The British Isles Historic Society Heritage, History, Traditions & Customs 02-21b February Supplement Editors Comments: The Foods of the British Isles: The purposes of the first two British Isles British cuisine is the heritage of cooking Historic Society newsletters in February are an effort traditions and practices associated with the United to introduce those with a British Isles heritage but Kingdom of Great Britain and North Ireland. The have never had the pleasure to travel to the British British Isles includes both United Kingdom and the Isles the fantastic variety of deli dishes that have Republic of North Ireland (EIRE) for the purposes of made the individual customs and traditions of discovering Island deli dishes. The individual cultures England, North Ireland, Scotland, Wales, The Isle of and traditions of England, Scotland, Wales, Isle of Man, Cornwall and the Republic of Ireland so unique Man, Cornwall, Northern Ireland and the Republic of and distinctive. Ireland are diverse and have varying degrees of Canada has no distinct foods that they can overlap and distinctiveness. claim Canadian. Many of the American dishes are Well-known traditional British Isle dishes revisions of the original British Isles dishes by British include full breakfast, fish and chips, the Christmas chefs with U.S. ingredients. dinner, the Sunday roast, steak and kidney pie, Dining out in Canada consists of Chinese food, shepherd's pie, and bangers and mash. British Isles hamburgers, pizza, or some other fast food chain’s cuisine has many regional varieties within the menu. I personally would like to see the Irish, English broader categories of British Isles. Each has and Scottish pubs and restaurants carry more menu developed its own regional or local dishes, many of items from the British Isles. which are geographically indicated foods such as Cornish pasties, the Yorkshire pudding, Dublin As a challenge for 2021, I invite all readers to Coddle, Cumberland sausage, Arbroath smokie, try at least one dish from each of the countries in the Ayrshire Bacon and Welsh cakes. British Isles at least once per month? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_cuisine Brews of the British Isles bitter but sessional and mild flavour. Brewing in Britain was Scottish Ales:Scottish -style ales vary probably well established when depending on strength and flavor, but in general the Romans arrived in 54 BC. retain a malt-forward character with some degree of English beer styles include bitter, caramel-like malt flavors and a soft and chewy mild, brown ale and old ale. Stout, mouthfeel. Some examples feature a light smoked porter, and India Pale Ale were also originally peat flavor. Hops do not play a huge role in this style. brewed in London. Lager style beer has increased Irish Red Ale: It originated with the considerably in popularity since the mid 20th Smithwick Brewery in the town of Kilkenny, century. in 1710, and was pretty similar to an English Lager: Made with bottom fermenting yeast Pale Ale, the only difference is having a bit of that has a lower tolerance to alcohol, lagers can roasted barley added to the grist. This type taste light and a little malty. of malt gave the beer a darker, red color and added a toasty, dry flavor, making it very which encompass India Pale Ales (IPAs), smooth and highly drinkable. numerous styles of beer, get their characteristics largely from hops and herbal, citrus or fruity flavors. Mary Pack They can be bitter and contain high alcohol levels, Arthritis campaigner though the final product depends on the variety of b. Oct. 9, 1904, hops used. Ampthill, England; English pale ale are malty, medium-bodied d. May 11, 1992, and easy to drink. British Brown Ale, British Golden Vancouver. The "angel of mobility" devoted her life Ale to arthritis and rheumatism care and research. A teacher of physically handicapped children for the Stout beer: A dark beer, the flavor of stouts Vancouver School Board. In 1945, dismayed by lack depends on where they come from. Sweet stouts of services, she started the B.C. Spastic Society which largely originate from Ireland and England and are led to the B.C. Division of the Canadian Arthritis and known for their low bitterness. In fact, Ireland’s Rheumatism Society (January 1948) of which she Guinness brand produces was executive secretary. Received Queen's some of the world’s most Coronation Medal (1953), Post No. 2 Native Sons of recognizable stout beer. B.C. Good Citizen Award (1956), Order of Canada, Porter: Traditional LL.D (UBC, 1974). In 1990, the Mary Pack-Arthritis porters, which can trace their roots to the United Society Chair in Rheumatology was established at Kingdom, are dark in color like stouts due to UBC. common ingredients like chocolate or other Editors Note: I have had the great privilege of the dark-roasted malts. Porters tend to taste less like use of the many services offered by the Mary Pack coffee than stouts, with more of a chocolatey feel. Arthritis Program. I suggest strongly that if you have English Bitters:A bitter is an English or arthritis, have your doctor recommend the Mary British style pale ale which is popular for it’s slightly Pack Clinic. http://mpap.vch.ca/ Yorkshire Relish. An Ernest Willows English Piquant Sauce based on pioneering aviator. 