British Foods

[Ali]

Annemehr wrote:
 
>>> Well, "pudding" means vastly different things on either side of 
the pond. As far as I can make out, British pudding is most like, 
maybe, a cross between a pastry and a cake (and I'm only judging by 
one Christmas pudding). American pudding is maybe more like a *very* 
thick custard (i.e. you can mound it up on a spoon), and it comes in
 flavors. American pudding is milk-based.>>>

I think this is where the problem stems from - because there is one 
specific use for the term "pudding" in US English, it's natural to 
assume that we will also have one usage, and we don't. The pudding 
which you describe, I think I would call a whip or Angel Delight. In 
Britain, the term pudding has a number of different uses, including 
the generic term for a sweet or dessert after the main meal - we do 
also use the terms dessert and sweet as well.

Pudding can be savory or sweet. We would be very unlikely to get 
confused, as the puddings are well known. For instance, Black 
Pudding is like a sausage made of blood. Please don't ask me why 
anyone would want to eat it; I'm vegetarian, and the concept revolts 
me, but people often have it with a traditional "Full English 
Breakfast". Then there is Steak and Kidney Pudding, which is also 
savory. As the name suggests, it's steak and kidney. It's cooked in 
suet pastry, in a pudding basin. 

Yorkshire pudding is also savory and is really like pancake batter - 
our pancakes have a different consistency though to American ones. 
People often have Yorkshire Pudding as an accompaniment to roast 
beef, although you can make "giant" Yorkshire Puddings which are the 
size of the plates: you simply the put the rest of your meal in the 
pudding.

I'm not sure that you would put a Yorkshire pudding in with the 
meat, simply because there probably wouldn't be enough room - unless 
you were making lots of small ones. I don't cook Yorkshire Pudding 
in dripping, oil is perfectly ok, and is vegetarian of course!

I read somebody's description of suet, which sounded foul, so for 
the record, I should also say that it's very easy to get vegetarian 
suet!

Whilst JKR mentions all these puddings and traditional British 
foods, it is a fact that we are moving away from them. Chicken Tikka 
Masala has overtaken Fish and Chips as the Nation's favourite dish. 
British foods are very heavy, and in our modern, sedentary life 
style, nolonger so appropriate. They are all still readily 
available, but in a menu which will include versions of dishes from 
all over the world. Modern British Cuisine has a very international 
flavour which Hogwarts meals don't depict. 

On the subject of US/UK differences, I also find the use of 
the "entre" confusing (have I even spelt it right?). In Britain, 
that phrase refers to the starter, and in the US, it's the Main 
Course.

I think that the Lexicon has got quite a large section of British 
food.

Ali


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