Hello ladies and gents this is the Viking telling you that today we are talking about
Facts You Probably Didn’t Know About Yorkshire Pudding
The Yorkshire pudding – which is essentially a savoury pancake – is the pride of the north. Served up as an essential accompaniment to that most British of meals, the Sunday roast, it’s quintessentially British – even when it’s been bastardised by London street food vendors who serve it oversized, wrapped around a meat and veg filling. However which way you enjoy it though, there’s probably plenty you still don’t know about the humble Yorkshire pudding.
There used to be an annual Yorkshire pudding race
Dreamt up by Simon Thackray of The Shed back in 1999, each year used to see the delightfully kooky Yorkshire Pudding Boat Race competitors take to the waters of North Yorkshire. Brave participants would load themselves into their pudding boat and off they’d float. And, yes, each boat was really made of just flour, water and eggs!
Hot fat is the secret to a great Yorkshire pudding
Most people’s relationship with Yorkshire puddings doesn’t go further than a bag of frozen Aunt Bessie’s, but if you want to try your hand at making a Yorkshire pudding a northerner would be proud of, the secret lies in the oil. Before spooning in your batter, the tins must be oiled and placed in the oven beforehand—you want to see a sizzle as the batter drops! Another hotly debated ‘tip’ is whether the batter should be refrigerated overnight too, but we’ll leave that decision down to you.
We officially celebrate Yorkshire puddings twice a year
Such is the place of the humble pud in British food culture, we celebrate them twice annually. The British Yorkshire Pudding Day, which is only a decade old, falls on the first Sunday of February, while the National Yorkshire Pudding Day (also celebrated in the USA) is on October 13th.
They weren’t always served with savoury accompaniments
We mentioned above that a Yorkshire pudding basically uses the same ingredients as a pancake, or crêpe: eggs, flour and milk. It makes sense then that leftover puddings (is there such a thing?!) used to be eaten with a swipe of jam or glob of syrup for afters. Some places intent on ‘reinventing’ the classic pud to this day may even try and convince you that it should be enjoyed sweet. Each to their own!
Earliest mention of the Yorkshire pudding was in the 1700s
While Doctor Who supposedly laid claim to the invention of the Yorkshire pudding on a recent episode, the truth is that the first recorded recipes seem to date back to the 18th century. One that’s often talked about is that by Hannah Glasse in The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy from 1747, while some sources put the pudding at 10 years prior in a book called The Whole Duty of a Woman. Then there’s Mrs. Beeton, who only got in on the pudding act in 1866!
And as always have a chilled day from the Viking
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