# Fry Up in England **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 11, 2000, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fry-up-in-england/28919 "2000-08-11T02:31:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2000, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fry-up-in-england/28919/1 "2000-08-11T02:31:27Z")
This question popped into my head as I was reading **fierra’s** response in the Munchies thread. I’ve come across the term “fry up” in a LOT of British novels, and places like VIZ magazine and whatnot. If I was to come over to your flat in London, and we were to drink quite a lot of Large Gins and Pints of Bitter, and you were to say “I’m jolly peckish…how about a nice fry-up?” And I were to say “Uhhhhh…okay…” Why exactly would you be serving me? ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2000, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fry-up-in-england/28919/2 "2000-08-11T03:55:57Z")
I’m not English, but this may help: This site: [gavin the sheep](http://www.neilforrester.com/gavin/friends.html) says: “My chosen cafe food is a Full English Fry-up… eggs, bacon, fried slice, black pudding, toast, beans, chips, tomato, mushrooms, hash brown, sausages, bubble and squeak, + a cup of tea in a pint jug” This site: [page 13](http://www.imagomundi.freeserve.co.uk/page13.html) backs it up with: “At the mere thought we can almost smell the savory aroma of bacon, eggs, black-pudding, mushrooms and all the unhealthy favourites that go to make up the good old English fry-up.” ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2000, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fry-up-in-england/28919/3 "2000-08-11T03:57:52Z")
IOW, “Breakfast” ---
**Author:** ![Profane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47774/32.png) [@Profane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Profane)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2000, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fry-up-in-england/28919/4 "2000-08-11T04:05:31Z")
Kat has it right. Mmmmm, now I’m hungry. ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2000, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fry-up-in-england/28919/5 "2000-08-11T04:09:51Z")
The only thing we need to know now is…what the heck is “black-pudding”? “Fried slice” and “bubble and squeak”, too, for that matter. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2000, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fry-up-in-england/28919/6 "2000-08-11T04:48:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kat \* > “My chosen cafe food is a Full English Fry-up… eggs, bacon, fried slice, black pudding, toast, beans, chips, tomato, mushrooms, hash brown, sausages, bubble and squeak, + a cup of tea in a pint jug” What, no spam? ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2000, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fry-up-in-england/28919/7 "2000-08-11T05:34:33Z")
Fried slice - slice of bread that has been fired, often done in bacon fat for flavour. Bubble and squeak - named after the noise it makes when you cook it, it is a mixture of whatever stuff you might have left over in the fridge such as bacon, bit of chopped onion and whatever you fancy all mixed into some mashed potatoe and the whole lot is fried up often into flat cakes until brown - preferably in bacon fat to give it more flavour. Couple of other items that might be included, polony a type of sliced sausage cooked in slices, haslet a type of meat loaf made from the cheapest stuff the butcher has knocking about.Tomatoes are pretty much essential and most would think that baked beans are too. Bet the cholestoral count is going up just thinking about a full English fry-up. ---
**Author:** ![hawthorne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hawthorne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawthorne)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2000, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fry-up-in-england/28919/8 "2000-08-11T06:35:10Z")
**Kat** : black pudding is a type of sausage made from pig’s blood. Well, you asked. In my view it is best served sliced thinly and cooked to the consistency of a casino chip. picmr ---
**Author:** ![Primaflora](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/898d66/32.png) [@Primaflora](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Primaflora)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2000, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fry-up-in-england/28919/9 "2000-08-11T06:36:35Z")
From Jane Grigson’s _English Food_ “Black puddings have to be chosen carefully. Many manufacturers put far too much barley and oatmeal with the blood and pork fat, which makes them stodgy by comparision, say, with the delicious black puddings of France. To my way of thinking, the inside should remain soft and spicy when cooked: it should never be dry or hard” Hmm I think I would rather eat it than think about it. ---
**Author:** ![Primaflora](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/898d66/32.png) [@Primaflora](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Primaflora)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2000, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fry-up-in-england/28919/10 "2000-08-11T06:37:43Z")
Oh god on the next page there is a recipe for Faggots and Peas and even leaving aside the obvious jokes 😉 it sounds disgusting… ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2000, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fry-up-in-england/28919/11 "2000-08-11T06:39:10Z")
