Unit 2 National Cuisines. Customs of Having Meals a. National Cuisines

Read the passages carefully. Get the information to compare different cultures. Before reading, make sure that you know the pronunciation of the following words:

abysmal, leathery, suet, caterers, culinary, choice (adj), citrus, chutneys, cheddar, cheshire, tangy, available, bewildering, array, ethnic, organic, highly starched, whole milk.

English Cooking

There is no single European cuisine. French, yes; Spanish, yes; German, yes; etc. And within each country there are regional specialities. Similarly, there is no “UK cuisine”. But is there a distinctive English cuisine? A visitor to England might think not. In London and other big cities – and even in small towns, or in the countryside you may find Chinese restaurants, Indian restaurants, Italian, French, Russian, Greek, Indonesian… There are very few restaurants that call themselves “English”.

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Once upon a time food in England was abysmal, and foreign influence upon it would have been as unwelcome then as it is upon almost everything else now. For the English, food was leathery meat, watery greens, leaden suet puddings, stewed tea and pink blancmange.

Then suddenly there was a change. It came in the mid-fifties around the time of Suez. When the glory departed with Suez, so did the need to eat the uneatable. Already one extremely attractive invasion had begun. It can be summed up in one word – Cappuccino. And with it, Italian coffee houses, decorated with taste and imagination, unlike the native establishments, and serving excellent coffee as well as strange but exciting dishes like ravioli and spaghetti.

The Italians were closely followed by the Chinese with their habits – both novel to our own caterers – of serving their food hot, then keeping it hot at the table with little candles.

Even the Americans were welcome. They brought with them a new literary style. As we read the menus they prepared we learned that “Rich succulent farm-fresh dawn-gathered dew-drenched sun-kissed” meant “Frozen”. That “From the garden of England royal King Edward potatoes dug from the rich soil of Kent and deep-fried in fizzling olive oil” meant “chips”.

The foreign products even became welcome in the supermarkets. Restaurants all over the country were being called by names like “Escargot” but no one was opening establishments named after good solid English dishes.

Traditional British Cooking

High Tea is a purely British institution. Though foods for high tea and supper are mostly interchangeable, it was more the custom to have something cold for high tea and something hot for supper.

The Turkey compared with the hen is a new resident in Britain. Contrary to common belief it is not the oldest British Christmas bird; the goose is much more traditional. America can claim the turkey for her own where it is a “must” for Thanks-giving Day in November. The best turkeys come from Norfolk and due to modern rearing methods are available all the year round.

Hare and Venison are the best known of game meats in Britain. Venison is the culinary name for all breeds of the deer and the free ranging forest deer from Scotland are considered the choicest.

Veal is not typically traditional British meat; it was never popular among working people in the country. In fact it was rather suspect, what was wrong with the calf that it had to be killed?

What we call roast meat today is really baked meat; roasting was done in front of the open fire. Roasted meat should be cooked in an oven tin in a hot oven, so that it comes into contact with dry heat on all sides to get the characteristic brown “crust”. To a housewife meat is the thing and a vegetable course is a hit-or-miss affair.

Christmas Pudding. Britain could well be called the “Land of Puddings”, so many puddings there are, but the Christmas pudding is a special thing. The hostess clears the table, and in comes standing on a large dish, a big, round dark-brown pudding, with a flag or a piece of holly stuck in at the top of it and flames licking round its sides. This is the celebrated Christmas pudding, covered with white sauce and burning in brandy. It is made with eggs, flour, sugar, mixed dried fruit, chopped peel, grated carrot and shredded suet.

Marmalade. The traditional coarse cut bitter marmalade which is part of the British breakfast is made from Seville oranges. But marmalade can be made from any of the citrus fruits, sweet oranges, grape-fruit and lemons. These fruits make a sweeter marmalade for tea-time.

Scones are small soft tea cakes of barley meal or wheat-flour usually of quadrant or triangular shape.

Custard is a sweet mixture of eggs and milk, sweetened and flavoured, and baked or boiled. It is often eaten with fruit.

Fish and Chips. The pieces of fish (cod, haddock, plaice) are dipped in a mixture of flour and water and then dropped into deep boiling oil for a few minutes. They come out crisp and hot. Chips are small pieces of raw potatoes also fried crisp.

Kippers are split, salted and smoked herrings; they can be grilled or pan-fried, and nothing should be added to them but a little butter and they need no longer than 5 minutes on each side.

Chutneys are cooked mixed pickles in which fruits and vegetables are blended with spices and vinegar so that you get a sweet sour preserve.

Cheeses. A whole book could be written about the cheeses of the British Isles, their history and tradition. Cheddar is perhaps the most popular. It has been a favourite since Tudor times and has firm composition and a sharp tang. Being so firm, it is excellent for cooked cheese dishes. Cheshire cheese is one of the oldest English cheeses. It is a curdy, rather crumbly cheese with superb tangy flavour.

Gravy is a sauce made chiefly from the juice that comes out of meat while it is being cooked. It can also be cooked specially. Chop vegetables (onions, carrots, celery), heat fat and fry these until lightly browned. Add flour, stir over low heat until smooth, add stock, slowly stir all the time until boiling again. Cover and simmer 10 minutes, then strain into sauce-boat. A small glass of sherry added just before serving is an improvement.

Exercise 1. Pick out from the text:

1. all words used to denote the ways food may be cooked, i.e. boiled – to boil…

2. dry ingredients; i.e. flour…

3. spices, i.e. salt…

Exercise 2. False or True?

1. Turkey is a traditional bird for Thanksgiving Day in Britain.

2. Venison is the culinary name for all breeds of the cow.

3. Veal was never popular among working people in the country.

4. Britain could be called the “Land of Puddings”.

5. Marmalade is made from any kind of berries.

6. Custard is a hot-tasting yellow or brown paste made from the seeds of mustard plant.

7. Kippers need no longer than 5 minutes on each side.

8. Chutneys are blended with spices and vinegar.

9. Cheshire cheese is a curdy, rather crumbly cheese.

10. Gravy is a sauce made from the juice of vegetables.

Exercise 3. Answer the questions.

1. Is there any single European cuisine?

2. Why might a visitor to England think there’s no distinctive English cuisine?

3. What food was common in England before changes and after?

4. High tea is a purely British institution, isn’t it? What is meant by “high tea” in Britain?

5. What bird is traditional for the Christmas table?

6. Name the best game meat used in Britain.

7. How is roast meat prepared?

8. What’s the difference between the Christmas pudding and the Yorkshire pudding? What ingredients are used to cook both puddings?

9. Describe the method used to cook kippers and fish and chips.

10. What cheeses are popular in Great Britain?

11. What’s the difference between ketchup and gravy?