# 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:** 9
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2014, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983/161 "2014-04-29T02:44:17Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > If I remember my **The Supersizers…** correctly goose was a traditional English Christmas dish (& something the rich would’ve eaten year round), but it was displaced by turkey in the 20th century. “I’ve always found a goose a rather inconvenient bird – too much for one, and not enough for two.” – Mustrum Ridcully > [@alphaboi867](#): > > Meanwhile the Royal Family used to have _swan_ for Christmas dinner; all swans in the UK being the property of the reigning monarch. I wonder if it’s any good, or they just eat it because One Does. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2014, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983/162 "2014-04-29T02:48:41Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > From [_Nanny Ogg’s Cookbook,_](http://www.amazon.com/Nanny-Oggs-Cookbook-Information-Astonishing/dp/0552146730) by Terry Pratchett – preface to the recipe for Nobby’s Mum’s Distressed Pudding: _NOCB_ also has a recipe for “Mrs Whitlow’s Arteries-Hardening Hogswatch Pie,” which I presume is the same thing as British [pork pie](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pork_pie), which looks plum disgustin’, and eaten cold, yet! Is it any good? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2014, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983/163 "2014-04-29T02:55:55Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > And of course, [boiled goose](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yvEYKRF5IA) is among the least-cool foods, ever. As opposed to the uberkewl [_Boiled Angel!_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boiled_Angel) ---
**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 29, 2014, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983/164 "2014-04-29T05:04:34Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > [But what about goose?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=356653) In Toronto (Scarborough, actually), I spent a whole day going from supermarket to supermarket trying to find a Christmas goose. When I finally did, at Highland Farms (an upscale supermarket), it was pricey—just over $70 for a medium-size bird (my daughter and I were eating goose and goose-based dishes for the next couple of weeks). Since then, they’ve started carrying goose at our local Food Basics (because I requested it, I like to think), but it’s still expensive (in the neighborhood of $70). A Thanksgiving turkey will only set me back around $20; a duck, about $15. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2014, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983/165 "2014-04-29T07:38:34Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > I’m not sure. I’m about a week behind. Is that the guy who did something weird with like lamb and banana? [insert your own . . . oh, just insert your own] ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2014, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983/166 "2014-04-29T08:59:55Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > _NOCB_ also has a recipe for “Mrs Whitlow’s Arteries-Hardening Hogswatch Pie,” which I presume is the same thing as British [pork pie](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pork_pie), which looks plum disgustin’, and eaten cold, yet! Is it any good? No, it’s awful. We are driven to eat them only through self-loathing. Poor, poor Brits. If only we were able to tell the difference between good food and bad, what wonders we might discover! As it is, we shuffle through joyless mealtimes eating food with no taste, texture or other merit, being too fucking stupid to tell the difference. Of course they’re good. It’s pork, highly reduced pork stock, pastry. What part of that sounds bad? ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2014, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983/167 "2014-04-29T09:11:20Z")
> [@Stanislaus](#): > > Of course they’re good. It’s pork, highly reduced pork stock, pastry. What part of that sounds bad? Going by so many posters on this board, just the sheer fact that it is British. ---
**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 29, 2014, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983/168 "2014-04-29T15:20:11Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > Going by so many posters on this board, just the sheer fact that it is British. They’re yummy when heated in the oven and served with HP sauce on the side. Personally, I’ve always preferred Scottish Jock pies, which I believe contain minced (ground) lamb. :o ---
**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 29, 2014, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983/169 "2014-04-29T15:36:35Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > I’m not sure. I’m about a week behind. Is that the guy who did something weird with like lamb and banana? Carl’s the guy who prompted Greg to warn John not to put the food in his mouth - he made some plum/potato abomination for his dessert course, after producing basically sausage and beans for his main. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2014, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983/170 "2014-04-29T19:53:56Z")
> [@Stanislaus](#): > > No, it’s awful. We are driven to eat them only through self-loathing. Poor, poor Brits. If only we were able to tell the difference between good food and bad, what wonders we might discover! As it is, we shuffle through joyless mealtimes eating food with no taste, texture or other merit, being too fucking stupid to tell the difference. > > Of course they’re good. It’s pork, highly reduced pork stock, pastry. What part of that sounds bad? The cold pork-flavored gelatin. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2014, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983/171 "2014-04-29T19:58:05Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > The cold pork-flavored gelatin. I’m British, but I’m with you on this one **BG**. They are disgusting. The gelatin, the weird, extra lardy pastry, and the firm consistency of the meat. Ick. ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983/172 "2014-04-30T09:35:56Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > The cold pork-flavored gelatin. You say that like it’s a bad thing. It gives taste and especially texture - a little smoothness on the palate. OK, it’s not for everybody, but given that pork pies are evidently quite popular “is it good?” is kind of a silly question. If you mean, “Will I, personally, like it?” then no-one can answer that. If you mean “Do the people who keep eating it like it?” then the question answers itself. ---
