Every country and region in the world has its own unique delicacies. While these local dishes have been around for centuries and seem perfectly normal to the people who live there, tourists might be a bit taken aback at them. However, were they to give these uniquely British dishes a chance, they might find a new favorite food. From the sweet to the savory, whether breakfast, lunch, or dinner, these are some of the more interesting and distinctive foods that the United Kingdom has to offer. So instead of turning up your nose, take your fork and dive into these dishes.
1. Toad in the Hole
A dish with a more disgusting name that masks its deliciousness, the Toad in the Hole is actually a group of sausages baked in Yorkshire pudding batter. The name is meant to evoke an image of toads submerged in mud, and there is some debate about whether it originates from the game of tossing disks or whether the dish used actual toads when times were tough. More than likely, it comes from the 1600s when the dish was invented at a time that meat was roasted over batter puddings and the fat would drip into the batter, creating holes, while sometimes the poorer cuts of meat (or toadies) were cut off and allowed to fall into the batter.
2. Stargazy Pie
This one is slightly more unappealing to look at, but certainly no less delicious. This Cornish dish involves baked sardines in a pie, filled with eggs and potatoes, and covered with a pastry crust. Then, using the remaining sardines’ heads, the pie is decorated. The reason for leaving the heads in is to permit the oils from the fish to seep back into the pie. It was created to celebrate the festival of Tom Bawcock’s Eve, which recognizes the efforts of Mousehole resident Tom Bawcock to ease a famine on the village through relentless fishing. The name comes from the appearance of the fish heads, as if they are staring at the stars.
3. Black Pudding
Not like any kind of pudding you’ve had before, I’ll wager. Black pudding is another name for a blood sausage and is made from a combination of congealed pig’s blood, oatmeal, and that all-purpose ingredient—lard. Some recipes also include seasonings such as pepper, onion, salt, and cloves. It is a particular delicacy of the Black Country, West Midlands, and North West England, and Lancashire has a variation where it is boiled and served with malt vinegar. I found the texture a little dry and grainy for my taste, but you may feel different. It’s definitely a “love it or hate it” dish.
4. Spotted Dick
All right, stop with the sniggering! It is actually a pudding made from a sheet of suet pastry filled with either raisins or currants, then rolled up into its traditional circular shape. Its first recorded appearance was in chef Alex Soyer’s “The Modern Housewife” in 1849, and it is believed that “dick” was simply a term used for pudding in the 19th Century, while the “spotted” part should be fairly obvious.
5. Haggis
This traditional Scottish dish gets more of a bad rap for how it’s made than anything else. This pudding is created by taking the heart, liver, and lungs of a sheep (also called the pluck), mincing them, and adding in onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, stock and salt before cooking it in the sheep’s own stomach. The first written recipes appeared around 1430 in Lancashire. So famed as a dish that it has had poetry written about it, including one piece by Robert Burns, in whose honor haggis is traditionally served on Burns Night. It is also the subject of a game called “haggis hurling”, but if you’d rather eat it instead, it is traditionally served with mashed turnips and mashed potatoes (neeps and tatties) and the recommended beverage is whiskey.
What’s your favorite? Let us know in the comments!
Anglotopia was founded by Jonathan and Jackie Thomas in 2007 in a closet in Chicago. Anglotopia is for people who love Britain - whether it's British TV, Culture, History or Travel - we cover it all. Join us as we explore Britain and everything it has to offer!
Most of these dishes require a considerable amount of whiskey before consuming!! I have had them all, The Black pudding was not bad!! even when sober !!!!
I live in Massachusetts and grew up eating black pudding. I absolutely love it!
Black pudding is also essential to a Full Fry Up, also known as a Full English Breakfast. A delicious variation in Scotland is to use haggis in lieu of the black pud. A Full Scottish Breakfast. And thinking of it: Damn! I wish I was in Scotland right now.
Sorry WHY include HAGGIS thats for Scots we have many many ENGLISH dishes you have not included but I love TOAD IN THE HOLE!
Why shouldn’t they have done that? It’s five British dishes, not five English dishes!
Huge fan of black pudding!! No Full English is complete without it!!
I come from a town called Nelson in Lancashire, which is only a few miles from Bury ~ world famous home of the black pudding. However the best black pudding I ever tasted came from a butchers shop in Glasgow. Sorry Bury ……. it was superb.
If your black pudding was dry and grainy it was probablly a cheap cartering version. Good black pudding is moist although the top and bottom should be a little crisp from the frying. That’s the way I have it, anyway 🙂
I love haggis with a bit of Balvennie (single malt) drizzled over it
Black pudding ,they cant make it here ,like in Yorkshire U>K raw or fried yummy
toad in t’hole. bladdy lovely
I just tried haggis for the first time last Friday at the Scottish Arms in St. Louis. It was lovely! Especially with the housemade orange whiskey sauce to accompany it. It was part of a sampler platter that also had smoked salmon, bridies with HP, and Scotch eggs. I had it all with Wee Heavy Scottish ale…YUM!
Out of the few dishes -my favourite would be toad in the hole -enjoyed that and spotted dick as a child growing up in Chalfont-St-Giles-Buckinghamshire !!
Where’s me battered sausages then?
The posting date says 12 November, but I am 99% certain I’ve seen this exact article before, pics included.
You may have. We used it on our sister site Anglotees when there was a related shirt. We just republished it here since there are more readers here.
toad in the hole is superb black pudding fabulous and haggis is to die for
I’ve only eaten toad in the hole and spotted dick (school dinners) and I know many people love black pudding. The other two though are not consumed regularly by the majority of people.
Haggis is wonderful when mixed with lots of tatties or neeps. That’s how I prefer it, at least. I tried eating it straight but couldn’t when the taste reminded me too much of catfood (as in the smell of, and that shouldn’t surprise anyone who knows what goes into a haggis). Toad in the Hole is delicious. I’ve never had spotted dick but I want to. Is the Heinz canned stuff any good?
Black puddings appear all over western Europe (French ‘Boudin Noir) but the British version benefits from the oatmeal to make it firm when cooked. Sold already boiled and best when sliced and fried. Best I ever had was a giant one in Stockport that sliced into burger size disks and came in a bun with a fried egg and bacon.
I once came across a haggis smuggler in Canada who ran illegal haggis (hagisses, haggae?) across he border into the USA for Burns Night celebrants. Where I live in France I can only get tinned haggis unless some kindly soul brings some proper ones over with them and the local black puddings are too squidgy (except for the rare tinned ones).
I am still working on an acceptable translation for Toad in the Hole into French. ‘Savoury batter pudding with sausages’ loses the magic.
Americans seem to have a problem with my devilled kidneys or liver and onions or anything based upon the tasty wobbly bits. But then I have a problem with French Andouillettes which are sausages which appear composed of intestines stuffed into intestines until the biggest one is full with a distinctive aroma so who am I to comment?