Speak the culture britain be fluent in b 300

7.1.1 The changing culture of British food Top nosh Of late, Britain has consistently been voted third in the world league tables of fine dining The San Pellegrino World’s Best Restaurants list named six British establishments in their 2008 top 50 Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck restaurant in Berkshire was voted second best in the world for the third year running Past his sell-by date Former French President Jacques Chirac joked in 2005 that English food was the second worst in Europe (he gave Finland top spot) “You can’t trust people who cook as badly as that,” he reportedly added Many in France still refer to British people as ‘le rosbif’ Big day for brown stuff A recent poll found Worcestershire sauce to be the British foodstuff with the greatest global impact The brown, runny, fishy, vinegarbased delicacy, produced by Lea and Perrins in the same Worcester factory for a hundred years, isn’t really British at all – Lord Sandys, Governor of Bengal, brought the recipe home to England from India in the early 19th century All hail the gastro revolution My how the tables have turned British cuisine, mocked for so long by foreigners, now ranks among the best on Earth The last 20 years have transformed the way Brits see their food Restaurant-goers spend more, are more demanding and more appreciative; aware that their options extend beyond meat and two overcooked veg The fusion of traditional British food with foreign influences, from Indian to French, Thai to Italian, has been central to its renaissance But let’s not get carried away Granted, Britain has some of the best restaurants in the world, people are more knowledgeable about cuisine and food has become a key part of national culture, but have attitudes really changed that much? Can we say that British people live and breathe food like the Italians or the French? Do they construct their days around lengthy mealtimes? In truth, probably not Not yet Great moments in British food 1586 Francis Drake brings the humble potato back from the Americas 1762 John Montagu invents the sandwich 1847 Joseph Fry mixes cocoa butter and cocoa powder and comes up with the chocolate bar 1861 Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management is published Boil your cabbage for 45 minutes she urged 1890 Frenchman Auguste Escoffier arrives to cook at the Savoy Hotel and introduces the ‘brigade de cuisine’ system, a structure still used in all the top restaurants today 1950 Elizabeth David writes A Book of Mediterranean Food, introducing olive oil, garlic and other treats to the British diet 1954 14 years of food rationing comes to an end 1967 The Roux brothers open Le Gavroche; it became Britain’s first Michelin three-starred restaurant in 1982 2007 Clare Smyth becomes the first (and only) female chef in Britain to run a restaurant with three Michelin stars (Gordon Ramsay at Royal Hospital Road) 290 Identity: the foundations of British culture Literature and philosophy Art, architecture and design Performing arts Cinema, photography and fashion Media and communications Food and drink Living culture: the state of modern Britain