling and squeaking sounds during the cooking process, and the cold chopped vegetables (and cold

chopped meat if used) are fried in a pan together with mashed potatoes or crushed roast potatoes until the mixture is well-

cooked and brown on the sides. It is often served with cold meat from theSunday roast,and pickles orbrown sauce.

English breakfast

Eggs, bacon, sausages, fried bread, mushrooms, baked beans.

Bangers and Mash

Bangers and mash also known as sausages and mash, is a traditionalEnglish dish made

ofmashed potatoes andsausages,the latter of which may be one of a variety of flavoured

sausage made of pork or beef or aCumberland sausage.

The dish is sometimes served with a richoniongravy.It can also often be found served

withfried onions.

The reason sausages were nicknamed bangers is that during wartime rationing they were so

filled with water they often exploded when they were fried.

Black Pudding

Black pudding in theUnited Kingdom is generally made from pork blood and a relatively

high proportion of oatmeal. In the past it was occasionally flavoured withpennyroyal,

differing from continental European versions in its relatively limited range of ingredients

and reliance on oatmeal and barley instead ofonions to absorb the blood. It can be eaten

uncooked, but is often grilled, fried or boiled in its skin.

n the United Kingdom, black pudding is considered a delicacy in theBlack Country and

theNorth West,especially inLancashire,in particular the towns

ofBury andRamsbottom home of The World Black Pudding Throwing Championships,where it is sometimes boiled and served withmalt vinegar out of paper wrapping. (Morcilla)

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Bacon Roly-Poly

Bacon Roly-Poly is a traditional English specialty. This dish consists of simple ingredients

that are self-raising flour, bacon, onions, salt, pepper and shredded suet. Sometimes they

add some other ingredients such as parsley, mushrooms and leek. The bacon is wrapped in

batter and baked. Bacon Roly-Poly is traditionally served with green vegetable, potatoes

and gravy or tomato sauce. The batter should be carefully baked and have a browned

colour. The dish has a delicious, a little bit spicy taste.

Cumberland SausageCumberland sausage is a form of sausage that originated in the ancient county of Cumberland,

England, now part of Cumbria. They are traditionally very long (up to 50 cm), and sold rolled in a flat,

circular coil but within western Cumbria they are more often served in long curved lengths. Sometimes

they are made shorter, like ordinary British sausages, and sometimes they are coated in breadcrumbs.

Pie and Mash with parsley liquor

ts avery traditional East End London meal.

The original pies were made with eels because at the time eels were a cheaper product than beef. About fifty years ago,

mince beef pies replaced the eels and have now become the traditional pie and mash that people know.

The traditional pie and mash doesn't come without its famous sauce known as liquor which is a curious shade of green anddefinitely non-alcoholic. The liquor tastes much nicer than it looks (it's bright green!).

ellied eels are also an East End delicacy often sold with pie and mash

VEGETABLES

Favourite Children Meals

Three favourite meals with children are fish fingers and chips, pizza and baked beans on toast.

ScotlandArbroath SmokieA wood-smoked haddock still produced in small family smoke-houses in the East coast fishing town of

Arbroath.

Bannocks (or Oatcakes)A barley and oat-flour biscuit baked on a gridle. In modern times bannocks are often eaten with

cheese. There are several traditional recipes and many manufacturers in Scotland today.

Scottish Beef

The Aberdeen-Angus breed of beef cattle are now widely reared across the world. Reknown for their

rich and tasty meat, which makes excellent steaks. Good butchers will still hang and prepare meat in

the traditional manner, although these butchers are rare these days and people often complain that

even Scotch Beef has lost its taste.

Scotch Broth or Hotch-Potch

A rich stock is traditionally made by boiling mutton (the neck is best), beef, marrow-bone or

chicken (for a chicken broth). There is also freedom over the choice of vegetables, which should

be diced. Carrots, garden peas, leeks, cabbage, turnips and a stick of celery can all be used. The

hard vegetables should be added first to the boiling stock, with a handful of barley, with the

softer vegetables being added later.

The final consistency should be thick and served piping hot.

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Black Bun

Black Bun is a very rich fruit cake, made with raisins, currants, finely-chopped peel, chopped almonds

and brown sugar with the addition of cinnamon and ginger. It takes its name from the very dark colour.

