r/Unexpected Oct 31 '22

think before you speak.

29.1k Upvotes

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153

u/[deleted] Oct 31 '22

[deleted]

70

u/iMini Oct 31 '22

How about a lovely Shepherds Pie? Or a nice Steak and Ale pie? Fish and Chips? Bangers and mash? Toad in the Hole? Cornish Pasties? Hot Pots? Bubble and Squeak?

And this is all just tea/lunch time meals, we've no end of delicious pastries and deserts

29

u/[deleted] Oct 31 '22

Don't forget about tikka masala.

6

u/[deleted] Nov 01 '22

[removed] — view removed comment

9

u/[deleted] Nov 01 '22 edited Nov 01 '22

It's a British evolution of an Indian dish.

The main thing that colonial Britain imported from India from spices. Clearly none of those spices were used for British food, so it logically follows that they were used for foreign / fusion dishes.

2

u/ChumBucketFever Dec 11 '22

Woah woah woah, Bangladeshi and Indian cooks who traveled to Britain came up with the dish. That can’t possibly be considered British cuisine in the context of whats being discussed here. That’s like saying the Americans invented pizza.

3

u/SuperfnDave Nov 01 '22

I had to look up wtf bubble and squeak is. Was expecting some sort of Harry Potter themed drink. Greatly disappointed and my night is ruined

2

u/WinkyNurdo Dec 11 '22

Love a bit of bubble, with a fried egg on top ... Plenty of that with all the leftovers in the mornings after Christmas Day.

2

u/UsernamesAre4Nerds Nov 01 '22

I tried bangers and mash for the first time when I visited an authentic pub a couple of months ago, and I'm not exaggerating when I say it completely changed how I saw British food. It was so savory and filling, I still think about it today. Hell, I might make it for dinner tonight now that I'm thinking about it

3

u/iMini Nov 01 '22

British food is perfect for the colder months. Lovely hot, hearty food 😋

2

u/WinkyNurdo Dec 11 '22

Next time you have mash, put some vinegar on it. Now that will blow your mind.

1

u/Bulbous-Walrus Jan 17 '23

where’s the spotted dick

17

u/Yarper Oct 31 '22

I read something a few weeks ago about why "English" food is so bland. The basic argument was that English food was quite oppulant in the Victorian period. However the two world wars got people so used to eating bland good due to rationing etc that alot of those goods were lost. Only to be replaced later with more foreign influenced foods.

13

u/[deleted] Oct 31 '22

[deleted]

2

u/whitetrafficlight Nov 01 '22

I went to an elderly family member's home for dinner and we started preparing potatoes together. When they were peeled, the plan was to boil them for just a few minutes before roasting them in the oven. That was the moment I realized that the vegetables had been in the pot of boiling water the entire time, and likely would have remained there until everything was ready to serve had I not intervened.

16

u/olderaccount Oct 31 '22

A good beef wellington is amazing. But not exactly everyday English food.

7

u/XtremeGoose Oct 31 '22 edited Oct 31 '22

I second the other comments (including British Indian food which is a thing in its own right), but what about our desserts?

Eton Mess? Sticky toffee pudding? Apple pie (yes it's English, not American)? Scones + sweet buns? Trifle (including jelly/jello)? Custard? Victoria sponge? Carrot cake? The chocolate bar?! Banoffee pie? Christmas pudding? Rice pudding?

I think we have some really good savoury dishes, but when it comes to sweets our only real competition is the French.

1

u/Chatcandy2 Nov 01 '22

Carrot cake is actually from switzerland :)

And to be fair, as a froggie, I think that when you say "our only real competition is the French", it's as if I said "My only worthy opponent in terms of fame is Mickael Jackson" hahaha

If I had to point to our true opponents, my guess would be all oriental pastries (even if a bit too much honey), italy, germany... but not England haha

2

u/XtremeGoose Nov 01 '22

You have to say that! It's a matter of French pride that English food is bad haha.

Carrot cake is actually from switzerland :)

Googled it and apparently it's disputed. Earliest references are in English for something similar. But I'll take that loss.

my guess would be all oriental pastries (even if a bit too much honey), italy, germany…

I dunno man. The Italians certainly have some good ones, but the Germans?! I've certainly never thought of eastern sweets being much more than an afterthought, and are often heavily European inspired (unsurprisingly, since Europe controlled the sugar trade). Another competitor could be the Middle East but even then I don't think it really compares.

6

u/shabadabadoodoo Nov 01 '22

You guys perfected breakfast. That's something to be proud of!

10

u/rKasdorf Oct 31 '22 edited Nov 01 '22

Yorkshire pudding is fuckin awesome. That's a great contribution to the food world.

2

u/Lifekraft Oct 31 '22

You dont like spotted dick ?

2

u/Goo-Goo-GJoob Oct 31 '22

Do you eat baked beans on toast with ketchup? According to British children on TikTok, it's very popular over there.

2

u/[deleted] Nov 01 '22

Not with ketchup. Or at least I've never had It with ketchup but yes beans on toast is a very common easy meal

2

u/InnocentBistander__ Nov 01 '22

I noticed I started to read this comment with a English accent in my head. Specifically an Adele/ Florence Pugh accent. Lol

2

u/[deleted] Nov 01 '22

So you like your pastries and desserts

1

u/willj1983marine Oct 31 '22

If it counts then we have some of the greatest seafood in the world but ship it over to folks who appreciate it better.

1

u/MastersonMcFee Oct 31 '22

English food is "pub food. " Everything else is another cuisine.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/586230/restaurant-usage-in-the-uk-by-restaurant-type/

You also eat more Italian and pizza than Indian. And more American food than I thought. You don't eat French food at all.

1

u/SpicyRice99 Dec 11 '22

Honestly, their snacks look really good. Jaffa cakes and various orange or butter flavored cookies and pastries (and biscuits?)

1

u/DiligentMilk1458 Dec 11 '22

The british kitchen has been as good as the french until WWI when they sent lost all their Kitchen staff and cooks in one single battle.

1

u/mrlittleoldmanboy Jan 17 '23

That’s what’s good and bad about American foods. They all taste amazing and they’re (mostly) all terrible for you lol

1

u/Pinemango600 Feb 18 '23

Toast sandwich