The worst food in the world?

' THE WORST FOOD IN THE WORLD? '

Where does UK food come from?

MIND MAP

THE ARTICLE

The worst food in the world? Where could it be? Is it in the USA, China or Great Britain? The result of The Titanic Awards survey is that 25.1 percent of voters think Britain is the winner. However we will find out if this statement is true or false. Moreover we will look in-depth on the influences of British food. On the mind map above, you can see that there are many components which relate to Great Britain’s food culture. I would like to start with some stereotypes.

What comes to your mind when you think of British food? You probably imagine fish and chips, a typical English breakfast, Yorkshire pudding and cottage pie. These are some stereotypes, but what is traditional British food? According to an article in The Telegraph, traditional dishes such as toad in the hole and spotted dick could disappear by 2021. The tendency to foreign cuisine is increasing. New research shows that Britons seldom cook dishes like steak and kidney pie or jam roly-poly from scratch any more. It is far more likely to cook curries and pasta meals from recipes.

With this knowledge, we can move on to the next topic: British Empire. If you click here you will find a video about its rise and fall. On the mind map, you can see there are four subtopics listed: Ethnic groups, Anglo-Indians, Tea and Religion. We will start with a short introduction to the British Empire. This is important to understand why there is such a great variety of food in the UK today.

At the beginning of the British Empire in the early 16th century British ships brought new food, ideas and influences to the island. Trading goods were imported from North America, later on from the Caribbean Isles. From Virginia, the first British colony, they got tobacco, hemp and raw resources such as fish, especially salt cod. The Caribbean supplied Britain with sugar, often in its liquid form called molasses and also with Rum, rice and coffee. With the invasion of African areas the British started establishing the well known triangle trade. It consisted of three journeys: The first step was carrying manufactured goods from Europe to Africa. Then, they loaded their ships with enslaved Africans, and carried on to the Caribbean (West Indies) and America. From there they returned to their home port in Europe. The ships were filled with sugar, coffee, rum, rice as well as other goods.

However the British Empire did not end with the triangular trade. In the 1770s the British pushed forward and put their focus on India, Asia and the Pacific, growing larger than ever. The East India Company, an early English joint-stock company, was founded to trade mainly spices, rice, herbs and tea, but also cotton, silk and opium.

It is for sure that without these influences, British cuisine today would not be the same. Imagine Britain without a Chicken tikka masala (a curry dish of roasted chicken chunks served in a rich-tasting orange-colored sauce). According to a survey in the United Kingdom, this curry is the country’s most popular restaurant dish. It is unknown where the Chicken tikka masala originates from but there are various theories. An expert on street food declared that this curry originated in Punjab. Another view is that it comes from the first Indian restaurant in Soho, London.

Fact is that British food is extremely multicultural not only because of the British colonies but also because the British Isles have been inhabited by a great variety of peoples and cultures. “The Country had been host to Celts, Romans Vikings, Saxons and Angles. Immigration in the beginning of the 19th century brought French, Russian, Italian, Polish and Jewish communities. Since the end of World War II Britain has seen settlers from the West Indies, Pakistan, China, the Middle East, Nigeria, Somalia, Turkey and Cyprus.”

This leads to Minority Ethnic Groups in the UK. Indians are the largest minority group followed by Pakistanis, Black Caribbean, Black Africans, and those of mixed ethnic backgrounds. All these cultures and religions influenced British food and formed it with their different food traditions to what it is today. “Today, curries, noodles and bagels are as much a part of Britain’s food habits as roast beef and Yorkshire pudding.”

To understand British food culture it is important to know where the food actually comes from. This is another point on the mind map which includes also food miles and UK’s food waste. Potatoes for instance are imported from Israel that means they travel 3540 kilometers before arriving in Britain’s kitchen. They were first introduced to British Cuisine when Columbus brought them over from the island of Saint Thomas in the Caribbean. Tomatoes were not grown in the UK until 1590. Some believe it was also Columbus who brought them to Britain, but there is no evidence for this theory. Nowadays, tomatoes grow in our garden but that is not enough to supply Britain’s population, for this reason two thirds of the tomatoes come from Saudi Arabia. They have to travel 5000 kilometers to reach the UK. Shocking is the percentage of fruit import which is 90 percent. Another astonishing fact is that New Zealand counts to the greatest lamb exporters, that means lamb travels to the UK more than 18.800 kilometers. If you click here you can watch a video about food miles and waste.

Great Britain imports over 40 percent of its food. In 1997 its self-sufficiency in food production was 75 percent, now 13 years later it is 60 percent. Knowing this, the UK has to find ways of cutting the amount of food that is wasted and making the food industry more sustainable. Data show that Britons are more and more buying fair-trade groceries, organic food and sustainably farmed products. That means the attitude towards food is changing as well as the eating habits which is positive and leads us to the next topic: Nutrition.

Nowadays we are surrounded by expressions concerning food such as: Junk food, whole food, comfort food, natural food, organic food, slow food, fast food, GM food, food additives and convenience food. To discuss each one in this article would go beyond the scope of this article. As you might have already noticed this topic is extremely broad therefore people have written several books about it. Below you find a rough overview:

Slow food is an international movement founded by Carlo Petrini in 1986. The movement encourages regional cuisine, local farmers and stands for the opposite of fast food.