Colcannon

A dish found in the Western Islands of Scotland and also in Ireland. It is made from boiled cabbage,

carrots, turnip and potatoes. This mixture is then drained and stewed for about 20 minutes in a pan

with some butter, seasoned with salt and pepper and served hot.

Crowdie

A simple white cheese, made from the whey of slightly soured milk seasoned with salt and a touch of

pepper. The seasoned whey is squeezed in a muslin bag to remove excess water, left aside for two days

and then rolled in oats and served.

Scottish Salmon

The Rivers Tay and Tweed are major salmon fisheries. Since victorian times these and other rivers

have hosted wealthy fishing parties on the estates of the aristocracy. There is much more information

onfishing on the River Tweed.Poaching (illegally catching) salmon is an equally traditional activity.

n recent times, many major fish farms have been established in the Sea Lochs on the West coast of

Scotland. These are major commercial sources of fish, although the quality is not considered to be the

same as wild river-caught salmon.

Today the salmon tends to be smoked, and thinly sliced, served as an entre.

Forfar Bridies

An oval delicacy, similar to the Scotch Pie, described below. Unlike the pie, filling is crimped into the

pastry case. The pastry may be either plain or flakey.

The plain pastry is made by preparing a stiff paste of flour and water, seasoned with a pinch of salt. This

should be rolled out into an oval shape about 5" by 7". In the centre is placed minced beef, a little suet

and a sprinkling of very finely chopped onion. The pastry is then folded over along its longest dimension,

brushed with milk and cooked until the pastry is golden brown.

Haggis

Haggis is perhaps the best known Scottish delicacy, and it is wonderful stuff, with a

rich flavour, although those partaking for the first time are often put off when they

hear what it is made of...

Haggis is made from sheep's offal (or pluck). The windpipe, lungs, heart and liver of

the sheep are boiled and then minced. This is mixed with beef suet and lightly

toasted oatmeal. This mixture is placed inside the sheep's stomach, which is sewn

closed. The resulting haggis is traditionally cooked by further boiling (for up to

three hours) although the part-cooked haggis can be cooked in the oven which

prevents the risk of bursting and spoiling.

Perhaps the best known maker of haggis is the Edinburgh company of Charles MacSween & Son (now relocated to out of the

city). Their haggis is widely available in the U.K. and they will happily ship it overseas, although note that the strict

agriculture regulations preclude importing haggis into the U.S.

MacSweens also make a vegetarian "haggis", which is actually quite tasty, even though the only ingredient it has in common

with the real thing is the oatmeal!

Scotch Pies

A round crusty pastry pie, approximately 10cm (4") in size. Made without using a pie tin, these

self-contained pies are filled with minced meat, although the much of the meat is oftenreplaced with offal. The tradition is that this meat is mutton, although in modern times beef is

almost always used. A variation of the theme may contain onion in addition to the beef.

Differentiating between the ordinary pie and the onion variety was tradiationally made easier

by the number of holes in the top; one for plain, two for onion. This distinction is sometimes

also used for Forfar bridies.

Perhaps the best known maker was Wallace's Pie Shop in Dundee.

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Porridge

A simple dish, made of boiled oatmeal. It needs to be boiled slowly and stirred continuously with the traditional spirtle - a

wooden stick which is about 30cm (or 12") long - to avoid the formation of lumps!

Porridge should be thick and wholesome, not thin like gruel. It has remarkable properties

for preventing hunger. Today it is often eaten for breakfast, with the addition of milk, and

a small plate keeps you feeling full until lunchtime.

Traditionally crofters in the Highlands of Scotland would make a large pot of porridge at

the beginning of the week. Once allowed to cool, it would be cut into slices, and the

crofter would places a slice in his pocket eack day for lunch.Porridge must be cooked with salt to obtain the correct flavour. Those eating porridge

outside Scotland have been know to cook it without salt and indeed eat it with sugar or

even syrup, which is a habit which would turn the stomach of any Scotsman (or Scots-woman).

Stovied Tatties (or Stovies)

Stovies are a potato-based dish, designed to use up left over meat and vegetables.

