Yorkshire pudding

Mini Yorkshire puddings, served as part of a traditional Sunday roast.

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.

History

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":^[1]

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.

Similar instructions were published in America eight years later by Hannah Glasse under the title of 'Yorkshire pudding'.^[2]

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.^[3]

Cooking method

Yorkshire pudding is cooked by pouring a thin batter made from flour, eggs, 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.

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.

Variations

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.

The pudding can also be eaten as a sweet dish, with jam, golden syrup, lemon juice or sugar.

See also

• Clafoutis
• Dutch baby pancake
• Popover

References

External links

Wikibooks Cookbook has a recipe/module on Yorkshire Pudding

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Yorkshire pudding