# How old is the stereotype that British food is not a very distinguished cuisine? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 13, 2014, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983 "2014-04-13T02:08:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2014, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983/181 "2014-05-05T18:15:43Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > Nothing here sounds remotely edible. Correct. Those are all names of British soccer teams. > [@](#): > > Putting meat in a pie is like stuffing a turkey with fruitcake. You’ve obviously never had brain pie. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2014, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983/182 "2014-05-05T19:54:49Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > [Orwell again:](http://orwell.ru/library/articles/cooking/english/e_dec) > > - “Marrow” = zucchini, not bone marrow. > > \*\* “Bramble” = blackberry, not thorns. BTW, Orwell sez: > [@](#): > > Then there are the various ways of cooking potatoes that are peculiar to our own country. Where else do you see potatoes roasted under the joint, which is far and away the best way of cooking them? Has anyone tried that? (I presume “joint” here means any roast regardless of whether it has a bone in it.) ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2014, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983/183 "2014-05-05T20:08:37Z")
Oh, yeah. It’s delicious. The fat from the roast drips all over the potatoes. If you do it right they’re crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside and all basted with the fat and juices from the roast. I usually put a layer of veg on the bottom of the roasting pan, onion, celery, carrot and potatoes, maybe some rutabaga or parsnip if I can find nice ones. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2014, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983/184 "2014-05-06T13:23:59Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > Frankly, I can see why people have weird conceptions about British food when the likes of Mental Floss post bollocks like this today: > > [6 Complicated Concepts Explained Using Kitchen Items](http://mentalfloss.com/article/31087/6-complicated-concepts-explained-using-kitchen-items) > > I mean, what? No one puts ketchup on pizza. That’s just pure bollocks, but people will go away from that believing it to be true. I think I might know the reason behind this. As you know, in the UK we often refer to ketchup as “tomato sauce.” However, sometimes the tomatoey bit on pizza can be referred to as “tomato sauce.” At least it was called that on the menu at an Italian restaurant I went to in Camden yesterday. An old established Italian restaurant, that is. They didn’t actually mean ketchup and nobody would seriously think they did unless they were apt to think that British cuisine is all awful; perhaps that’s where the writer was coming from. Brits say tomato sauce for ketchup, and sometimes there is “tomato sauce” on pizzas, ergo Brits put ketchup on pizza! ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2014, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983/185 "2014-05-06T15:24:29Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > I think I might know the reason behind this. As you know, in the UK we often refer to ketchup as “tomato sauce.” However, sometimes the tomatoey bit on pizza can be referred to as “tomato sauce.” At least it was called that on the menu at an Italian restaurant I went to in Camden yesterday. An old established Italian restaurant, that is. They didn’t actually mean ketchup and nobody would seriously think they did unless they were apt to think that British cuisine is all awful; perhaps that’s where the writer was coming from. Brits say tomato sauce for ketchup, and sometimes there is “tomato sauce” on pizzas, ergo Brits put ketchup on pizza! You may be on to something. People have commented on me calling the red stuff “tomato sauce” occasionally (I don’t live in the UK anymore). ---
**Author:** ![Echo\_Charlie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b5e925/32.png) [@Echo\_Charlie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Echo_Charlie)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2014, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983/186 "2014-05-06T15:29:07Z")
[Two British restaurants in the world’s top ten](http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/apr/29/noma-worlds-best-restaurant-heston-blumenthal). FWIW. ---
**Author:** ![Boulter\_s\_Canary](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Boulter\_s\_Canary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boulter_s_Canary)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983/187 "2014-05-08T12:34:56Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > As for Welsh food… > > [http://www.recipesfromwales.com/](http://www.recipesfromwales.com/) [Seaweed and seafood with fried sausage, bacon and egg?](http://goweruk.com/Images/Uploaded/660/bb8f05e2-5bfd-4796-975a-e90c9eb2732c.jpg):eek: I don’t think so. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983.md?page=9)