Several onions should be cut into small pieces and fried in a good amount of beef dripping

fat from the cooked meat) in a large pot. Scraps of meat and left-over vegetables (usually

carrots and peas) are then added to the frying onions.

Six to eight good sized potatoes are peeled and cut into 3cm (1.5") pieces. Approximately

2.5cm (1") of water is added to the pan containing the fried onion mixture and the potatopieces are added to this, seasoned with salt and then left to simmer until the potatoes are soft. More water is added only if

the pan is likely to become dry.

The resulting stovies should have the consistency of mashed potatoes, but the potato pieces should still be detectable.

Modern cooks would add a beef stock cube to the mixture prior to simmering.

Australia

Breakfast

The breakfast frequently resemblesbreakfast in many Western countries, but may include ethnic influences. In warmer

areas, breakfast is generally light. In colder seasons,porridge or afull English breakfast may be consumed. The light

breakfast commonly consists ofbreakfast cereal,toast,andfruit.Beverages taken at breakfast include tea, coffee,flavouredmilk,orjuice.A popular breakfast food in Australia isVegemite,a spread similar toMarmite.

Vegemite

s a dark brown Australian food paste made fromyeast extract.It is

aspread forsandwiches,toast,crumpets andcracker biscuits,and filling for pastries.

Other unique or iconic national foods includemacadamia nuts;Violet Crumble,a

honeycomb chocolate bar;Cherry Ripe;Jaffas,chocolate with anorange-

flavouredconfectioneryshell; theChiko Roll,a deep-fried savoury roll similar to

aspring roll;and thedim sim,a Chinese-inspired dumpling. Other popular Australian

foods includeTim Tams,a chocolate biscuit;musk sticks;fairy bread;lamingtons;theBoston bun;thevanilla slice;and the commercial breakfast cerealWeet-Bix.

Kangaroo meat is widely available in Australia although it is not among the most

commonly eaten meats. In old fashioned colonial recipes, it was treated much like ox

tail and braised until tender forming a rich gravy. It is available today in various cuts

and sausages.] Also eaten (in specialist restaurants) is camel meat, emu meat,

crocodile meat and occasionally (although rarely) wombat. As these need specialist

preparation they are not found in mainstream restaurants or at home, however

products are now available in supermarkets made of kangaroo, emu or camel meat.

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USA

Though the United States expresses its culinary culture in many types of regional and ethnic cuisines, there are certain foods

that can be found on family dinner tables and restaurants in every region of the country; these dishes make up what may be

called standard or classic American cuisine. They tend to be hearty, filling, and simple. It may be a joy to sample these dishes

at the table or restaurant of a fine cook; it may be a chore to attempt to navigate these same dishes if they are not lovingly

prepared.

The classic heavy American breakfast:eggs (fried, scrambled, poached, orfancy variations like eggs benedict), bacon, sausage or ham, corned beef hash,

home-fried or hash brown potatoes, pancakes or waffles (in maple syrup).

The lighter American breakfast: cold cereal (corn flakes, oat flakes, granola, or sweetened childrens cereal)

or hot cereal (oatmeal, cream of wheat), cottage cheese.

With either breakfast: muffins, toast, orange juice, coffee or tea.

The classic American lunch:hamburgers, frankfurters, sandwiches (BLT: bacon, lettuce and tomato, tuna salad, tuna melt,

chicken salad, egg salad, grilled cheese, ham, sliced turkey, salami, roast beef, corned beef), macaroni and cheese casserole.

Cocktail party appetizers: deviled eggs, shrimp cocktail.

American classic meat main dishestend to be based on beef, pork and chicken with some

seafood. Pot roast is made from a usually inexpensive cut of beef oven-roasted in liquid with

onions and other vegetables. Meat loaf consists of ground meat mixed with

breadcrumbs or other fillers and flavorings, oven-roasted in a loaf pan. Pork

chops are often pan fried. Chicken is roasted or pan or deep fried. Ribs

(beef or pork) are usually slow cooked in a sweet or vinegar-based sauce.

Steaks, chops, and fish fillets are pan-fried or broiled. Turkey is prepared for holidays like

Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Casseroles(the term in the United States refers to the food, not the cooking dish) are baked dishes in which a main

ngredientcanned tuna or often green beansis combined with a starch (noodles) and various vegetables and flavorings, a

thrifty, nutritious dish, easy to make well, equally easy to ruin.

