British cuisine, and especially English cuisine, has not always had the highest reputation internationally. For example, in 2005, the then French President, Jacques Chirac, described English food as the second worst in Europe (he considered Finnish cuisine to be the worst). This reputation is undeserved and rather unfair, as the country has many excellent dishes and foods to offer. Additionally, it should also be remembered that the United Kingdom is actually a union of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, each with their own unique culinary traditions, and of course Britain has many historical links around the world, so there is actually a great variety in British cuisine.
The traditional British Sunday meal, is roasted meat with vegetables, especially potatoes. There are several different varieties, each with their own traditional accompaniments. In the past it was very common to use the leftovers from the Sunday meal to make several other dishes during the subsequent week, such as casseroles and soups.
* Roast beef - Beef roasted with roast potatoes, gravy, horseradish sauce and mustard. It is usually accompanied by Yorkshire puddings, which is made from baked dough.
* Roast pork - Roasted pork, with “crackling” (crispy pork fat rind), and apple sauce.
* Roast lamb - Roasted lamb with mint sauce or red currant gravy.
* Roast chicken - Roasted chicken with chipolata (small) sausages, bread sauce or gravy, and cranberry sauce or red currant jam.
Some other popular British dishes include:
* Bangers and mash - Sausages accompanied with mashed potatoes.
* Chicken tikka massala - An Anglo-Indian dish of chicken in an Indian-style curry sauce. It is one of Britain’s most popular dishes, and variants of it are even used as sandwich fillings and pizza toppings!
* Cornish pasty - A meat pie with a distinctive shape, containing meat and vegetables. Traditionally, the lunch of the men working in the Cornish tin mines.
* Fish and chips - Deep fried cod or plaice in batter with french fries. Usually flavored with salt and vinegar.
* Full English breakfast - Sausage, fried egg, bacon, baked beans, toast and/or fried bread, served with fried mushrooms or fried tomatoes.
* Haggis - A traditional Scottish dish made from sheep’s heart and lungs with oatmeal, onions, suets and spices, which are all cooked in a sheep’s stomach.
* Lancashire hotpot - A casserole containing meat, onion and potatoes.
* Pie and mash - Pies containing ground (”minced”) meat, with mashed potatoes. Traditionally, this dish is from the East End of London, and then pies were cooked with water left over from stewing eels. The stewed eels were served cold as a side dish (”jellied eels”).
* Shepherd’s pie - Ground (”minced”) lamb covered with a layer of mashed potato and sometimes cheese, then cooked in the oven.
* Cottage pie - Like shepherd’s pie, but made using beef instead of lamb.
* Fisherman’s pie - Like shepherd’s pie, but made using white fish such as cod. Sometimes corn is also used in the dish.
* Toad in the hole - Sausages cooked in batter.
* Welsh rarebit - Grated cheese mixed beer, butter and milk, and then put on toast and grilled.
Discover more about British Cuisine at http://www.recipesmaniac.com/cook_british.php - visit this site for more information, pictures and details of British cookbooks.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sunil_Tanna