Poll of the Day > Why do Americans not eat Yorkshire Puddings?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Revelation34 posted...

I typically don't add salt anyway unless I'm cooking with it.

I'm the same way. I grew up with the "too much salt is bad for you!" thing drilled into me, so I never developed a taste for salting my food after putting it on the plate. My mom's also generally a very good cook, so there's rarely any need to add extra salt to her food anyway. It's taken a bit of practice to get there with my own cooking, but I generally don't find myself needing extra salt these days.

If you don't eat yer meat, you can't have any pudding!
How can you have any pudding if you don't eat yer meat?

*Makes meat pudding*

adjl posted...

*Makes meat pudding*

Shit you found a loophole

adjl posted...

*Makes meat pudding*

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steak_and_kidney_pudding ?

No logic can withstand the paradoxical onslaught of haggis.

Revelation34 posted...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steak_and_kidney_pudding ?

Among others. There's a lot of overlap between "pudding" and "sausage" in British terminology, as much as the latter has kind of taken over in the modern vernacular. There was actually a point when savory puddings were the primary use of the term. Desserts taking over it has been a relatively modern development.

adjl posted...

Among others. There's a lot of overlap between "pudding" and "sausage" in British terminology, as much as the latter has kind of taken over in the modern vernacular. There was actually a point when savory puddings were the primary use of the term. Desserts taking over it has been a relatively modern development.

In modern usage pudding is really just another word for custard anyway.

adjl posted...

No logic can withstand the paradoxical onslaught of haggis.

I want to try it one day

Revelation34 posted...

In modern usage pudding is really just another word for custard anyway.

Yes and no (at least in US English, since UK English still uses "pudding" to refer to quite a few other dishes). "Custard" refers to any instance of thickening sweetened milk with eggs, which means it includes creme anglaise, many ice cream bases (which is really just creme anglaise, so this is kind of redundant), and stuff that has other thickening agents in there like starch (creme patissiere) or gelatin. "Pudding" refers specifically to thicker custards, as well as to some variants that don't have egg at all, such as panna cotta (milk+gelatin) or flour-based puddings. There's a lot of overlap, such that many people use them interchangeably, but they are still different terms.

Metalsonic66 posted...

I want to try it one day

Robbie Burns Day is on Tuesday. If there were ever a good time to try it, it's then. Finding good stuff can be a challenge, though. There aren't many restaurants that do it, and canned/frozen stuff can be kinda hit-or-miss (and you probably don't want to make your own from scratch).

It's a conundrum

Pudding is already plural you don't need an s

Remember when British chickens were fed fish meal resulting in chickens with a fishy taste? Don't think they're the best guide to great cuisine, Yorkshire Pudding included.

adjl posted...

Seasonings are cooked/mixed into the food.

And that is done with horseradish

adjl posted...

that's not tremendously common because it's such an aggressive flavour and many people aren't fond of it.

And that's why your food is bad.

adjl posted...

There's a lot of overlap between "pudding" and "sausage" in British terminology

Not really, it's just a generic term, much as mincemeat in a mince pie was never pork, it's just a generic food stuffs term.

As a Yorkshire man myself I love Yorkshire puddings. Toad in the hole is good too.

wpot posted...

Because it's bland like most English food. We have roughly 15 "ethnic" restaurants in my city. The English one, while authentic and "high quality", is probably the worst of them. Sorry England.

Clearly they don't know how to cook English food so that's ok. Fish & Chips, Beef Wellington, Shepherds/Cottage Pie, Full English and a Sunday Roast for sure isn't bland.

wwinterj25 posted...

Fish & Chips, Beef Wellington, Shepherds/Cottage Pie

Sunday Roast I'm not familiar with. The other three I would say I like well enough, buut...I think you proved my point there. If those are the best examples of "not bland" you can come up with...sorry, you're generally bland. :)

Fish and Chips is fried white fish. If you douse it in salt & vinegar I guess it takes like salt & vinegar, but it's pretty bland to start. Is a salad non-bland by the same logic? :)

Shepherd's Pie is hamburger, mashed potato, and veggies. Again, if you throw a bunch of pepper or something on it maybe it could have some zing, but that's a pretty bland start. Beef Wellington might have a crust with pepper/zing...but it's basically beef/steak again.

I stand by "bland"...and I'm pretty sure I'm standing in the majority. :)

wpot posted...

If those are the best examples of "not bland" you can come up with...sorry, you're generally bland. :)

Nah mate, it's what quality looks like. Bland is burying everything in the same 5 spices so it may as well be the same food.

wpot posted...

