National english meals

NATIONAL ENGLISH MEALS
Through history, England has not had a good reputation for its food. This is not serving English cuisine well, because it’s actually wonderful. And the foods that England is most famous for, are the basis for many of the foods that people in the English diaspora all over the world eat to this day. English cuisine is the foundation of western diets all over the world. This culinary history can be felt all over the world. And tasted.
Traditional English food is well-known known for its simplicity of ingredients and flavours, and while much of England’s negative associations with food originates from the struggles the country faced post-World War II due to rationing, things are much different today. Thanks to a revival of English food culture and foreign influence, England has now become a global food superstar - home to some of the greatest chefs and restaurants in the world. While English food has become the lingua franca of food around the world, the world has come to England, with immigrants from throughout its empire bringing new dishes to Britain - such as Indian and Caribbean foods.
England is, of course, home to what is considered “classic” English cuisine, such as fish & chips, roasts, and afternoon tea, but it has also become a renowned epicentre for international food from India, China, Africa, and the Americas. This is largely because of British Imperialism during the 19th and 20th centuries when new foods were brought back from other countries, and then again by a wave of post-world War II immigration to England.
Read on for a British food history timeline to discover more about the incredible history and evolution of English food. From the origins of Britain’s most famous dishes to a breakdown of different types of food to recipes you can try at home, in this article you’ll discover everything you could want to know about English food and its interesting background. We also hope to show what an important role English food has played in its cultural exports.
Roman Era
While Britain was under the control of Rome, for nearly 400 years, its cuisine was positively European. Meat & fish was popular, as were grains imported from all over the Roman empire. Olive Oil was a staple and had to be brought in from overseas. Wine was also popular, beginning England’s interest in the titular grape. The Romans introduced wine and brought vines to the island with them so that it could be cultivated in Britannia. Food culture was shared closely with Gaul, across the English channel (and would later become French- you can see the beginning of the culinary rivalry already)