SPOTTED DICK
This is one of Britainââ¬â¢s best known and most humorous foods if you get the joke. For those who donââ¬â¢t already know ââ¬ÅDickââ¬Â is British slang for a manââ¬â¢s reproductive organ and a spotted reproductive organ is never good. Quite recently, and in a spasm of uncontrollable political correctness, several hospitals in Britain renamed this pudding ââ¬Åspotted Richardââ¬Â. (Dick also being the abbreviated form of the name Richard) It didnââ¬â¢t catch on and common sense prevailed and the name was changed back again. Thanks to this patients can now grin and ask their nurses whether thereââ¬â¢s any chance that they could have a spotted dick. In reality this is simply a suet pudding into which raisins and other dried fruits are mixed before cooking. Naturally, these are the spots. Where the 'Dick' part of the name came from is still a mystery although some claim it is a derivation of the word ââ¬Ådoughââ¬Â meaning dog or the German word ââ¬Ådichtââ¬Â meaning thick.
TOAD IN THE HOLE
It is well known that people seeking instant hallucinations have sometimes taken to licking toads but to cook and eat them horrifies even the French who are quite happy to sit down to a plate of garlic snails. The very English Toad-in-the-Hole actually has nothing reptilian about it and is simply pork sausages baked in a Yorkshire pudding batter. To the casual onlooker the finished meal might look a little like several toads submerged in mud although many chefs and historians believe that there must be another origin to the name. Some say it was named after a game of skill involving the throwing of disks while others claim that during hard times actual frogs were used. The most likely answer is that it is a curiosity of language. The dish itself probably dates back to the late 1600's when batter puddings were baked under spit roasted meat and known as dripping pudding. The drips would cause holes in the batter and poor cuts of meat known as toadies were cut off and allowed to fall into the holes.
BUBBLE AND SQUEAK
As with many traditional foods from Britain and around the world, they seem to have originated from necessity. Bubble and squeak is a meal made from leftover cabbage and potato usually from a Sunday roast. It is made by mashing either roast or boiled potatoes into the cold cooked cabbage and then frying the mixture in a shallow pan. Other vegetables can be added if desired but shouldn't overwhelm the flavour of the main ingredients. Salt and seasonings are essential and the final meal should have a strong peppery flavour. The name comes from the way that any juices quickly bubble off and the cabbage really does make a squeaking noise as it touches the hot metal of the pan. An alternative origin is that the meal once included lamb or goat in place of potatoes and was imported to Britain from Greece. The name might then have come from cockney rhyming slang, bubble and squeak - Greek.
FAGGOTS
The name of this meal is sure to trouble people from the USA. Originally a faggot was a meatball made from a bundle of off-cut meats including the belly, liver and heart of a pig. The meat mixture would then be blended with breadcrumbs and onions before being packed into a caul. (membrane). Faggots became very popular during the hard times of WWII and are still sold in butchers and supermarkets. The most well known brand is Mr Brains. Unfortunately the name has also had some problematic associations over the centuries. At various times it has also been used to describe a bundle of sticks, an unpleasant old women, a burning torch and more recently the derogatory term for a homosexual man. How the name of a food became a term for homosexuality is still debated and ranges from the mistranslation of the yiddish word faygeleh (little bird) to the 19th century all-boy private schools of England.
Question to our UK friends:
Have you eaten any of these? If so, which one/ones?
For those of us outside the UK:
Would you try any of these? If so, which one/ones?
This is one of Britainââ¬â¢s best known and most humorous foods if you get the joke. For those who donââ¬â¢t already know ââ¬ÅDickââ¬Â is British slang for a manââ¬â¢s reproductive organ and a spotted reproductive organ is never good. Quite recently, and in a spasm of uncontrollable political correctness, several hospitals in Britain renamed this pudding ââ¬Åspotted Richardââ¬Â. (Dick also being the abbreviated form of the name Richard) It didnââ¬â¢t catch on and common sense prevailed and the name was changed back again. Thanks to this patients can now grin and ask their nurses whether thereââ¬â¢s any chance that they could have a spotted dick. In reality this is simply a suet pudding into which raisins and other dried fruits are mixed before cooking. Naturally, these are the spots. Where the 'Dick' part of the name came from is still a mystery although some claim it is a derivation of the word ââ¬Ådoughââ¬Â meaning dog or the German word ââ¬Ådichtââ¬Â meaning thick.
TOAD IN THE HOLE
It is well known that people seeking instant hallucinations have sometimes taken to licking toads but to cook and eat them horrifies even the French who are quite happy to sit down to a plate of garlic snails. The very English Toad-in-the-Hole actually has nothing reptilian about it and is simply pork sausages baked in a Yorkshire pudding batter. To the casual onlooker the finished meal might look a little like several toads submerged in mud although many chefs and historians believe that there must be another origin to the name. Some say it was named after a game of skill involving the throwing of disks while others claim that during hard times actual frogs were used. The most likely answer is that it is a curiosity of language. The dish itself probably dates back to the late 1600's when batter puddings were baked under spit roasted meat and known as dripping pudding. The drips would cause holes in the batter and poor cuts of meat known as toadies were cut off and allowed to fall into the holes.
BUBBLE AND SQUEAK
As with many traditional foods from Britain and around the world, they seem to have originated from necessity. Bubble and squeak is a meal made from leftover cabbage and potato usually from a Sunday roast. It is made by mashing either roast or boiled potatoes into the cold cooked cabbage and then frying the mixture in a shallow pan. Other vegetables can be added if desired but shouldn't overwhelm the flavour of the main ingredients. Salt and seasonings are essential and the final meal should have a strong peppery flavour. The name comes from the way that any juices quickly bubble off and the cabbage really does make a squeaking noise as it touches the hot metal of the pan. An alternative origin is that the meal once included lamb or goat in place of potatoes and was imported to Britain from Greece. The name might then have come from cockney rhyming slang, bubble and squeak - Greek.
FAGGOTS
The name of this meal is sure to trouble people from the USA. Originally a faggot was a meatball made from a bundle of off-cut meats including the belly, liver and heart of a pig. The meat mixture would then be blended with breadcrumbs and onions before being packed into a caul. (membrane). Faggots became very popular during the hard times of WWII and are still sold in butchers and supermarkets. The most well known brand is Mr Brains. Unfortunately the name has also had some problematic associations over the centuries. At various times it has also been used to describe a bundle of sticks, an unpleasant old women, a burning torch and more recently the derogatory term for a homosexual man. How the name of a food became a term for homosexuality is still debated and ranges from the mistranslation of the yiddish word faygeleh (little bird) to the 19th century all-boy private schools of England.
Question to our UK friends:
Have you eaten any of these? If so, which one/ones?
For those of us outside the UK:
Would you try any of these? If so, which one/ones?
