London Sights Day 3: English food - Sude, Sanne.

English food

History:

Middle ages

English cookery has been developed over many centuries.  In the book form of Cury, food was imaginativly descbribed as thickened sweet and sour sauces, served with bread. Instead mediaeval dishes had a pureé texture with small pieces meat or fish.

48% of the recipes are for stews or pureés. They are divided in three:

1.     Acid, wine, vinegar and sauce with spices.

2.     Sweet and sour: sugar and vinegar

3.     Sweet: expensive sugar

Sixteenth century

English tastes are evolved during the sixteenth century. First dishes had a balance between sweet and sour. Secondly, butter became an important ingredient. Thirdly, herbs became important to replace spices.

Seventeenth century

In the seventeenth century it was different than mediaeval ones. When a broth is too sweet, they sharperned it with verjuice. When it was too tart, they sweetened it with sugar and when it was too bitter, they put spices and herbs in it.

 Nineteeth century

in the nineteenth century, coffee became popular, especially in coffee houses. Hot chocolate was popular, before chocolate was used as food. Chocolate bars were developed and sold by three english businesess.

Twentieth century

after the first world was, many new products were available to households. They made custard and pudding was replaced with food from a jar. There was ready food in a package, which people could easily  mix together.

Foreign influence

English food always has been open to foreign ingredients. In roman times, sausages  were made  in england too. Later king John purchased a lot of cinnamon, king Edward purchased a lot of pepper and ginger. Spices were used to disguise bad meat.

Cafes and tea shops

A tea shop is a small restaurant that serves soft drinks and light meals, often in a sedate atmosphere. Customers may eat a cream tea in Cornish or Devonshire style, served from a china set, and a scone with jam and clotted cream.

Fish and chip shops

Fish and chips is a hot dish consisting of battered fish, commonly Atlantic cod or haddock, and chips. It is a common take-away food. Both fried fish and fried chipped potatoes are of Victorian origin.

Pub food

The public house, or pub, is a famous English institution. In the mid-20th century, pubs were drinking establishments with little emphasis on the serving of food, other than "bar snacks", such as pork scratchings, pickled eggs, salted crisps, and peanuts, which helped to increase beer sales. If a pub served meals these were usually basic cold dishes such as a ploughman's lunch, invented in the 1950s.