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British food: a guide for confused Americans
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Bangers and mash with gravy. (monkeyleader/Creative Commons)
You might think you're prepared, food-wise, for a trip to England. You already know that french fries are called chips and that potato chips are called crisps You might even be prepared for the fact that the traditional full English breakfast promised at your hotel includes a generous portion of baked beans.
Once you're faced with an actual menu though, you may find that a little learning isn't nearly enough. While it may be inevitable that some names of the food items will give you the giggles, you can at least guard yourself against complete shock.
Some of the dishes you are likely to encounter on a trip to England are:
Black pudding slices at breakfast. (dextermixwith/Creative Commons)
Bangers and Mash
Though they sound like the latest set of partners in a buddy cop movie, Bangers and Mash are simply sausages and mashed potatoes, a staple offering in English pubs and casual restaurants. Often served with a rich onion gravy, most versions are simple working class food and classic examples of "pub grub," but you can find clever gourmet variations at some of the gastropubs (bars with upscale cuisine).
Black Pudding
Also known as blood pudding, this sausage is named for its primary ingredient. Blood and other fillers are cooked until congealed and stuffed into a casing to make a sausage reminiscent of the German blutwurst or the Cajun boudin rouge. You'll find it frequently as the meat of choice in the ubiquitous full English breakfast.
Clotted cream and jam scone. (Su-Lin/Creative Commons)
Bubble and Squeak
A dish invented to use up leftovers, Bubble and Squeak is similar to what Americans refer to as "hash." Cold mashed potatoes are combined with other ingredients (most often cabbage), then fried in a skillet, producing the squeaking sound as it cooks that gives the dish its name.
Clotted Cream
Made from cow's milk that has been heated until it begins to clot, clotted cream's name can be taken quite literally. The thick dairy product is usually spread like butter onto scones as part of a customary cream tea, accompanied by fruit jams.
Jacket potato with baked beans. (BgDg/Creative Commons)
Cock-a-Leekie Soup
The name isn't the only unusual thing about cock-a-leekie soup, a traditional Scottish dish. You might also be surprised to find julienned prunes atop the savory chicken and leek soup. The convention of adding prunes dates back to leaner times, when cooks used them to add nutritional value to the simple broth.
Jacket Potatoes
What Americans know as baked potatoes are called jacket potatoes in the UK, and it's a fact well-worth knowing, because you'll find them everywhere from pubs to sit-down restaurants. The toppings are generous (you can make a meal of one heaping potato), and common additions include tuna salad and baked beans.
Ploughman's lunch. (scottgunn/Creative Commons)
Mushy Peas
Soaked and simmered dried peas, reminiscent of a thick, chunky pea soup, are the typical side dish accompanying fish and chips. Mushy peas also make up half of the traditional pie and peas meal, which you can buy in a sandwich shop or "chippie."
Ploughman's Lunch
The perfect meal for those who like a light lunch, the ploughman's lunch is like a snack tray for one. While the components can vary, a piece of cheese or two, crusty bread, pickles, and butter or clotted cream are usually the bare minimum. Salad, fruit, pâté or onion are also common additions.
Sticky toffee pudding for pudding. (chatirygirl/Creative Commons)
Pudding
In the States we think of pudding as the chocolate-flavored dessert cups we put in our kids' lunchboxes. In the UK, pudding refers most frequently to starchy desserts like rice pudding or steamed puddings, but is also used casually to refer to dessert itself, of any kind. In other words, you can serve pudding for pudding, but everything you have for pudding isn't necessarily pudding. Confused? Don't sweat it; just eat it.
Scotch Eggs
A low-carb fantasy, the Scotch egg is one whole hard-boiled egg wrapped in ground sausage, coated in breadcrumbs, then deep-fried. While they used to be primarily a homemade picnic food, today you can find them pre-made in groceries, convenience stores, and at gas stations.
Stragazey pie looks skyward. (auneheadarts/Creative Commons)
Spotted Dick
It probably comes as no surprise that Americans love to pick up cans of spotted dick in shops to bring back to their friends. The suet and dried fruit steamed pudding is a ubiquitous dessert in eateries that cater to tourists, but it's also a standard part of the cuisine that schoolchildren know all too well.
Stargazey Pie
The Cornish dish with the fairytale name is getting harder to find in London, though it's still the traditional dish of Tom Bawcock's Eve. The name comes from the whole fish baked into pie crust with their heads pointing upwards, peeping out as if they were gazing at the stars.
Toad in the hole. (stormhair/Creative Commons)
Toad in the Hole
It's hard to escape the sausages on a trip to England, and toad in the hole is yet another dish that makes the most of them. A classic comfort food dish, toad in the hole is made from sausages in Yorkshire pudding batter (see below), usually served with onion gravy and vegetables or mashed potatoes.
Yorkshire Pudding
Not to be confused with dessert puddings, Yorkshire pudding (like black pudding) is a main course dish. Consisting mainly of a batter made from flour, eggs, milk and seasonings, Yorkshire pudding is cooked in small tins until risen and browned, then served with meat and gravy. It's a usual component of the Sunday roast.
Don't be afraid when confronted with foods that seem unusual. Part of what makes a trip invigorating is finding new dishes to love. When you return home, you'll be missing clotted cream with your jam and scones. Before you know it, you'll be making tuna salad jacket potatoes for lunchtime.
Like the sound of these dishes? Then you'll love finding out the story behind Stinking Bishop and four more of the 5 most oddly-named British cheeses.
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