# 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:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983/101 "2014-04-14T22:34:00Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Hell, I’ve lived in the UK for several months, and I never even came across steak & kidney pudding (just the pie.) The [pudding](http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/beef-recipes/steak-and-kidney-pudding) and [pie](http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1313/a-good-steak-and-kidney-pie) difference is just about the casing. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983/102 "2014-04-14T22:36:53Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > The [pudding](http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/beef-recipes/steak-and-kidney-pudding) and [pie](http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1313/a-good-steak-and-kidney-pie) difference is just about the casing. Interesting. Inspired by this thread, I’m making Lancashire hotpot for dinner tonight. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BrokenBriton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@BrokenBriton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrokenBriton)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983/103 "2014-04-14T22:47:35Z")
What time? ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983/104 "2014-04-14T22:51:35Z")
Perpetuation of the stereotype could be at least partly because people (and not just Americans) when they travel end up at too many tourist traps serving crappy food. My perspective on British food is that they serve up some of the tastiest dishes on earth - but poorly executed versions of them suck - just like poorly executed versions of any thing else will suck. Want excellent food? There are countless examples in London alone. Six months ago we had stellar meals in the UK featuring British dishes and ingredients, including at places like [The Grazing Goat](http://www.thegrazinggoat.co.uk/home.html) in London, [Howie’s](http://www.howies.uk.com/) in Edinburgh. We had a couple of really good meals on Islay even. But then again, I also like fish & chips at Wackers in York and love Pret a Manger sandwiches, which I think are the epitome of fresh delicious portable affordable lunch. And blood pudding is delicious, dammit! ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983/105 "2014-04-14T23:00:28Z")
> [@BrokenBriton](#): > > What time? Well, I just put it in the oven literally two minutes ago, so I’m guessing about 2-3 hours from now. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983/106 "2014-04-14T23:54:40Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I think meat pies in general would do well enough that an enterprising young entrepreneur would do well for his/herself setting up shop in a hip neighborhood. …) Indeed – [http://www.dangerouspiesdc.com](http://www.dangerouspiesdc.com) Empanadas, salteñas, samosas, egg rolls, pizza rolls, calzones, Jamaican beef patties, Hot Pockets, and the like are all reasonably popular in America. Kiwi Kuisine sells their British-style (okay, New Zealand style, but really not that different) meat pies in upscale cafés around here – [http://www.kiwikuisine.com](http://www.kiwikuisine.com) ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2014, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983/107 "2014-04-15T00:07:22Z")
Boston got [KO Pies](http://kocateringandpies.com/) a couple of years ago, and since then at least one other Australian meat pie place has popped up. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2014, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983/108 "2014-04-15T00:15:17Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Indeed – [http://www.dangerouspiesdc.com](http://www.dangerouspiesdc.com) > > Empanadas, salteñas, samosas, egg rolls, pizza rolls, calzones, Jamaican beef patties, Hot Pockets, and the like are all reasonably popular in America. > > Kiwi Kuisine sells their British-style (okay, New Zealand style, but really not that different) meat pies in upscale cafés around here – [http://www.kiwikuisine.com](http://www.kiwikuisine.com) I also found [this place](http://www.australianpieco.com/) a little bit south of Seattle that seems to be very well-regarded. And I’ve seen pasty places popping up here in some Chicago neighborhoods, although they have some connection to the Upper Midwest, too (particularly Wisconsin and Michigan, in my experience.) ETA: Just noticed the above post. See, there you go. Mark my words, meat pies are in line for being a hipster food trend. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2014, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983/109 "2014-04-15T00:25:10Z")
And, hell, what about quiche? It has been more than 30 years since it was declared too unmanly for Americans, but it’s everywhere. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2014, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983/110 "2014-04-15T00:33:47Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Empanadas, salteñas, samosas, egg rolls, pizza rolls, calzones, Jamaican beef patties, Hot Pockets, and the like are all reasonably popular in America. I grew up in northern Louisiana and [Natchitoches meat pies](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natchitoches_meat_pie) are a popular regional specialty. My home town even had a factory that mass manufactured them for a while. They are great tasting but probably not all that great for you. They are directly related to Spanish beef empanadas because that area has a long Spanish colonial history. I have never seen them outside of that smallish area of the U.S. but similar versions exist in other countries. It is a traditional meat pie to that area that you can’t even normally find in the New Orleans area or any of Southern Louisiana unless it somewhere like a festival food booth. ---
