Terry, I have never been to Britain, but my friends who have been there have told me the only meal worth eatin' is breakfast. They say the English breakfast is the best on the planet, but not most of the other stuff. I have had fish n' chips, of course. My first time with that was on a British military base in Singapore and it was served in newspapers and all that and was wonderful. My family on my mother's side was from Scotland, so I think they ate some strange stuff, and my father's family was Pennsylvania Dutch (German) and they really ate weird stuff--scrapple, pothaus (or something like that), blood pudding, pig's feet, head cheese...you know what I mean. My mother's family made something they called Scotch Ham. Nobody I have asked knows for sure what that is, and all my relatives who would know are long dead.
Good stuff, @Terry Page , but about that fish pie........... I ain't eatin' nuthin that is looking back at me.
As a "culinary specialist" I would be remiss if I didn't at least try a recipe that is classified as normal cuisine for a major culture. I say normal cuisine because there are some who go out of their way to gross people out in the name of gastronomy. So far as the British cuisine goes, the things I have tried are very good but for me it isn't the things that go into it but rather the things that are left out which keeps me from being a great lover of those recipes. My palate is more attuned to preparations which feature a good balance but a bold usage of spices and herbs which normally are not really apparent in the British foods. That said, the British cuisine is a veritable melting pot (no pun intended) of food preparations from all over the realm and to me are outstanding with the exception of the already aforementioned problem that I personally have with it.
I've never tried it but I do know the idea behind the fish head. Trout for instance, is best prepared with the head on. Directly in the center of the forehead is a small bulb filled with oil which when heated, bursts and infiltrates the rest of the fish with it's own particular taste. The same principle is applied to the pilchards in the stargazey recipe. When the whole pie is baked, whole fish included, the fats in the head and oil bulb go into the pie and give it an additional flavor. I'd actually like to try it someday but as with anything new, there are no guarantees I will like it........or not.
Yes @Don Alaska we are renowned for our English Breakfasts, which are on the menu in pretty much every country I have visited, I like the basic British foods such as Cottage/Shepherds Pie (lamb or beef with vegetables topped with mashed potatoes), plus of course the traditional Sunday Roast, which I hated as a child The most commonly eaten meal to the extent where it has often been classed as our National Dish, is "Chicken Tikka Masala" it's origin around 60 years ago is not clear, but it is reputed to have been created by a Bangladeshi family restaurant in Glasgow. We are fond of Indian food in general, in fact there are at least 15 Indian restaurants in Worcester, one only couple of hundred yards from my home. Chicken tikka masala is chicken tikka, chunks of chicken marinated in spices and yogurt, that is then baked in a tandoor oven, and served in a masala (spice mixture) sauce. A tomato and coriander sauce is common, but no recipe for chicken tikka masala is standard; a survey found that of 48 different recipes, the only common ingredient was chicken. The sauce usually includes tomatoes (frequently as purée), cream, coconut cream and spices. The sauce and chicken pieces may be coloured orange using foodstuffs such as turmeric, paprika, tomato purée Full English Breakfast Sunday Roast (served in most pubs these days as a buffet) Cottage/Shepherds Pies Chicken Tikka Masala (often served with Naan bread or rice) Pizzas are also very popular mainly as a takeaway/dial-in Yes @Patsy Faye and @Shirley Martin I don't fancy the Stargazy Pie either,
The only thing on the list that I've tried was Scotch Eggs. It must be the worst possible way to eat sausage and eggs.