Shepherd's Pie is hamburger, mashed potato, and veggies.

wut

Again, stop being a filthy American and eat non-plastic food.

Why would Arv eat dog pudding

Kyuubi4269 posted...

Again, stop being a filthy American and eat non-plastic food.

Well, I suppose that's the agree to disagree point. I am an American, but for the record I eat little "American" food. A hot dog is just about the worst thing ever.

If you'd like a ranking, I'd put Japanese and Thai food up near the top. Greek/Mediterranean is up there, too. Italian is solid, if rather filling and somewhat overrated. Indian/curry is good, if not particularly varied. French is hit or miss for me, but when they hit it's pretty dang good.

Mexican...getting lower down and pretty "one note", but OK. Jalapenos are great, if nothing else.

Germans do beer and sausages, which I guess I like better than ale and fish & chips. :)

If you want something we can agree on I put "American food" at the bottom, if by "American food" we're talking about cheap pizza, hot dogs, and hamburgers (i.e. low quality Italian and German food).

Then there's Korean and Moroccan and Vietnamese and Chinese etc etc which generally goes somewhere in the middle.

Agree to disagree and sorry to offend, but my opinion is set.

Kyuubi4269 posted...

And that's why your food is bad.

If your opinion is "food without horseradish is bad," sure, but that's such circular logic that you're not really saying anything meaningful by saying that.

Kyuubi4269 posted...

Bland is burying everything in the same 5 spices so it may as well be the same food.

As opposed to burying everything in the same one condiment because otherwise it doesn't taste like much of anything? You can't say "if you think it's bland, add horseradish," then turn around and accuse other cuisines of hiding behind homogeneous spice palates.

Objectively, English cuisine tends to be blander than cuisines that use stronger spices (not counting curry as "English cuisine" because it's very unarguably an import, as much as it's become extremely popular in England). That's not a matter of opinion: things with weaker flavours in them are less flavourful. That's not necessarily a bad thing, though. There's plenty of merit in subtler flavours, especially if balanced with stronger accent flavours that complement them (such as horseradish, though again, anyone relying exclusively on that to make food interesting has a few things to learn about seasoning) That is, however, what "bland" means, and you're not going to get anywhere trying to convince people to give English cuisine more of a chance by denying it.

wpot posted...

Shepherd's Pie is hamburger, mashed potato, and veggies. Again, if you throw a bunch of pepper or something on it maybe it could have some zing, but that's a pretty bland start.

The recipe I usually use has thyme, rosemary, worcestershire sauce, and beef broth mixed in there, which makes for some nice flavours. It's still nothing strong, and it benefits from having a bit of ketchup or a relish to spice things up a bit, but it's flavourful enough to be enjoyable, in my books.

adjl posted...

The recipe I usually use has thyme, rosemary, worcestershire sauce, and beef broth mixed in there, which makes for some nice flavours. It's still nothing strong, and it benefits from having a bit of ketchup or a relish to spice things up a bit, but it's flavourful enough to be enjoyable, in my books.

And I'm completely agreeing with that: shepherd's pie was my favorite food for a couple years when I was 5ish. It's not a bad food...and there are ways to add some flavor. Also I'm from Minnesota: tator tot hotdish is (for some reason) our thing, and that could be viewed as more or less the Americanized version of shepherd's pie. With processed tator tots, yes.

It's just: if a meat & potato casserole is the example that springs to mind when thinking of a non-bland food... *shrug emoji*

Most Minnesotans like bland stuff, so I'm used to it around here.

adjl posted...

Yes and no (at least in US English, since UK English still uses "pudding" to refer to quite a few other dishes). "Custard" refers to any instance of thickening sweetened milk with eggs, which means it includes creme anglaise, many ice cream bases (which is really just creme anglaise, so this is kind of redundant), and stuff that has other thickening agents in there like starch (creme patissiere) or gelatin. "Pudding" refers specifically to thicker custards, as well as to some variants that don't have egg at all, such as panna cotta (milk+gelatin) or flour-based puddings. There's a lot of overlap, such that many people use them interchangeably, but they are still different terms.

Robbie Burns Day is on Tuesday. If there were ever a good time to try it, it's then. Finding good stuff can be a challenge, though. There aren't many restaurants that do it, and canned/frozen stuff can be kinda hit-or-miss (and you probably don't want to make your own from scratch).

I like them all anyway. Though 99% of the time I'll go for vanilla or another flavor over chocolate pudding. Panna cotta is probably my favorite dessert.

Haggis is illegal in America.
wpot posted...

Shepherd's Pie is hamburger,

Who the hell would waste sheep by grinding it?

