The negative reputation of British cuisine
When I decided to go to study in UK for 2 years, many of my friends and teachers asked the same question in their worried tone. “Can you stand the taste of British cuisine?” Although it is said that British cuisine has been improved and is not terrible nowadays, a strong prejudice against British cuisine still remains around the world, and Japan is not an exception.
Indeed, when I recall my diet in UK, there are several incidents which I cannot help thinking that the terrible reputation of the British dishes might be true. Here is one example. In the boarding school I have attended in UK, every student goes to dining hall as soon as they finish their morning class. One day, for some reasons, I went to the dining hall a bit later than usual and there was not much left for my lunch. And what I was served was, simply boiled pasta without any sauce or seasoning, as they told me they already run out of pasta sauce!! I believe you could understand that I could not have helped but thought that it might be true that some of British people care less about what they have for their meal.
For the sake of British cuisine’s honour, I have to say that it happened in school’s dining hall and even in Japan it is well-known fact that the quality of food in this kind of cafeteria can never be great. So probably I am being unfair if I criticize British cuisine only with my experience in school’s cafeteria, since normal restaurants in town in Britain are, of course, far way better than this. Now then, let’s see general factors and reasons why British cuisine has such a terrible reputation all over the world.
Why does British cuisine taste “bad”?
- Thin and bland taste of meal
The most common complaints on British cuisine is, “The taste is too thin/bland”. Although many people think it is just because cooks do not know how to prepare meals properly, of course it is not true. They intentionally avoid the complicated or elaborated way of cooking, in order to make the most of the original taste of ingredients, just the same as Japanese traditional way of cooking (Wasyoku). This method of cooking works wonderfully when the quality of ingredients is great, but it will be the worst way of preparing meals if the quality is bad, since this method largely depends on the taste of ingredients itself. When there was only poor and small-scale of trading, sometimes it was difficult to gain variety of high-quality vegetables due to its cloudy climates. However, since now we have such a huge trade system, many of British restaurants care much about what they use for ingredients, so we can expect that modern British cuisine is actually improving on this point!!
- Overcooked meat/vegetables
In Britain, there was one time that meat/vegetables were considered as unsafe if it was not cooked until it become soft. This idea was mainly spread among the working-class people, who did not have adequate sanitary devices. Although the sanitary system improved significantly, it is thought that the way of cooking remained as a “tradition”. However, on this matter, we can also expect improvement since the main cause and origin of this habit no more exist. (though probably not in my alma mater since pasta in the cafeteria was always overcooked and became sticky.)
- Religious factor
When we talk about the bad reputation of British cuisine, we cannot avoid to talk about its historical background. There was a time when the puritanism was supported by certain amount of people, and it is said that this puritanical belief prevented people to have luxurious dishes. They prefer to have modest meals, and this was one reason of why people in UK were not as much interested in the quality of meals as other countries people were. Since the skill and knowledge of cooking in many countries were developed by the great demands of better quality of dishes, this difference can be considered as a large factor of British cuisine’s disadvantage.
For decades, Brits have been enduring the never-ending jokes about how bad their food is. However, things have certainly been improving throughout the past century, and I’d like to debunk three stereotypes of British cuisine.
- They overcook or boil everything
This might have been the case in the Victorian ages, when sanitation wasn’t the best and people viewed health and style in a different way. However, since hygiene has improved, that is no longer the case. The vegetables are now steamed, or is cooked the slightest to keep is fresh; they are not as overcooked anymore.
- There is no decent place to dine
This may have been true 50 years ago, but it is no longer a valid arguing point. In fact, London is home to two of the world’s top 10 restaurants, according to The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. Just check some of the reviews before you enter a restaurant.
- The choices are limited
When you think of English food, you think fish and chips. Irish survive on potatoes and Scottish people eat only haggis.
This is obviously far from the truth. Britain has many more traditional foods such as their roasts, pies and puddings, but their food is also diverse. The boosting population of immigrants in England in the recent years have graced the country with great cuisine. You can find great Indian, Thai, Italian, Chinese, and Greek restaurants throughout the country.
It is also undeniable that over recent years, many TV chefs have had a positive influence on how people regard British food and cooking. Fanny Cradock did a lot of the remedial work. In the 80s, Keith Floyd inspired many people. Today, chefs such as Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver――who my American mother watches religiously―― and Nigella Lawson are popular all around the world. With the help of these popular celebrities, the bad reputation of British food is improving.
To sum up this post, I will list a few traditional British food that are actually delicious, based upon recommendations of friends and family who have the experience of living in the UK.
Cottage Pie
Beef Wellington
Sunday Roast
Fish and Chips
Trifle
Full English Breakfast
What is your image of British cuisine? Tell us about you good or bad experiences.