Fast food on the other hand has the reputation to be unhealthy, which is true and false. Burgers, French fries, fried chicken and pizzas are fat, low in fibre as well as nutrients, and high in salt. However there are healthier fast food options. Just order a salad instead of french fries, sparkling water instead of a coke and perhaps a wrap instead of a burger.

“The term GM foods (Genetically-modified foods) refer to crop plants created for human or animal consumption using the latest molecular biology techniques. These plants have been modified in the laboratory to enhance increased resistance to herbicides or improved nutritional content.”

“In Europe, anti-GM food protestors have been especially active. In the last few years Europe has experienced two major foods scares: bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, mad cow disease) in Great Britain and dioxin-tainted foods originating from Belgium. These food scares have undermined consumer confidence about the European food supply, and citizens are disinclined to trust government information about GM foods. In response to the public outcry, Europe now requires mandatory food labeling of GM foods in stores.”

Changing attitude towards food growing, food import, and health are essential to improve the quality of life. Food consciousness has also changed in a positive way through the Nouvelle Cuisine in the 1980s. Famous chefs like Gary Rhodes or Antony Worrall Thompson made “bangers and mash” trendy. Jamie Oliver, Britain’s most famous TV chef has also raised a new cooking awareness. Another chef worth mentioning is Gordon Ramsay, a Scottish chef, TV star and restaurateur. He is known for presenting TV shows about competitive cookery and food. Not to forget Heston Blumenthal’s, “The Fat Duck” who wins with his restaurant (three Michelin stars) every year several awards. He is famous for experimenting with the molecular compounds of dishes.

To sum up, great variety is not only found in food but also in the diversity of restaurants. To give an example, in London you can find from African to Vietnamese restaurants almost everything you desire.

In contrast to this great variety you will not have a choice what you are eating if you are a student at British schools. Chocolates, crisps, fizzy drinks, “low-quality” meat, and chips are what you get in most schools. On the one hand, you will find schools which offer the same innutritious, unhealthy junk food each week. On the other hand, there are schools which have their own garden where they grow vegetables and serve a healthy, seasonal and organic meal. If you are interested in what children have to say about healthy school food click here to watch a video.

The organization “School food trust” emphasizes the importance of school meals as well as the education of food, diets and nutrition. Another project is the School Council Network developed by the Food Standards Agency, an independent Government department protecting the public’s health and consumer interests in relation to food. The Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) is a Government Department in the UK which makes policy and legislation. All these organizations have one thing in common, they all form food politics which are political aspects of production, control, regulation, inspection and distribution of food. The politics can be affected by the ethical, cultural, medical and environmental disputes concerning proper farming, agricultural and retailing methods and regulations.

Until now we haven’t spoken about the “other” British cuisine. Not mentioning the Scottish, Welsh and Irish cuisine would be a great mistake.

Scotland offers some fine products including Aberdeen Angus beef, smoked salmon, grouse, and Whisky but the Scots are also known for haggis, shortbread and deep fried Mars bars. The national dish of Scotland is Haggis, a sheep’s stomach stuffed with sheep’s intestine and oatmeal. It is served with Tatties (mashed potatoes) and Neeps (turnip or swede). Another traditional Scottish dish is Bridie or Forfar Bridie, a type of meat pastry or pie. Like England, food in Scotland today is an eclectic mix of many cultures: English, Italian, Indian and Chinese. However, the Scots hold on tightly to their culinary heritage still using local, seasonal food.

Sheep farming is extensive in Wales, that’s why lamb is the meat traditionally associated with Welsh cooking, particularly in dishes such as roast lamb with fresh mint sauce. Welsh cuisine often includes seafood, especially close to the coast, where fishing culture is strong and fisheries are common. An example of eatable seaweed is Laverbread, made from lavern. The vegetable leek, because of its role as the country's national vegetable, is also used frequently in Welsh cuisine.

Ireland is famous for stews as well as bacon and cabbage. Boxty, a type of potato pancake is another traditional dish. Particularly Dublin is known for a dish called coddle, which involves boiled pork sausages, rashers (thinly sliced bacon), potatoes and onions.

In conclusion, we can say that the British cuisine is multicultural for many reasons. The variety is incredible and the connections you can find concerning food are amazing. Is British food now the worst food in the world? Why has Britain’s cuisine such a bad reputation? Can you really only eat overcooked, unsalted vegetables, meat and sauce in Great Britain?

Referring to the bad reputation, some think it’s the heritage of the Second World War when food was rationed. There was short supply of spices and herbs for this reason they got called “bland”. “It has continued to carry that stigma until the early eighties. In contrast, England has in fact been called the ethnic dining capital of the world.”

Others believe the perception comes from the fact that Britons don’t often cook or eat with the family around a kitchen table. They prefer to dine in front of the TV, on couches with trays that hold their meals.

Anyhow, I think bad reputations will always exist but for me England does not have the worst food in the world. Sometimes you just have to look beyond the rim of your teacup, past fish and chips, you will be surprised what good tasting and great food can be found.