Pot Piesare basically stew mixtures of chicken or beef cooked inside a pastry shell. These are frequently mass-produced

frozen, though the fresh version can be excellent.

GUARNICIONES)Common American side dishes are French fried potatoes, mashed potatoes, egg noodles, rice, baked

beans, cole slaw, potato salad, macaroni salad, green salads with a wide array of dressings, and vegetables like carrots,

broccoli, or green beans. Corn on the cob is typically American.

Among American classic desserts, apple pie has a deep connotation in American culture:

mom, grandma, the doting aunt, home, warmth and family love. The adage is that some

thing or institution is, as American as apple pie. Other fruit pies (cherry, peach, rhubarb)

are also popular. Pecan and pumpkin pies may be served for occasions and holidays. A

simple chocolate cake and ice cream will round out the meal.

Beverages for lunch or dinner:sodas (cola and citrus-based), juices (apple or orange), and beer. Wine is widely enjoyed

but less so than in many other countries.

All this said, given American food trends today, these classic American dishes may well sharethe table, or share ingredients with, exotic foods and ingredients from around the world as

well as with regional American staples. The influence of Mexican and southwestern

American cooking is particularly strong.

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Junk Food:

Hamburgers(often now just called burgers) can range from simple to elaborate. All types of

burgers are commonly sold with French-fried potatoes (French fries) on the side. The most

common varieties served everywhere in the United States are:

The plain hamburger, garnished with ketchup, mustard, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and/or

relish.

The cheeseburger, a hamburger topped with melted American, jack, Swiss or cheddar

cheese.

The bacon-cheeseburger. The chili-burger, with or without cheese.

Today the top three restaurants in the United StatesMcDonalds, Burger King, and Wendysare all fast food hamburger

operators.

Hot Dogs

The Oscar Mayer company, as a major producer, can give us some guidance. Oscar Mayer wieners contain at least some

pork, while the companys franks are all beef. Wieners tend to be lightly spiced, frankfurters made with a bit more spice,

though both types of sausage are mild compared to nearly all other sausage varieties sold in the

United States; they are also softer in texture.

New York style hot dogs, influenced heavily by kosher franks that contain neither pork nor dairy

fillers (so as to conform to Jewish dietary laws), are generally preferred boiled. If anything can be

said to describe the proud Chicago hot dog it is an aversion to the addition of ketchup. At least a

dozen American cities claim to have the best hot dogs, and they are all correct.

The hot dogs stands, with or without interior seating or counter space, is an American urban

nstitution.

Though hot dogs are available at all sporting venues, the delicacy has a particularly strong association with the American

sport of baseball.

The corn dog, long associated with carnivals and fairs, is a hot dog dipped into a corn-based batter and deep-fried. Mostcorn dogs are served on sticks to make them easy to eat with one hand. The thick batter obviates the need for a bun.

Pizza

Pizza came to American shores as an import from Italy around the beginning of the twentieth century, initially becoming

popular in large eastern cities as an inexpensive, tasty, and quick food. Over the course of that century pizza filtered into

every corner of the American food world to become, essentially, an American culinary staple. Pizza restaurants, called pizza

parlors or pizzerias in the original Italian, can be found on every main street and even the tiniest strip shopping centers in

the country.

Thin crust pizza is available all over the United States, but it is especially popular in Northeastern

cities like New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Baltimore, and the many smaller cities in-between,which at one time saw large immigration from Italy.

Thick crust pizza, commonly referred to as Chicago style, features a doughy, chewy crust with

generous toppings.

New England clam chowder:

Clam chowder is any of severalchowders containingclams andbroth.Along with the clams,

dicedpotato is common, as areonions,which are occasionally sauteed in the drippings

fromsalt pork orbacon.Celery is frequently used. Othervegetables are uncommon, but

smallcarrot strips might occasionally be added, primarily for color. A garnish ofparsley

serves the same purpose.Bay leaves are also sometimes used as agarnish and flavoring. It is

believed that clams were added to chowder because of their relative ease to collect.

