Climate, geography and history, these are the factors which define English cuisine. History includes relationships with other European countries and the introduction of new ingredients specifically from places like India, China and North America. Geography and climate greatly influence nature, as it provides every available resource for key ingredients. Consequently, traditional foods bear ancient origins. Some of which are bread, cheese, roasted meats, pies and fish. Customary dishes like fish and chips and bangers and mash are products which relatively speak of English tradition and ways.

As years pass, previous images of blandness or need for condiments to ensure palatability of English food began to change. The stodgy image is soon replaced by quality as many European restaurants cater to many satisfied guests. Another additional factor was the popularity of certain celebrity chefs thereby creating awareness with regards to English cuisine.

Sunday roast is considered a culinary pride. The Sunday dinner is a traditional meal which features roast potatoes, accompanying a roasted joint of meat either chicken, beef or lamb together with assorted vegetables.

Fish and chips are another popular dish. It is traditionally served with peas, having salt and malt vinegar as condiments. These are so popular that many restaurants and shops sell these to both locals and tourists.

The full English breakfast otherwise known as ‘cooked or fried breakfast’ is famous as well. Contents vary and consist of a number of foods like bacon, baked beans, grilled tomatoes, fried mushrooms, sausages, eggs and some other ingredients. Generally, these are more elaborate as compared to domestic breakfast and are served in cafes.

English sausages are made from fresh meats and are considered distinctive. They are rarely dried, smoked or strongly flavored. The most common bases are pork and beef yet gourmet varieties tend to use meat of venison or wild boar. Famous regional varieties include Lincolnshire and Cumberland. It has also been said that hundreds of sausage varieties can be found in the market.

Pies also form part of the English cuisine. Meat pies are normally made with fillings of chicken and mushroom, even steak and kidney. Pork pies are said to be eaten cold while open pies or flans are served with fillings of seasonal fruits. The Cornish pastry is a well-loved dish, and is shaped like that of a calzone. Other famous pies include Fisherman’s pie, Cottage pie and Shepherd’s.

Methods of food preservation include salting, pickling and smoking. These are very prevalent methods among Northern European countries. The Britons, in particular, are known for making hams and bacon as well as pickled vegetables while the Scottish particularly loves smoked fish like salmon.

English cooking has with it Asian influences referring to condiments like tomato sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Malt vinegar and mustard are also typical condiments used.

Ingredients utilized in English cuisine:

Grains:

Oats, wheat

Fruits:

Apples, Peaches, Oranges, Bananas, Lemons

Vegetables:

Asparagus, Cucumber, Celery, Peas, Carrot, Potato, Broccoli, Radish, Turnip, Tomato, Onion, Parsnip, Cabbage, Mushroom

Herbs and Spices:

Coriander, Rosemary, Cayenne pepper, Curry, Cinnamon, Saffron, Mace, Nutmeg

Meat:

Beef, Pork, Lamb, Mutton

Dairy:

Cheese, Butter, Cream

Seafood:

Sole, Haddock, Cod (great choice for fish and chips), Plaice, Hake, Halibut, Mullet, Herring, Mackerel, Eel, Oysters, Lobsters

It has been said that English cuisine is one controversial topic among food enthusiasts and chefs. Interestingly, this cuisine once studied, will reveal a number of enticing and wonderful dishes much to the delight of equally interesting diners. Furthermore, it only shows that to know this cuisine means having the seemingly perfect understanding for both its food and history.

Authentic English Recipes

Rhubarb and Raspberry Jam Roly-Poly with Vanilla Custard Sauce

Filling:

* 1/2 pound fresh rhubarb, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices (about 2 cups)

* 1/2 cup sugar

* 1 tablespoon water

* 1/2 cup raspberry jam

Dough:

* 2 cups all purpose flour

* 2 tablespoons sugar

* 2 teaspoons baking powder

* 1/2 teaspoon salt

* 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) frozen unsalted butter

* 2/3 cup (or more) ice water

* 1 tablespoon whipping cream beaten with 1 tablespoon sugar (for glaze)

* Vanilla Custard Sauce

Preparation

For filling:

Combine rhubarb, sugar, and 1 tablespoon water in medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Cover; cook until rhubarb softens to thick pulp, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Mix in jam; cool. do ahead Can be made 1 week ahead. Cover; chill.

For dough:

Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into large bowl. Using large holes on box grater, grate frozen butter into bowl; stir to blend. Cover and freeze at least 15 minutes. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep frozen.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Add 2/3 cup ice water to flour mixture, tossing until soft dough forms, adding more ice water by tablespoonfuls if dough is stiff. Transfer to lightly floured surface; knead gently 5 or 6 turns (butter should remain in firm pieces). Roll out dough to 12×9-inch rectangle. Spread 6 tablespoons filling over dough, leaving 1-inch plain border on all sides. Starting at 1 long side, roll up jelly-roll style; seal seam. Place seam side down on prepared sheet. Seal ends. Brush glaze over pastry.

Bake pastry until golden (jam may leak out), about 30 minutes. Cool pastry briefly.

Cut roly-poly crosswise into 6 to 8 rounds. Serve warm with Vanilla Custard Sauce and remaining filling.

Note: For measurement conversions visit this page.