Good lord…that menu sounds like the full employment plan for cardiologists everywhere… ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2000, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fry-up-in-england/28919/12 "2000-08-11T08:32:28Z")
That’s the whole point of fry-ups. Something horrifically greasy and bad for your heart. Great hangover food! Most people don’t have 'em often. ---
**Author:** ![London\_Calling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@London\_Calling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/London_Calling)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2000, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fry-up-in-england/28919/13 "2000-08-11T09:09:51Z")
Got to agree with **mattk** , going down the road on a Saturday morning to the greasy spoon is truly a wonderful hangover cure. IMHO, tomatoes (Toe-Ma-toes) have to be grilled, you should have 2 slices as well as a fried slice and the bacon (most places outside the States) is actually worth having. I don’t think the American diner is that different, NYC hash browns, saw-see-Gis, scrambled egg, etc, seem to do approximately the same trick. I vaguely recall frequenting a lovely little gaff on E 7th opposite the park. Smashing waitress. The biggest dilemma is whether it’s Daddies or OK (brown) sauce 🙂 **ricepad** I believe Scotland is the heart disease capital of the world - last reports mentioned a trend to deep fry chocolate encased ice cream. They obviously don’t want to lose their pre-eminence. And it’s Friday 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2000, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fry-up-in-england/28919/14 "2000-08-11T09:55:44Z")
mmmm… fattening until you have had a deep fried mars bar, you havent lived. The Irish Breakfast differs slightly inasmuch as we dont have a fried slice, mushrooms, chips, or Bubble and Squeak. BTW, pudding is the food of the Gods. Normally, when a fry-up is necessary, you’re in such a state that you dont care what you’re eating. ---
**Author:** ![London\_Calling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@London\_Calling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/London_Calling)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2000, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fry-up-in-england/28919/15 "2000-08-11T10:38:24Z")
**John** Of course, you’re right. It’s deep fried mars bars, not ice cream - I’m not that stupid, no really. Trying to imagine what the US must make of ‘Vis’ - still very fond of the Fat Slags shagging Prince Charles. ---
**Author:** ![TheMadHun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@TheMadHun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheMadHun)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2000, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fry-up-in-england/28919/16 "2000-08-11T12:44:52Z")
> [@](#): > > ricepad I believe Scotland is the heart disease capital of the world - last reports mentioned a trend to deep fry chocolate encased ice cream. They obviously don’t want to lose their pre-eminence. Aye, when it comes to being unhealthy fat bastards we can beat the lot of you (except the planet-sized people you see at Disneyland.) Here’s tae us! Wha’s like us? Gey few an they’re aw deid (from heart disease I presume). ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2000, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fry-up-in-england/28919/17 "2000-08-11T13:59:59Z")
This thread proves, yet again, that the Brits will never be known for their culinary accomplishments. As my dear old Dad said after visiting Great Britain: “The food isn’t bad if you like warm, gray, tasteless, mushy stuff.” Now, back to my plate of steaming haggis (no wonder they had to invent Scotch). ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2000, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fry-up-in-england/28919/18 "2000-08-11T14:06:38Z")
I dont know if they’d get Roger Melly either ---
**Author:** ![London\_Calling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@London\_Calling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/London_Calling)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2000, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fry-up-in-england/28919/19 "2000-08-11T14:13:24Z")
He’s on the telly !! (“Does she like it sir, does she ?”) ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2000, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fry-up-in-england/28919/20 "2000-08-11T14:36:18Z")
Thank you, guys! MUCH more appealing than what I’d imagined…(bits and pieces of last Sunday’s joint and Yorkshire pudding, perhaps the remains of the breakfast kedgeree, all tossed into a skillet sizzling with lard). Sort of a British variant on Hash as it is Slung in the U.S. re: VIZ. Oh, I don’t know…seems to me that things like “Johnny Fartpants” and “Finbarr Saunders” and “Student Grant” are pretty darn universal in their appeal. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fry-up-in-england/28919.md?page=2)