A Taste of London (Hufnagel)
By Kelly Hufnagel.
As my time here in London has quickly been going by, I have been trying to put myself in new situations and try new things that I either haven’t or won’t have the opportunity to when back home. Namely, trying new foods. At home, I am known as the picky one among both friends and family, but London has helped me branch out in so many different ways, with food being a big one. While England might not have the greatest reputation for its food, being here has proven that they actually have amazing diversity with their food, which comes with the diversity of cultures and races in London. I have come to learn that British cuisine present in London is made up of the multicultural population that resides here and is not only rich in flavor, but also in history. Since being here I have tried various types of Mexican and Indian/Bangladeshi food that have shaped many parts of London and of course, many of the traditional English meals as well.
It was a given that I had to try the classics like Sunday roast and fish and chips during my stay here, despite me not being a fan of fish. The first one we went to try was the fish and chips which I was pretty hesitant about but ultimately decided I would regret it if I came back from living in London and hadn’t tried their traditional fish and chips from the renowned restaurant, Poppies. Thankfully, the meal lived up to its reputation and I can admit that I enjoyed it. The next traditional British meal I had was the Sunday roast which I was probably most excited for. When my meal came I was greeted with a large serving filled with roast, many types of vegetables, gravy, and Yorkshire pudding. And the “Yorkshire” in front of the pudding is extremely important I’ve realized, as it is nothing like the traditional pudding I would see in the States, but rather a savory type of pastry. Again, the Sunday roast had been labeled a must-try for a reason.
After successfully indulging in two major English meals, it made me curious about why they were so popular and how they got to be so cherished by all in England (other than them being delicious). Turns out, the two meals are actually kind of connected. Dating back to medieval times, it was traditional for people to fast before Sunday services and many Catholics and Anglicans refrained from eating meat on Fridays, the Sunday roast became accepted as the dish to have in celebration of being able to eat meat again. On those Fridays, many people turned to fish to eat which became known as ‘fish Fridays’ which I have learned is still a common tradition in many restaurants throughout England. One of the most interesting things I got out of it though was that the fish and chips were brought to Britain by immigrants, refugees of Jewish descent from Spain and Portugal, and French refugees. It’s cool that something so beloved came from people of immigrant backgrounds which just goes to show how much of an impact they have had on the evolution of England in so many different aspects. Overall, my experience here in terms of the cuisine exceeded my expectations and my appreciation for the people and the history of the traditional and cultural meals has grown.
