# Do folks in the UK eat Beef? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 30, 2003, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-folks-in-the-uk-eat-beef/165268 "2003-03-30T20:22:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-folks-in-the-uk-eat-beef/165268/21 "2003-03-30T22:59:05Z")
Actually, more like some of the sausages I’ve eaten in Denmark than anthing else… ---
**Author:** ![chickendoc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@chickendoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chickendoc)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-folks-in-the-uk-eat-beef/165268/22 "2003-03-30T22:59:41Z")
Can i put Marmite on my Saveloy or is that just for breakfast? Salt, fat, beef, sausage, good beer…sounds good to me! ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-folks-in-the-uk-eat-beef/165268/23 "2003-03-30T23:02:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by chickendoc \* > \*\*And what’s the deal with “Steak and” that Americans don’t get? I don’t understand the post. \*\* Amarone is talking about the frequency of American references to Brits eating ‘kidney pie’, when there is no such thing, or if there is, it is terribly uncommon - it is **steak and** kidney pie, in a good example of which kidney will not be the predominant ingredient. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Wright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Steve\_Wright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_Wright)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-folks-in-the-uk-eat-beef/165268/24 "2003-03-30T23:05:51Z")
Putting Marmite on saveloys sounds uncomfortably close to sexual perversion. And you don’t want saveloys for breakfast, you want proper English bangers. Plus eggs (fried or scrambled), mushrooms, bacon, baked beans, fried bread, and all the other good things that go into a full English breakfast. And listen carefully … STEAK AND kidney pudding. Not just “kidney pudding”. The “steak and” bit is crucial. ---
**Author:** ![chickendoc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@chickendoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chickendoc)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-folks-in-the-uk-eat-beef/165268/25 "2003-03-30T23:07:19Z")
I see…that does make it sound more palatable. Sorry for mixup. I guess the shock of the whole kidney deal kinda makes you forget about the steak part. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-folks-in-the-uk-eat-beef/165268/26 "2003-03-30T23:07:33Z")
Yes, especially well-boiled T-bones. ---
**Author:** ![chickendoc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@chickendoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chickendoc)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-folks-in-the-uk-eat-beef/165268/27 "2003-03-30T23:14:10Z")
So how does the whole meat pudding deal work? I usually think of a pudding as being sweet, creamy and having bananas or raisins in it. Is steak and kidney pudding a thick stew or … Mr. Simmons: Why in the world would would you want to boil a perfectly good T-bone? I’d put some black pepper and some cajun spices on it and cook it over a mesquite fire…Man, I’m getting hungry! ---
**Author:** ![Pebbles131](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/eada6e/32.png) [@Pebbles131](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pebbles131)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-folks-in-the-uk-eat-beef/165268/28 "2003-03-30T23:18:16Z")
Ahhh, proper english banger, try and get hold of Porkinson Bangers, theyre the real deal. As regards steak and kidney puddings, its the pudding bit you want to watch out for, you’ll either love it or hate it. Saveloys are pink monstrosities that chip shops sell vaguely disguised as some kind of sausage, and they wouldnt look too out of place with batteries. I think they are made from the stuff they sweep off the floor in the sausage making factories ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-folks-in-the-uk-eat-beef/165268/29 "2003-03-30T23:22:49Z")
Let me just say this: if you’re used to Texas steaks, odds are you’ll find UK steaks a bit of a letdown quality-wise. And I’d avoid the steakhouses anyhow – not because of the beef, but because they’re unhygienic tourist traps. OTOH, a good steak and Guinness pie is worth coming to the UK for. Mmmmm… ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-folks-in-the-uk-eat-beef/165268/30 "2003-03-30T23:23:37Z")
Meat puddings are almost invariably a type of pie; a greased pudding basin is lined with (usually) suet pastry, this is filled with meat and gravy and covered with a pastry lid, then sealed and the basin is steamed or immersed in boiling water to cook it (a couple of hours IIRC), then it is turned out onto a plate; the result is a steeply domed pie, the crust of which, despite having only been cooked at a maximum temperature of 100C, is crisp and golden on the outside, but simultaneously fluffy/doughy on the inside (like a good dumpling) and the meat filling is luscious and tender. ---
**Author:** ![chickendoc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@chickendoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chickendoc)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-folks-in-the-uk-eat-beef/165268/31 "2003-03-30T23:25:54Z")
I hear that Indian and Cajun food is big in the UK. What about Mexican food? Do I need to bring a gallon jug of salsa and some tortilla chips with me? ---
