British food - treacle etc

[flying_ford_anglia]

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No: HPFGUIDX C5789
From: flying_ford_anglia
Subject: British food - treacle etc
Date: 8/5/00 1:16 am  (ET)

This is sort of 'on topic' I guess, because some of the British dishes
mentioned in the Harry Potter books seem to flummox the non-Brits.

Like a lot of British traditions, some of these foods go back a *long*
way. Often, the names relate to something that happened centuries ago
and we natives don't give them a second thought.

'Pudding' is used to describe desserts in general, but usually the heavy
comforting kind, like sponges or suet puddings. Depending on your social
background, you might refer to the last course of the meal as 'sweet',
'dessert', 'pudding' or 'afters'. My family talked of 'afters' because
we were common, like the Weasleys.

'Plum pudding' [Christmas Pudding] is a rich suet pudding packed full of
dried fruits and brandy (usually), which is boiled in a cloth (like most
suet-based puddings). It's usually served with brandy butter or cream
and set alight at the table. There's a tradition of hiding a sixpence
[old coin worth 2.5 pence; known as a tanner] in the pudding - whoever
gets the portion with the sixpence gets to make a wish.

'Treacle' is a general term for syrups made as an off-shoot of sugar
refining. Golden syrup is a light treacle, molasses is a dark treacle - it
depends on the grade or type of sugar in question. If you want something
*really* evil, go for black treacle, which looks and tastes like tar. BTW,
treacle tart is another popular dessert, which is essentially a mix of
syrup and breadcrumbs in a pastry flan case.

'Spotted Dick', for the record, is another suet-based boiled pudding,
usually made with currants and served with custard. I believe it was
made for one of the Kings Richard and nicknamed after him.

Britain has a tradition of using spices (including curry spices) in its
cooking, but many Victorian recipes were lost in the first part of the
C20, leaving us with a dreadful reputation for gut-busting puddings and
'chips with everything'.

Many foreigners identify 'fish and chips' and 'roast beef and yorkshire
pudding' as traditional English dishes, but they, in fact, regional. Every
part of Britain has a signature dish: In my home town, Wellingborough,
it's 'hock'n'doe' - a hock of fatty pork wrapped in suet pastry and
baked in the oven.

Neil 'Delia Smith' Ward