**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:** [April 30, 2014, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983/173 "2014-04-30T10:03:47Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > The cold pork-flavored gelatin. I’m guessing you’re not a fan of [head cheese](https://www.google.com/search?q=head+cheese&num=20&newwindow=1&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=S8pgU_3nBumkyQGPh4GoAw&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=1600&bih=713). ---
**Author:** ![Double\_Foolscap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85e7bf/32.png) [@Double\_Foolscap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Double_Foolscap)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983/174 "2014-04-30T11:24:04Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > _NOCB_ also has a recipe for “Mrs Whitlow’s Arteries-Hardening Hogswatch Pie,” which I presume is the same thing as British [pork pie](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pork_pie), which looks plum disgustin’, and eaten cold, yet! Is it any good? My fiancée made one of these a few years ago for Christmas, and it was delicious. Pork pies in general are really tasty, but I’m with you on the gelatin, which is why I go for the mini pork pies which don’t use it. Melton Mowbray mini pork pies with the cheese are the gold standard when it comes to the mass-produced pie, but for preference head to your local butcher. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983/175 "2014-04-30T12:20:34Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > My guess would be since the invention of corned beef and cabbage or hummus. > [@njtt](#): > > 😕 > Hummus is Greek, I believe, certainly not a traditional British dish. I think Superhal was thinking of “haggis”, not “hummus”. I don’t know if that would be a typo, misspelling, or brainfart. I’m leaning toward the last. Not to be critical of Superhal; they happen to everybody. The Scots came up with haggis. I think it’s their version of Dwarf Bread or the cans of Ham & Lima Beans that came with C-rations. I think hummus is just a Mediterranean dish. I think they make it anywhere where there are chick peas, tahini sauce, and olive oil. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983/176 "2014-04-30T13:32:33Z")
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](https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/31087/6-complicated-concepts-explained-using-kitchen-items)** > > The Big Bang Theory is much easier to swallow when it's explained with a muffin. Here are complex principles explained with everyday kitchen items. > [@](#): > > To understand culinary existentialism, you need only look at a popular but forlorn condiment: ketchup. Everyone knows it, but not as itself. To some it’s a tasty dip for fries, to others a meatloaf ingredient, and, to the British, it’s a pizza topping. 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. ---
**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 30, 2014, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983/177 "2014-04-30T13:44:55Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > 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. Yeah, that’s not something I associate with the UK. I’ve seen it in Eastern and Central Europe, though. Perhaps not as often as I used to, but it’s not terribly uncommon, either, if you’re at a divey pizza place rather than an Italian restaurant. ---
**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 30, 2014, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983/178 "2014-04-30T15:33:09Z")
Thais commonly put ketchup on pizza, and lots of it. (Not the wife though.) ---
**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 30, 2014, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983/179 "2014-04-30T16:10:01Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Yeah, that’s not something I associate with the UK. I’ve seen it in Eastern and Central Europe, though. Perhaps not as often as I used to, but it’s not terribly uncommon, either, if you’re at a divey pizza place rather than an Italian restaurant. When I lived in Czechoslovakia, I noticed that the locals made absolutely no distinction between “tomato sauce” and “ketchup,” so I can totally believe this! ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983/180 "2014-04-30T16:36:12Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > [But what about goose?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=356653) > > (Do Brits eat **that?** It certainly ought to be greasy enough for them.) Goose is delicious, and actually not greasy, because the fat all drains off during the roasting. It’s like a cross between chicken and duck, and used to be the traditional christmas bird in the UK before new world turkeys flooded the market. It’s much tastier than turkey. Some posh people still have it for Christmas. Of course goose paté is popular in France, as is goose fat for cooking. We use it on our roast potatoes. Yum [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-the-stereotype-that-british-food-is-not-a-very-distinguished-cuisine/685983.md?page=10)