In addition to traditional foods of ancient origins, such as bread and cheese, meat roasted or stewed, meat pies and game, freshwater fish or saltwater, are therefore also very popular foods such as potato, tomato and chili from Americas, spices and curry from India and from Bangladesh and fried dishes based on Chinese cuisine and that Thai. Even recipes from French and Italian, once considered alien, are now much admired and imitated. Britain has also adopted quickly the novelty of fast food from the United States and continues to absorb ideas from all over the culinary world.
Dishes of the Industrial Age
The industrial revolution that began in Britain in the eighteenth century is responsible for the very poor reputation of British dishes. Unlike the populations of most other countries, starting from mid-nineteenth century the majority of the British population worked in factories lived in cities and poor housing. The new working classes had lost contact with the earth and with the standard of cuisine that was subsequently dropped.
At home the food was, in fact, frequently reduced to "meat and two vegetables", perhaps with stews and soups. The rationing of most food during the Second World War (and even for a few years later) has not helped improve the situation, but has increased the nutritional standards of the population at levels never previously achieved. The movements after the war, tourism abroad and immigration in the United Kingdom have led to an absorbing influences from the colonies (e.g. India) and Europe, particularly France and Italy. The books by Elizabeth David introduced many new recipes and ingredients from the Mediterranean Sea. The influence Italo-American is now ubiquitous and pasta and pizza are a significant contribution to many diets. The Berni Inn have introduced customer British cocktail shrimp and steak, chips and peas, while the Wimpy Bar did the same with the burgers.
These trends are illustrated by the ubiquitous spaghetti alla Bolognese (known colloquially as Spanish or Spanish Bol Bog), which are a common dish familiar to many British at least since the Sixties. More recently there has been a massive growth in the popularity of dishes such as chicken Tikka Masala and chicken with lemon, respectively dishes of Indian origin and Chinese, although modified according to British tastes. Indeed, the chicken Tikka Masala was prepared for the first time in Britain rather than in India. The British curry, essentially a legacy of the times of the British (and subsequently developed by immigrants) is much more piquant and spicy variety of traditional northern India, although the Indians of southern provinces find it insipid. The introduction of post-war refrigeration, in parallel with the growth of supermarket led the availability of ready for the oven foods, often cooked in a microwave oven, have now replaced the "meat and two vegetables" menu in many homes. Consequently, college students living away from home for the first time unable to afford ready-made food (which tend to be rather expensive), can often be seen with a copy of a cookbook as a basis for beginners (usually a book of Delia Smith), which includes some recipes with eggs.
Take Away
The advent of the industrial revolution coincided with the birth of food in "take-away" form as the "fish and chips" (fried fish served with fries), the mashed peas, and the cake stuffed with beef accompanied by mashed potatoes. These were considered the dishes typical of take-away in the UK for many years, despite the emergence and spread of take-away food mostly from certain ethnic influence of foreign cuisines, such as Indian food and Chinese cuisine. In the eighties, in the Birmingham born a new variant of curry, "balti", which then rapidly spreads to other parts of the country. In urban areas also become very popular kebab shops and chains of American style with sales of fried chicken, perfect for a "snack" for late at night.
Modern Kitchen
The growing popularity of famous chefs on television led to the increasing attention to good food, so in recent decades, modern British cuisine has attempted to free from the fish and chips. The best restaurants in London can now compete with any other locale in the world, both in terms of quality and price, and this trend is spreading elsewhere in the country. There are even some chefs who struggle to support the greatness of classical rustic British cuisine, such as Fergus Henderson of St.. John Restaurant in London.
It should also be noted that the number of restaurants has grown considerably in the face of renewed interest in the quality of food, probably determined by the growing possibility of traveling abroad at very cheap prices. Even organic products are becoming increasingly popular, especially after the crisis in agriculture such as that caused by the spread of mad cow disease.
