Four historic districts – England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. At the head of the state with representative functions is Queen Elizabeth II. Real governance is in the hands of a two-chamber parliament – the House of Lords and the House of Commons.
Colonizing America puts Britain at the crossroads between Europe and the New World. In fact, capitalism is born right there. Until the mid-19th century, it was called the “factory of the world” – it accounted for about 40% of the world’s total industrial output. Today, it is part of the G7 – the seven most developed economies in the world, along with Germany, Italy, Canada, the United States, France and Japan, which together account for about 65% of the world’s GDP. Britain had the largest navy in the world and was the largest colonial empire in the world in the mid-nineteenth century, competing with countries such as France, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain and Portugal. After the Norman invasion in 1066, virtually no foreign invaders entered the country, despite the fact that Britain had been involved in many military conflicts.
The UK is known for its respect for traditions. There is still traffic going to the left. Even part of the European Union does not accept the euro as its currency, and now we are expecting Brexit. It was not until 1995 that global measures of length, weight and volume were adopted in the country. Before that, they use their own – yards, miles, pounds and gallons. Not that they have completely given up now, they have simply accepted the others. 🙂
The British believe that “Whoever rules commerce will rule the seas, who rules the seas will rule the world.” Before World War II, the territory owned by Britain was 34.6 million square kilometers, with 18.8 being dominions. The British colonies, dominions and key bases of Gibraltar, Malta, Suez, Cyprus, Hong Kong, Singapore and others across the globe give them reason to claim that the sun never sets over the British Empire. After the war, the empire collapsed and the British Community was formed, with 49 countries currently members. She is currently headed by Queen Elizabeth II, but this is not by default. It is selected by all Member States. There is speculation that if / when Charles becomes King of England this could change, as he is far from as popular as his mother. The history of this country is very exciting and rich, with many colorful participants, many victories, many scandals, great kings and queens.Will be need 10 posts to be told about them. That is why I stop and come to my word about culinary traditions.
If we start chronologically with breakfast it is known all over the world like English breakfast – eggs, bacon, sausages, mushrooms, tomatoes, tea and marmalade toast. For lunch you can take your bagel with beef. It became popular in East London in the late 1800’s. Nowadays, London’s Brick Lane Bejgel Bake is particularly famous, which is open 24 hours and the price of this sandwich is just under £ 3. You can also eat the famous pork pie. It is served cold and is a popular food in the summer. Having said summer, I think of a popular joke on the Island – When was summer this year? May on Wednesday. 🙂 Another particularly popular dish is fish with chips. The potatoes are crispy and the fish is usually cod or haddock. Meat has a serious place in English cuisine. English Beefsteak and English Beef Roast Beef are known around the world. The roasted meat is flavored with different sauces (Worcester, Cuberland, Tabasco, Ketchup, etc.) to give it a distinctive taste. A traditional English recipe is a mutton leg with French grape jelly. Poultry and wild birds (mainly turkeys and ducks) also play an important role in English cuisine. Freshwater and marine fish are most often cooked or grilled and served with white, mushroom or tomato sauce. Oysters in English cuisine are renowned for their high quality. Salted muffins with cheese or sausages also enjoy a solid presence on the British menu.
In Britain, beer is drunk. About 70% of the drinks consumed in the pubs are beer. It was produced in these lands even before the arrival of the ancient Romans. Some of the breweries are still preserved. Another particularly popular drink is Scotch whiskey, which is legally required to stay at least three years in barrels in Scotland in order to be called Scottish. A favorite drink for the English is the sider, which is made from fermented apples. But undoubtedly the beverage championship holds tea. Britons are known around the world for their tea. The most famous is the tea drinking at five o’clock in the afternoon – five o ‘clock tea. The British drink one hundred and sixty-five million cups of tea each year. 😮 The English way of drinking tea is impossible without self-presentation and spectators. The ability to serve the table nicely and pour the tea so that it does not pour a drop outside the glasses is a must, as well as the ability to have a casual conversation. In its classic form, the English way of drinking tea is even a little pretentious. The center of the ceremony is not the people, but the house where the tea is served. Preheat an empty kettle, then pour tea into it in the proportion of one teaspoon of tea per glass of water plus one teaspoon for the kettle. Pour in boiling water and leave for five minutes. In warm glasses pour warm but not hot milk – two or three tablespoons, and then pour tea into the milk. Ideal for the English tea ceremony are the ancient teapot, thick books of the last century, white tablecloth and plaid blanket for the teapot, as well as ginger kisses. English tea comes with various types of cupcakes, rolls and biscuits, which are served in beautiful bowls and served to individual guests with a pinch. My choice of cake for the UK was largely influenced by the sweets suitable for afternoon tea.
I’m going to make Battenberg cake. It is said to have been first created in 1884 for the wedding of Queen Victoria’s granddaughter with Prince Louis Battenberg. According to the original recipe, the cake should be pink and yellow, and between the cakes should be apricot jam. I chose a slightly different recipe – cake Batenberg with roses and pistachios. Here are the products you need:
For the base:
40 grams of pistachio
175 grams of softened butter
175 grams of sugar
3 eggs
175 grams of cupcake flour
1/2 teaspoon rose water or vanilla
pink paint for sweets
For bonding and decoration:
5 tbsp of roses jam
450 grams of almond marzipan
a little crushed pistachio
dried roses
Steps of preparation:
Beat the butter with the sugar until fluffy. With a hand mixer it takes about 7-8 minutes. Then add the eggs one at a time and beat after each until homogeneous. Finally, add the flour and mix gently with a stirrer.
Prepare the baking tray by covering it with baking paper or greasing it with oil and sprinkle with flour. Turn the oven on to 160 degrees. If you have a special tray for Battenberg cake this is good, but if you don’t have one like it, you’ll have to make it yourself. Make a makeshift barrier of several layers of aluminum foil and put baking paper on top.
Divide the mixture exactly into two. In one part pour the ground pistachio, which should be almost porridge. Stir well. Put rose water or vanilla and pink pastry paint in the other. Shake it to obtain a homogeneous color. Pour each of the mixes into its rectangle on the tray. Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until ready.
Remove the base from the oven and allow it to cool slightly in the pan for about 5 minutes. Then carefully remove the two halves and allow them to cool completely on the grate.
Cut two strips of each piece exactly the same size. Glue them with the help of the rose jam. You can use whatever jam you have.
Roll out a rectangle from almond marzipan on a surface who is sprinkled with powdered sugar. Wrap the adhered cakes with it and cut out the excess. Finally, sprinkle with the pistachio and dried roses.
It is a juicy and delicious addition to your tea or coffee. It is neither difficult nor time consuming. It’s even fun. Like a constructor game. 🙂 I liked this simple but elegant dessert from the UK. I haven’t been there, but when I go I’ll try it for sure.
Next destination – Venezuela.
