British Stuff Review: Yorkshire Pudding

I was very surprised to discover that in America, of all places, today is National Yorkshire Pudding Day.  Do people even eat Yorkshire pudding in America?  I never did!   My first introduction to Yorkshire pudding was at my first Sunday roast, so in my blog that makes it a British Stuff!

Yorkshire pudding, despite its name is not a pudding in the British (as in dessert) or American (as in creamy sweet goodness) sense, but rather a baked savoury bread-like dish often served with gravy poured inside the concave middle.  Not surprisingly, they get their name from their place of origin - Yorkshire.  Duh.

Traditional Yorkshire Pudding

Apparently, Yorkshire pudding was originally called Dripping Pudding and used as a first course filler for poorer people who could not afford much meat. (and now they are an excellent filler for vegetarians who do not want said meat!)   The original recipie called for the fat of the meat being served which was drained into the batter as the meat was cooked. The batter was then poured into a single baking tin and sliced to make individual servings.

"Modern" Individual Yorkshire Pudding

Most modern recipies list the fat drippings as optional and the batter is poured into muffin tins to make individual Yorkshire puddings that resemble mini bread bowls (which for the record have lower fat content, but are much less filling which defeats the original purpose of the dish as discussed earlier) and are served with the main meal, not as a starter.

Due to the fact that the modern version varies greatly from the original, there is some controversy (yes, people actually debate this stuff) regarding what constitues a real Yorkshire pudding.  The British Royal Society of Chemistry has declared, from a chemical point of view, that a Yorkshire pudding should have a minimum height of 4 inches.  They even issued a press release outlining their findings and disclosing the "perfect recipe".

I am sure you are wondering, "what is LadyLiberty's favourite kind of Yorkshire Pudding?"  Yorkshire tradionalists look away now, but I like good 'ol Aunt Bessie (aka frozen ones that require no baking, unless you consider heating up in the oven to be baking).

How to eat:  I dont eat meat, so I obviously do not eat the roast beef and gravy that often accompany Yorkshire pudding, but I do put horseradish on my  puddings and they are delicious!   If you are lucky enough to have some left over (which is rare indeed), spread some jam on them for midnight snack! Yum Yum.

British Stuff Rating:  4/5 Paddington Bears