question
To all you fine british b3tans out there...

Vampyrecat and I were having a discussion this afternoon about Britain in general. In particular, British food. You have some interesting concoctions (eg... what exactly is a scotch egg?) and so the question was posed....

Excluding curry (because that's not yours, despite what British tourists often think), what is Britain's national dish?
Official and unofficial
(Holy Gabrielle is Holy, Fri 30 Jan 2009, 4:36, 29 replies, latest was 16 years ago)

Fish & chips.
Cheap fish fillet, usually cod, battered and deep fried, with soggy chips, salt and vinegar. Wrapped in paper and served with either mushy peas, curry sauce or tartare sauce.

Friday and Saturday night, any good chippy is constantly busy.

This is b3ta, so I'm sure someone'll disagree with me :)
( Noeli overtheshoulderboulderholderthingstraplatchboobs, Fri 30 Jan 2009, 6:03, Reply)

Let's see
Roast beef & Yorkshire pud, Roast tatties, veg, thick dripping gravy ........ I'll stop as I'm salivating.

Scotch eggs are the work of the devil. Filthy, nasty egg encased in sausage meat & then coated in egg washed bread crumbs I think. It's as if Lucifer himself chose to shit out a savoury snack.
(SpunkyMcSpunkbubble Diddled your nubbin on, Fri 30 Jan 2009, 6:52, Reply)

That's sunday dinner, McSpunk.
I realise now I mentioned England's national dish. I know Wales has Welsh Rarebit (read: cheese on toast)... what about Scotland and Northern Ireland?
( Noeli overtheshoulderboulderholderthingstraplatchboobs, Fri 30 Jan 2009, 6:59, Reply)

That would be
deep fried mars bars, and a punch in the mouth.
( The Light in Chains don't touch the Pope's boner, Fri 30 Jan 2009, 7:38, Reply)

I'll add
that Chicken Tikka Masala, Britain's favourite curry, was invented in Glasgow, Scotland.
( Noeli overtheshoulderboulderholderthingstraplatchboobs, Fri 30 Jan 2009, 7:51, Reply)

^that
and Balti started in Birmingham.
(oneinthepink is at your cervix m'lady, Fri 30 Jan 2009, 8:41, Reply)

Well I'll pitch in
With Haggis, neeps and tatties for Scotland. With neeps being swede for those who don't know.

We also have oatcakes up here, and good old black pudding.
(PenguinOfDeath is Scottish, and most likely angry, Fri 30 Jan 2009, 8:48, Reply)

...and Vindaloo was invented by Fat Les

(tiger blood and Adonis DNA, Fri 30 Jan 2009, 8:51, Reply)

Na-naaa, na-naaa, na-naaa-na-naaa na-na-naaaaaah!

( Noeli overtheshoulderboulderholderthingstraplatchboobs, Fri 30 Jan 2009, 8:53, Reply)

Don't you na-na-nah me!
They did!
(tiger blood and Adonis DNA, Fri 30 Jan 2009, 9:04, Reply)

My first thought
Was F&C, or curry of sorts, but its not is it.

Its sandwiches. I'm willing to bet that more people eat a sandwich in a week than curry/f&c.
( I have run out of coke is a little sweaty, Fri 30 Jan 2009, 9:09, Reply)

This ^^^^
Was it really invented by the Earl of Sandwich? I can't be bothered to find out myself, but someone will probably check and correct me.

Especially if I make it a fact.

So. Sandwiches, first invented by the Earl of Sandwich in Sixteenblahdeyblah. FACT!
(Bazongaloid, Fri 30 Jan 2009, 9:19, Reply)

al appears to be broken this morning
somebody fix him!
(tiger blood and Adonis DNA, Fri 30 Jan 2009, 9:22, Reply)

umm
doesn't neep mean turnip?
(Halfy By light alone, Fri 30 Jan 2009, 9:22, Reply)

Toad in the hole, bubble and squeak, steak and ale pie,
theres loads of them
(The Oscillating Gibbon is eating curried squid, Fri 30 Jan 2009, 9:34, Reply)

I'd go with Roast Beef
I heard an interesting (to me) thing about this recently. The French call us Les Rosbifs - this is often explained as a derogatory term - as in, 'that's all zey bloody eat compared with our cuisine magnifique'. Apparently this is nonsense - in the Tudor/Elizabethan era the court cooks were so skilled in roasting meat the French used to come over here to learn how to replicate it.

