Yorkshire pudding: Encyclopedia - Yorkshire pudding

Yorkshire pudding

Yorkshire pudding is an English savoury dish similar to popovers made from batter. It is most often served with roast beef, but may be eaten with sausages or other dishes, or on its own. Gravy is considered an essential accompaniment by many. It may have originated in Yorkshire, but is popular across the whole country.

Yorkshire pudding is cooked by pouring batter into a greased baking tin, and baking at a very high heat until it has risen. Traditionally, it is cooked in a large tin underneath a roasting joint of meat, in order to catch the juices that drip down, and then cut appropriately, although individual round puddings (baked in bun trays) are increasingly prevalent. 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's juices that are left behind.

The Yorkshire pudding is a staple of the British Sunday dinner, and in some cases is eaten as a separate course prior to the main meat dish. This custom could have arisen in poorer times, to provide a filling portion before the more expensive meat course.

When baked with sausages (within the batter), it 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. It can also be eaten as a sweet dish, with jam or golden syrup.

Categories: British cuisine | Puddings

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Yorkshire pudding", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki