National Cuisine of an English-speaking Country

12. National cuisine of an English-speaking country

1. Let’s talk about national cuisine of an English-speaking country. What do people eat in Britain?

I’d like to tell some words about British food. Traditionally English people have three meals a day: breakfast, lunch and dinner. Breakfast is served in the morning. It used to be a large meal with cereal, eggs and bacon, sausages, tomatoes. But such a large breakfast takes a long time to prepare and is not very healthy. Nowadays,Britain’s most popular breakfast consists of cereal, toast with marmalade, juice and yogurt with a cup of tea or coffee. Lunch is a light meal. Most people have no time to go back home for lunch so they eat at school, cafes, pubs or restaurants. The main meal is dinner, which is usually between 6 and7 p.m.A typical evening meal is a meat dish with vegetables and dessert. The most important meal of the week is the Sunday dinner, which is usually eaten at1 p.m.The traditional Sunday dish used to be roast beef, but nowadays pork, chicken or lamb are more common. On Sunday evenings people have supper or high tea. The famous British afternoon tea is becoming rare, except at weekends.

Some people criticize English food. They say it’s unimaginable, boring, tasteless, it’s chips with everything and totally overcooked vegetables. If you ask foreigners to name some typically English dishes, they will probably say “Fish and chips” then stop. It is disappointing, but true that, there is no tradition inEnglandof eating in restaurants, because the food doesn’t lend itself to such preparation. English cooking is found at home. So it is difficult to find a good English restaurant with reasonable prices. In most cities inBritainyou’ll find Indian, Chinese, French and Italian restaurants. InLondonyou’ll also find Indonesian, Mexican, Greek… Cynics will say that this is because English have no “cuisine” themselves, but this is not quite the true.

2. Do you know many recipes?

Yes, of course. I love cooking, so my kitchen is filled with every cooking gadget: measuring cups, spoons, baking whisks. I myself can prepare and cook many dishes. We have got a lot of cookery books at home. Sometimes I take recipes from these books. My mum helps me with useful advice too. Best of all I like to make pancakes. It is not a difficult dish to prepare and it doesn’t take you much time. You can serve pancakes with sour cream, jam and caviar.

3. What questions can you ask a British teenager about their national cuisine?

-Is British cuisine very popular in the world?

-What is the traditional dish for Christmas table?

What is Yorkshire pudding made from?

What are British typical dishes?

4. My friend wants to know more about national cuisines. Which national dishes would you recommend him to taste?

Classic Yorkshire pudding

This dish is not usually eaten as a dessert like other puddings but instead as part of the main course or at a starter. Yorkshire pudding, made from flour, eggs and milk, is a sort of batter baked in the oven and usually moistened with gravy.

The traditional way to eat a Yorkshire pudding is to have a large, flat one filled with gravy and vegetables as a starter of the meal. Then when the meal is over, any unused puddings should be served with jam or ice-cream as a dessert.

5. Scientists say that fast food is unhealthy but teenagers can’t stop eating it. What do you think about it?

Obviously, a diet of junk food is not the best thing for your health. In today’s fast moving world, people have less and less time to spend eating, let alone cooking. It’s probably for this reason that junk food has become so popular. Teenagers should know that people who prefer burgers and chips, crisps and hot dogs tend to become overweight. Besides, fast food is high in saturated fat. This type of fat is associated with a greater risk of cancer. Nevertheless, healthy eating habits do not mean giving up all your favourite food; it is all about choosing food wisely and preparing meals in a healthier way. The best advice for those who cannot live without hamburgers and chocolate bars, is to limit the amount of junk food they eat. A little now and then will probably do no harm.