Summer Pudding with Blueberries and Raspberries

Ingredients

* 1 unsliced rectangular loaf of brioche or good-quality firm white bread such as Pullman (1 pound), crusts discarded

* 4 cups blueberries (1 pound)

* 5 cups raspberries (18 ounces)

* 1 cup sugar

* 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

* Equipment: a deep 2 1/2-quart bowl (preferably 8 inches in diameter across top and 3 inches across bottom); a platter with a lip

* Accompaniment: lemon verbena ice cream

Preparation

Cut bread into 14 (1/2-inch-thick) slices. Cut out a 3-inch round from 1 slice and put in bottom of bowl. Line side of bowl with 10 slices, overlapping them slightly.

Bring berries, sugar, and lemon juice to a boil in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat, then simmer, stirring occasionally, until berries collapse and release their juices, about 8 minutes. Spoon fruit into a sieve set over a bowl and let drain 15 minutes. Spoon drained fruit into bread-lined bowl (reserve juices) and cover completely with remaining bread, cutting bread to fit.

Pour juices evenly over bread, making sure all bread is saturated. Cover pudding directly with a piece of wax paper and place a 7-inch plate, upside down, on top of paper. Put a 1- to 1 1/2-pound weight (such as a large can) on plate and chill at least 8 hours.

Remove weight, plate, and wax paper and invert platter over bowl, then invert bowl onto platter. Carefully unmold.

Note: For measurement conversions visit this page.

Image Credit Flickr.com

Image & Recipe Credit: Epicurious

Image & Recipe Credit: Epicurious

Would you like an exotic, tropical vacation to a sun-drenched paradise but don’t have the time or money? Take a mini-vacation in your very own culinary domain with the tropical taste of mango.

Mangos are as common in Asia as apples are in the western world, for that matter their unique taste is enjoyed all over the globe. There’s nothing like a mango’s distinctive flavor. The flesh of a ripe mango is juicy and tastes like a peach with just a hint of vanilla. Try this fruit yourself and discover a tropical taste vacation.

Besides delectable flavor, mangos also offer nutrition benefits. One cup of cubed mango provides an excellent source of vitamin C and a good source of vitamin A, two vitamins often lacking in the average persons diet.

Mangos are available year-round so you can bring home a sunny taste of the tropics anytime. They are perfect for every meal and easy to prepare. Try them cubed for breakfast or as a simple snack. At lunch or dinner, mango can enhance pork, chicken or fish entrees, and many elegant, flavorful desserts feature mango.

Here are the Top 7 recipes featuring the versatile mango

Number 1 Mango Dressing Recipe

Number 2 - Mango Chutney Recipe

Number 3 - Curried Chicken and Mango Salad Recipe

Number 4 - Mango Crepes with Mango Coulis Recipe

Number 5 -Mango Crème Brûlée Recipe

Number 6 - Mango – Pineapple Salsa Recipe

Number 7 - Mango Pudding Recipe

Do you have a recipe featuring mango that you would like to share? Please feel free to post your recipe in the comments section on this very blog post.

Who knows this list of Mango Recipes could grow into the top ……………………

Tastefully yours,

Matthew Goudge

Image Credit Flickr.com

500 grams Mango- Diced

250 grams Lemon- In Juice

25 grams Coriander- Finely Chopped

100 grams Red Onion- Finely Chopped

150 grams White Sugar

40 grams Vegetable Oil

Salt- To taste

In a sauté pan heat the vegetable oil, add the prepared red onions, add a touch of salt. Cook until transparent, add the white sugar and swill the pan, do not stir the sugar or it will crystallize.

Add the prepared lemon juice to the pan. Allow to simmer on a low heat until the liquid has reduced by half and the sugar has slightly caramelized.

Place the diced mango in with the other ingredients, toss to coat with the sugar mixture, stir and continue to cook on a gentle flame. Cook for a further 5 minutes, remove from heat, add chopped coriander and adjust the seasoning.

Place in a suitable container and allow to cool.

Image Credit Flickr.com

A healthy diet does not have to be boring when you focus on bright, colorful meals. What does this mean? Simply by making sure your plate reflects a range of colors, you’ll naturally create more balanced and healthful menus. Not everyone has the time or the patience to count calories, but assessing the colors on your plate is something anyone can do – and it only takes an instant!

Why is color important? Many fatty and caloric foods, such as dairy products and starchy carbs, are beige or brown. When there are too many of these drab colors on your plate, weight gain is almost certain.

That’s because these beige foods often are high in calories and can leave you feeling hungry later. A cup of beige or brown beans can be over 200 calories….but a cup of red or green vegetables is under a hundred! Add fresh greens, deep purple-reds and bright yellow-orange to a meal, and water the nutrient content go up, while calories go down! Plus, you’ll get more enjoyment from eating when there’s a variety of colors and flavors on your plate.

Ingredients

100 ml Plain Yoghurt

50 gram Lime- In Juice

15 ml Honey

1 gram Curry Powder- Dry Roasted

Salt- To taste

Pepper- To taste

40 grams Green Leaf lettuce

40 grams Red leaf lettuce

300 grams Cooked Chicken- Cut into Small Pieces

200 grams Mango- Peeled and Cubed

Method

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl and stir well. Add chicken and mango and toss gently to coat. Arrange dark green lettuce leaves around a serving bowl and spoon mixture into bowl.

Note- For extra crunch, serve with a side dish of red and green bell pepper, romaine lettuce, chopped celery and cucumber.

Makes 4 Servings

Image Credit Flickr.com