**Author:** ![dinahmoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8797f3/32.png) [@dinahmoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dinahmoe)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2014, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983/111 "2014-04-15T01:18:28Z")
> [@Motorgirl](#): > > Boston got [KO Pies](http://kocateringandpies.com/) a couple of years ago, and since then at least one other Australian meat pie place has popped up. [Cuppa Coffee](http://www.trycuppacoffee.com/) is another one. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2014, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983/112 "2014-04-15T02:16:51Z")
In the U.S. pudding usually means custard. I’ve never heard of steak and kidney and/or kidney pudding in my life. I’ve heard of steak and kidney _pie_, but not kidney pie. (And am I the only one who doesn’t like my bacon crispy? I like it nice and tender – meat shouldn’t be crispy) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2014, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983/113 "2014-04-15T02:28:54Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > In the U.S. pudding usually means custard. Well, in the US, pudding and custard are two similar, but different, things. Custard is egg-yolk thickened. Pudding is starch-thickened. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2014, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983/114 "2014-04-15T03:01:47Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Well, in the US, pudding and custard are two similar, but different, things. Custard is egg-yolk thickened. Pudding is starch-thickened. Agree. Where I grew up, pudding and custard were completely different. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2014, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983/115 "2014-04-15T05:01:25Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Well, in the US, pudding and custard are two similar, but different, things. Custard is egg-yolk thickened. Pudding is starch-thickened. Though I sometimes make tapioca or rice pudding with egg yolks. FWIW, here is an article on pudding and puddings: > **[Pudding vs. Dessert: The Same But Different](https://www.thespruceeats.com/difference-between-pudding-and-dessert-435332)** > > A dessert and a pudding can be, surprisingly, two very different things. But they sometimes are actually the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2014, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983/116 "2014-04-15T05:53:01Z")
Sorry, that was the closest thing I could think of. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2014, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983/117 "2014-04-15T09:06:34Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Though I sometimes make tapioca or rice pudding with egg yolks. > > FWIW, here is an article on pudding and puddings: > > [Pudding vs. Dessert: The Same But Different](http://britishfood.about.com/od/faq/f/puddordessfaq.htm) Thanks. For some reason there seems to need to be proof that I wasn’t making steak and kidney puddings up. “Kidney pie” definitely is one of the items always brought up when criticising British food, though, along with haggis and “blood pudding” (we don’t call it that). Basically criticising British food by focusing on unusual food items and changing the names to make them sound worse. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2014, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983/118 "2014-04-15T12:02:27Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > Thanks. For some reason there seems to need to be proof that I wasn’t making steak and kidney puddings up. > > “Kidney pie” definitely is one of the items always brought up when criticising British food, though, along with haggis and “blood pudding” (we don’t call it that). Basically criticising British food by focusing on unusual food items and changing the names to make them sound worse. Same in Sweden regarding “kidney pie”. I just simply respond with “no such dish exists”, which results in them looking very confused. You have to teach them somehow. If they insist I remind them that as a culture they have no right to mock as they eat rotten fish. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2014, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983/119 "2014-04-15T12:09:13Z")
I think the thought of eating kidney freaks some people out so much that when you say “steak and kidney pie”, what they hear is “steak and :eek: kidney :eek: pie”. ---
**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:** [April 24, 2014, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983/120 "2014-04-24T07:15:13Z")
Threads like this make me angry-sad. Maybe it’s just my personal enthusiasm for food, but it seems like this particular topic is often an encysted pocket of celebrated ignorance for the SDMB. :angrysad: (when we get an AngrySad Smiley, I’ll be regarded as a prophet). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983.md?page=7)