Clam chowder is often served in restaurants on Fridays in order to provide a seafood option

for those who abstain from meat every Friday, which used to be a requirement for Catholics

before liturgical changes inVatican II.Though the period of strict abstinence from meat on

Fridays was reduced toLent,the year-round tradition of serving clam chowder on Fridays remains.

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Mac & Cheese

Macaroni and cheese, also abbreviated as "mac and cheese" inAmerican English,Canadian

English,Australian English,andNew Zealand English, and "macaroni cheese" in theUnited Kingdom,

s a dish consisting of cooked elbowmacaroni andwhite sauce with somecheese added.

Traditional macaroni and cheese is acasserole.

Barbecue

The term barbecue may have a number of meanings in the United States. Barbecue buffs usually assert that true barbecue

nvolves slow cooking, primarily of meats, using relatively low levels of indirect heat or moderately hot smoke.

Confusion arises because of the use of the term barbecue to refer to what is better called grilling: direct and relatively

quick cooking over high heat.

A key difference between these two important cooking methods involves the types of

meats used. Taking beef as an example, a good quality steak may be grilled to perfection

in a matter of minutes; the better quality the meat, the better the result; the key danger

is overcooking. Contrast the indirect slow cooking barbecue process: an inexpensive cut

of beef, a brisket being typical, will be slow cooked for many hours, tenderizing the meat

by breaking down the collagen. To the barbecue purist, the best barbecue should be so

tender that it falls off the bone.

Though restaurants certainly have grills, the grilling phenomenon generally calls up the image of a home griller, usually the

man of the house, tending anything from a simple kettle grill using charcoal briquettes to an elaborate, gas-fired grilling

machine costing as much as a small automobile.

Though home smokers exist, and though home grills may have cool areas to allow indirect cooking, the barbecue

phenomenon generally calls up the image of a dedicated professional pit master who spends hours tending large

quantities of meats using substantial wood-fired ovens in a true barbecue restaurant.

COFFEE

Over the course of American food history, coffee has been both a commodity beverage and a luxury

beverage; today it performs both functions. The American Revolution was sparked in part when Great

Britain levied a small tax on imported tea in 1773; colonists dumped a shipment of tea into Boston Harbor

the Boston Tea Party) and started drinking coffee in patriotic protest, mostly as an after dinner drink.

During the American Civil War (1861-1865) soldiers on both sides were given substantial coffee rations; the

habit stuck, and coffee became the preferred pick-me-up at any point of the day. Coffee roasting companies

made regular house-to-house rounds in horse-drawn wagons; most homes had hand-cranked coffee grinders. Tea was

relegated to ladies' social gatherings, and people nursing colds.

The coffee drinking public was ready to plunk down real money for good coffee in the 1970s when gourmetcoffee shops

began springing up in Americas rainiest city, Seattle Washington. These coffee shops took advantage of a key scientific fact:

green coffee beans keep for years, but roasted beans begin to loose their essential oils and hence their flavor and aromatic

qualities almost immediately. Home coffee buffs could grind their own beans, but they could not blend or roast the beansthemselves, nor could they afford the specialized machinery needed to prepare Italian espresso.

Along with quality came the expansion in the American desire for new taste experiences, particularly the rich taste of quality

Arabica-roasted beans. The coffee shop became a place to meet others, socialize, and browse through newspapers (a

function European and Middle-eastern coffee shops have performed for centuries). American college students, too young to

egally enter bars, flocked to the receptive atmosphere of the coffee house. A key drawing card now, of course, is wireless

nternet access, free or for a fee, depending on the shop.

Burrito

s a type of Mexican food. It consists of a wheat flour tortilla wrapped or folded into a roughly

cylindrical shape to completely enclose a filling. (In contrast, a taco is generally formed by simply

folding a tortilla in half around a filling, leaving the semicircular perimeter open.) The flour tortilla is

usually lightly grilled or steamed, to soften it and make it more pliable.

n Mexico, refried beans or meat are sometimes the only fillings. In the United States, however, fillings generally include a

combination of ingredients such as Mexican-style rice or plain rice, refried beans or beans, lettuce, salsa, meat, avocado,

cheese, and sour cream, and the size varies, with some burritos considerably larger than their Mexican counterparts.