**Author:** ![chickendoc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@chickendoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chickendoc)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-folks-in-the-uk-eat-beef/165268/32 "2003-03-30T23:28:33Z")
Meat puddings are almost invariably a type of pie; a greased pudding basin is lined with (usually) suet pastry, this is filled with meat and gravy and covered with a pastry lid, then sealed and the basin is steamed or immersed in boiling water to cook it (a couple of hours IIRC), then it is turned out onto a plate; the result is a steeply domed pie, the crust of which, despite having only been cooked at a maximum temperature of 100C, is crisp and golden on the outside, but simultaneously fluffy/doughy on the inside (like a good dumpling) and the meat filling is luscious and tender. Sounds like a chicken/beef pot pie to me. Sounds delicious. ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-folks-in-the-uk-eat-beef/165268/33 "2003-03-30T23:37:21Z")
In case anyone cares I am officially sick and bloody tired of every thread that mentions British food decending into a debate about kidneys and the boiling of beef. **chickendoc:** **David Simmons** is recycling the tired slander that the British boil our beef. We don’t. Expect another two pages of this stuff minimum in this thread or if the mods close it first you can go to Café Soc and read the same stuff there. Indian food _is_ very big, Cajun food and Mexican food much less so. You won’t exactly need to bring your own salsa but there isn’t a taco place on every corner. ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-folks-in-the-uk-eat-beef/165268/34 "2003-03-30T23:42:25Z")
In case anyone cares I am officially sick and bloody tired of every thread that mentions British food decending into a debate about kidneys and the boiling of beef. **chickendoc:** **David Simmons** is recycling the tired slander that the British boil our beef. We don’t. Expect another two pages of this stuff minimum in this thread or if the mods close it first you can go to Café Soc and read the same stuff there. Indian food _is_ very big, Cajun food and Mexican food much less so. You won’t exactly need to bring your own salsa but there isn’t a taco place on every corner. ---
**Author:** ![caveman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caveman/32/7242_2.png) [@caveman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caveman)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-folks-in-the-uk-eat-beef/165268/35 "2003-03-30T23:44:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by chickendoc \* > \*\*can it be barbequed? \*\* You, sir, are a real Texan. For those of you not in the know, this is the first question in the Texas Taxonomic System, whereby edible things are divided into the “Barbequeable” and “Unbarbequable” kingdoms. The next question down the Barbeque branch is “Sauce” or “No Sauce” ? ---
**Author:** ![chickendoc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@chickendoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chickendoc)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-folks-in-the-uk-eat-beef/165268/36 "2003-03-30T23:47:26Z")
Caveman: Thanks for the compliment. ---
**Author:** ![chickendoc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@chickendoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chickendoc)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-folks-in-the-uk-eat-beef/165268/37 "2003-03-30T23:51:17Z")
I have a lot to learn about the UK for sure. I’m definitely ready to try the cuisine and meet some of the nice folks over there. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2003, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-folks-in-the-uk-eat-beef/165268/38 "2003-03-31T00:08:49Z")
Indian food in the UK is like Mexican food in the US: cheap take-out places are everywhere in most cities, while one can also find a wide range of proper sit-down Indian restaurants. And, by and large, it’s all pretty yummy. Start with Chicken Tikka Masala, and work your way from there. Don’t forget to order pilau rice and naan bread with your meal. Conversely, Mexican/Tex-Mex restaurants are much less common. There are a few US chains here: Chi-Chi’s, Chilis, TGI Fridays, but no Taco Bell or other fast food versions. You can get a decent range of the usual Old El Paso and similar stuff in the supermarkets (tortillas, sauces, refried beans, etc.), not to mention Tabasco sauce and green and red chili peppers, so if you can’t find a restaurant you like you can always make your own. Oh, and you might like the Nando’s chain if you want spicy hot non-Indian food (although it’s mostly chicken, not beef). And if anyone knows a good Cajun restaurant in London, please tell me, because _I_ haven’t found it yet. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2003, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-folks-in-the-uk-eat-beef/165268/39 "2003-03-31T04:44:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by chickendoc \* > \*\*Can i put Marmite on my Saveloy or is that just for breakfast? \*\* My Dad used to do that. If I could find saveloys here (I haven’t looked very hard), I’d try it myself. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2003, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-folks-in-the-uk-eat-beef/165268/40 "2003-03-31T06:10:33Z")
> [@](#): > > Amarone is talking about the frequency of American references to Brits eating ‘kidney pie’, when there is no such thing, or if there is, it is terribly uncommon - it is steak and kidney pie, in a good example of which kidney will not be the predominant ingredient. Is anyone else imaging Terry Jones in drag saying “Try the steak and kidney pie. It’s only a little bit kidneyish.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-folks-in-the-uk-eat-beef/165268.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-folks-in-the-uk-eat-beef/165268.md?page=3)