Revelation34 posted...

Who the hell would waste sheep by grinding it?

The Greeks

Revelation34 posted...

Haggis is illegal in America.

Imported haggis*

wpot posted...

It's just: if a meat & potato casserole is the example that springs to mind when thinking of a non-bland food... *shrug emoji*

That, I can agree with. There's certainly nothing wrong with meat and potatoes, but I'm not going to pretend it's exciting or particularly strongly flavourful.

Revelation34 posted...

Haggis is illegal in America.

Specifically, sheep lungs are. You can find lung-free haggis that's quite legal.

adjl posted...

That, I can agree with. There's certainly nothing wrong with meat and potatoes, but I'm not going to pretend it's exciting or particularly strongly flavourful.

Specifically, sheep lungs are. You can find lung-free haggis that's quite legal.

Is it actually haggis without the sheep lung?

I don't see why it wouldn't be. I'm sure some purists would disagree, but it's a fairly heavily spiced sausage anyway, so I expect there isn't a huge difference in flavour either way.

Anyone who eats Yorkshire pudding is obligated to finish it by gently wiping their mouth with the CORNER of a napkin, while wearing a monocle, and then proclaiming, "I say!"

The_tall_midget posted...

Anyone who eats Yorkshire pudding is obligated to finish it by gently wiping their mouth with the CORNER of a napkin, while wearing a monocle, and then proclaiming, "I say!"

The irony of this being that Yorkshire pudding is traditionally a lunch for miners, given the high caloric density. It's about as working-class as food gets, if you look just at the history. It's even managed to resist the trend of poor people food becoming rich people food (lobster being the best-known example) because it's made from relatively cheap staples, though it has definitely made its way onto expensive plates.

adjl posted...

The irony of this being that Yorkshire pudding is traditionally a lunch for miners, given the high caloric density. It's about as working-class as food gets, if you look just at the history. It's even managed to resist the trend of poor people food becoming rich people food (lobster being the best-known example) because it's made from relatively cheap staples, though it has definitely made its way onto expensive plates.

Don't get me started on why the French translation for Shepherd's pie is "Pat chinois." I mean, since we're on historical food stuff.

The_tall_midget posted...

Don't get me started on why the French translation for Shepherd's pie is "Pat chinois." I mean, since we're on historical food stuff.

I have heard that name (because bilingual country), but I've never actually stopped to consider the reason for it. Where does it come from?

https://youtu.be/wDR5j30spfI

adjl posted...

I have heard that name (because bilingual country), but I've never actually stopped to consider the reason for it. Where does it come from?

A few hypothesis, but one of the most popular was that corn, potato, and ground meat were cheap back in the days and the Asian workers that were hired to build the Canadian Pacific Railway. So basically they fed Asian workers a mix of that.

That hypothesis is debated though since some argue it came before the dish appeared on Canadian tables and that said workers mostly ate rice and soy beans.

The_tall_midget posted...

A few hypothesis, but one of the most popular was that corn, potato, and ground meat were cheap back in the days and the Asian workers that were hired to build the Canadian Pacific Railway. So basically they fed Asian workers a mix of that.

That hypothesis is debated though since some argue it came before the dish appeared on Canadian tables and that said workers mostly ate rice and soy beans.

That makes some sense.

We lost the recipe and you guys won't share it now.

wpot posted...

sorry, you're generally bland. :)

Wrong. I can be a spicy fiesta.....

Fish and Chips is fried white fish. If you douse it in salt & vinegar I guess it takes like salt & vinegar, but it's pretty bland to start. Is a salad non-bland by the same logic? :)

Actually some salads can be really good. Still Cod is my favourite fish from a chip shop and even without salt and vinegar it certainly isn't bland. You can also buy beer battered fish. It all depends the batter and how you cook it.

Shepherd's Pie is hamburger, mashed potato, and veggies. Again, if you throw a bunch of pepper or something on it maybe it could have some zing, but that's a pretty bland start. Beef Wellington might have a crust with pepper/zing...but it's basically beef/steak again.

The fuck did I just read...

The_tall_midget posted...

Anyone who eats Yorkshire pudding is obligated to finish it by gently wiping their mouth with the CORNER of a napkin, while wearing a monocle, and then proclaiming, "I say!"

Doesn't sound very Yorkshire to me.

I've tried making them a few times with prime rib since alton brown always seems to put them together with his recipe. Did it the large pan method and pop over style in muffin tins. They were okay. Rather have dinner rolls. That yorkshire breadbowl on wikipedia looks like it might be worth revisiting it for though.