*Gallic shrug*

As for Scotch Eggs - if you make your own they're great. My brother tells of a mythical scotch egg he saw where the sausagemeat part was replaced by black pudding: magic!

My mother used to make cheese eggs - scotch eggs with an extra layer of deep fried cheese. I'm having chest pains just thinking about them but they tasted FACKIN LAVVLY.

Message ends
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Fri 30 Jan 2009, 9:39, Reply)

Ah...
Steak and ale pie is fantastic.

I guess I could put "Full English" into the mix.

Bacon, sausages, black pudding, mushrooms, fried bread, poached egg, beans and NO fried tomato.
( Cawl, Fri 30 Jan 2009, 9:44, Reply)

Like Australians...
...Britain's national cuisine borrows heavily from the cultures that have contributed to it's gene pool.

British cuisine traditionally is typically northern European - root vegetables, pulses and meat with little in the way of herbs and spices. Anything else is largely imported.

I disagree with you about curry... What we have here is an Anglicised version of what the Indians eat. We gave them a system of government and railways, they gave us the gift of the curry. A fair swap I think.

Scotch eggs? A boiled egg rolled in breadcrumbs notable for it's flatulence inducing properties.
(Bicycle Repairman "you're also a bit of a wanker", Fri 30 Jan 2009, 10:01, Reply)

Sadly...
It is a skinful of Stella Artois with an optional kebab.
(Tugnut Ex of this parish, Fri 30 Jan 2009, 10:01, Reply)

I've always been planning to make scotch onions
roasted shallots, wrapped in sausage meat.

mmmm
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Fri 30 Jan 2009, 10:12, Reply)

ahem
www.handmadescotcheggs.co.uk/
(Halfy By light alone, Fri 30 Jan 2009, 10:19, Reply)

I'd say Toad in the Hole
Or a simple baked potato-type thing.

However, speaking of scotch eggs: try making one with a duck's egg, and haggis-meat instead of sausage meat. Fackin' STUNNING. And more scottish.
(The Empress it seems you CAN polish a turd!, Fri 30 Jan 2009, 10:28, Reply)

Vipros
Add cheese to that and I'll start work on the marketing.
( Noeli overtheshoulderboulderholderthingstraplatchboobs, Fri 30 Jan 2009, 10:31, Reply)

@Empress
The thought of your dulcet voice saying "Faaaakin" in Essex-ese is filling me with mirth this morning!

I like your idea though. A Scottish, Scotch Egg.
(Bicycle Repairman "you're also a bit of a wanker", Fri 30 Jan 2009, 10:36, Reply)

This all sounds very normal
A "traditional" New Zealand dish would probably be a hangi - basically you bury a whole lot of hot rocks with some food for a few hours then eat. Or, huhu grubs etc. Not many people eat our "traditional" dishes.. Although hangi meat is pretty nice.
(Holy Gabrielle is Holy, Fri 30 Jan 2009, 10:54, Reply)

Halfy
I see they do one called a 'Monty'.


*reaches for credit card*
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Fri 30 Jan 2009, 10:54, Reply)

PJM
yes, my pronunciation would probably differ from the way it's written: it would probably come out as "jolly" or "spiffing" or something.
(The Empress it seems you CAN polish a turd!, Fri 30 Jan 2009, 11:20, Reply)

Monty
the black watch is what you mentioned above

Black Watch

This now infamous recipe has more fans than just about any other, rich creamy black pudding with just a little free-range SADDLEBACK pork creating not only a sensational flavour but also when cut open a stunning look.
(Halfy By light alone, Fri 30 Jan 2009, 11:22, Reply)

Halfee
Magnificent! I'm rather excited about all this Scotch Eggery.

PJM - are you seriously saying that traditional British food has little in the way of herbs and spices?

If you look at Elizabethan cookbooks etc you'll see herbs particularly in almost every savoury dish, and spices were relied on to a large extent, due to frequently dodgy meat, I suspect. The importance of spices (from the East) in Western cooking - and the associated need to protect the trade routes - have indirectly had a large impact on the modern world.
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Fri 30 Jan 2009, 11:37, Reply)