'The pureed pickled fruits rather than Father of British Airships' the taste of Worcestershire sauce Born: 11 July 1886 Cardiff, or Harvey's or the spiced vinegar of Wales, Died: 3 August the equally Yorkshire Hendersons 1926 (aged 40), Kempston, Bedford, Relish. Yorkshire Relish was the England. Ernest Willows constructed highest-selling bottled sauce in the a number of airships, the naming of Victorian era. It was advertised as “the most which probably didn’t take up too delicious sauce in the world” by Goodall, Backhouse much of his time. Willows 1, powered by a & Co. Robert Goodall (1831-1870) was born in motorbike engine, was constructed in his workshop Market Weighton, Yorkshire. Produced in both a in East Moors Cardiff in 1905 when he was just 19 liquid and a thickened version, most famously by years old. Goodall, Blackhouse and Co, in Leeds in the 1830's, In 1910, in Willows 2, he succeeded in flying it and now, as 'Goodalls of Ireland' at Tallagh ouside to the city centre and landing near the City Hall Dublin, where they still manufacture both versions. netting him a £50 prize for the first aerial voyage in During the 1840s. Goodall's supplied tiny Wales. Buoyed by his success and now with a bit of 4 1/2" saucers in the popular 'Willow Pattern' style publicity behind him, he did the same three days with advertising slogans, presumably intended to sit later, this time in front of a crowd of 40,000. under your bottle of YR and collect any drips. Yorkshire Relish is now relatively rare in England, but His next notable achievement was to fly from has a continuing popularity in Ireland where it is pro- Cardiff to London in Willows 3 and become the first duced under the 'YR' brand by Robert Roberts. person to fly an airship over the Bristol Channel, something he could hardly avoid doing as it was on the way. Channel hopping became all the rage and in November 1910 he was the first person to fly an airship from London to Paris and the first to fly an airship over the The Pontarddulais Male Choir is a Welsh English Channel at night male voice choir from Pontarddulais near Swansea, https://roathlocalhistorysociety.org/2019/04/26/ernest-willows- Wales. It is the most successful choir in Wales and is airship-pioneer/ internationally renowned having performed in many Pateley Fritters, Puddings and parts of Europe as well as Canada. Pontardulais Sweet Deserts, Yorkshire: (no known Male Choir was established in 1960, under the recipe) Batter of white wheat flour, leadership of the late Noel Davies MBE. It was borne milk, lard and yeast. Allowed to froth and chopped out of the Pontarddulais Youth Choir which had apple, peel, dried fruit and sweet spices mixed in. become too old for youth competitions. Under Tablespoons of the batter fried in dripping, sprinkled Noel's leadership the choir won a record 11 firsts at with sugar, eaten hot. the Royal National Eisteddfod of Wales, Wedgewood China: 1770s: British Isles Bacon Jasperware developed by Josiah vs Canadian Grocery Store Bacon Wedgwood. Josiah Wedgwood FRS (12 July 1730 Burslem, Staffordshire, The most obvious difference England – 3 January 1795 Etruria, is the shape and fat content of the Staffordshire, England (age 64) was bacon. Canadian bacon comes in an English potter, entrepreneur, and abolitionist. He thin strips with streaks of fat Canadian Streaky Bacon founded the Wedgwood company. He developed running along them. British / Irish bacon “Rashers” is improved pottery bodies by a long process of leaner, with a border of fat along one systematic experimentation, and was the leader in edge, and comes in a rounder shape. the industrialisation of the manufacture of European pottery. The difference in Irish Rashers British / Irish Rashers shape is due to the fact that each Canadian Back Bacon style of bacon comes from The English bacon tradition dates back to the different cuts of pork. Canadian bacon comes from Saxon era in the 1st millennium AD, bacon (or pork belly, which is a much fattier cut of meat. bacoun as it was spelt then) was a Middle English British / Irish bacon, on the other hand, comes from (11th/14th Century, High/Late Middle Ages) term the loin which is a much leaner cut. In fact, U.K.