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Yorkshire pudding is a dish that originated in
Yorkshire, England, and has attained wide popularity. It is made from batter and
most often served with roast beef, chicken, or any meal in which there is
gravy. |
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Left: Mini Yorkshire puddings, served
as part of a traditional
Sunday roast. |
When wheat flour began to come into common use for making
cakes and puddings, cooks in the north of England devised a means of making use
of the fat that dropped into the dripping pan to cook a batter pudding while the
meat roasted. In 1737 a recipe for 'A dripping pudding' was published in "The
Whole Duty of a Woman":
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Make a good batter as for pancakes; put in a hot
toss-pan over the fire with a bit of butter to fry the bottom a little
then put the pan and butter under a shoulder of mutton, instead of a
dripping pan, keeping frequently shaking it by the handle and it will be
light and savoury, and fit to take up when your mutton is enough; then
turn it in a dish and serve it hot. |
The Yorkshire pudding is a staple of the British Sunday lunch
and in some cases is eaten as a separate course prior to the main meat dish.
This was the traditional method of eating the pudding and is still common in
parts of Yorkshire today. Because the rich gravy from the roast meat drippings
was used up with the first course, the main meat and vegetable course was often
served with a parsley or white sauce.
It is often claimed that the purpose of the dish was to provide a cheap way to
fill the diners - the Yorkshire pudding being much cheaper than the other
constituents of the meal - thus stretching a lesser amount of the more expensive
ingredients as the Yorkshire pudding was traditionally served first.
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Yorkshire pudding is cooked by pouring a thin batter made
from flour, eggs, butter, milk and seasoning into a preheated greased baking tin
containing very hot fat or oil and baking at very high heat until it has risen
and browned. It is then served in slices or quarters, depending on the size of
the tray in which it was cooked. |
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Left: Try our own
Yorkshire
pudding recipe. |
In recent years, it has become more popular to cook them in
batches in bun tins (baked in muffin trays or baking tins like Popovers), making
individual mini puddings.
Traditionally, Yorkshire pudding is cooked in a large tin underneath a roasting
joint of meat in order to catch the dripping fat and then cut appropriately.
Yorkshire pudding may also be made in the same pan as the meat, after the meat
has been cooked and moved to a serving platter, which also takes advantage of
the meat fat that is left behind.
When baked with sausages (within the batter), the dish is known as
toad in the hole.
In pub cuisine, Yorkshire puddings may be offered with a multitude of fillings,
with the pudding acting as a bowl.
