It is true that England is not reputed for its cuisine. Perhaps it is significant that there is no real equivalent for the expression bon appétit in English (waiters only say “enjoy your meal”). However, there are different specialties in England such as the famous English breakfast (with baked beans, sausages and bacon), the puddings (served with custard) and cheese cake.
I have been an au pair for 8 months, and I had to cook every day either with cookbooks or recipes that my mother made up herself. Most of the time, I had to use Jamie Oliver's cookbooks or Annabel Karmel's new Complete Baby and Toddler Meal Planner, since there was 6 month old baby and a 2 year old girl in the family, I noticed that most the English families own several cookbooks written by famous chefs like Deliah Smith and cooking was really important to them.
The reason why I have chosen this subject is mainly based on the fact that when I cooked dessert with the family, using my own French cookbooks, I could not always find the exact English translation for the ingredients or the verbs used in recipes. What's more, I could not understand what “oz” meant. I thought it could be interesting for me to discover English recipes since British cooking has a dreadful reputation in France, some dishes are quite good and you finally get used to the typical lunchtime sandwich.
[...] The French translation is incorporer. Glazing: A glaze is applied to the surface of pastries and bread before they are baked to give them a glossy finish. The glaze may consist of a mixture of sugar and water, egg whites or sometimes even milk. This corresponds to the French word glaçage. Mash: To crush food, usually after cooking it, so that it forms a soft mass. ‘Mashed potatoes' corresponds to the French purée de pomme de terres. Mix: To combine two or more ingredients, using any method that blends them together evenly. [...]
[...] Then, I will give the translation of some French and English dishes and of some ingredients for which French words are used in English and vice versa. I. The syntax and vocabulary in recipes 1. The tense used in recipes The verbs used in recipes are almost always in the infinitive form. The imperative, in French is centered on the directive act to order; it incites make'. This written type is realized in an exemplary way in recipes. In the English language, in the field of injunction, there is a tendency of using the imperative, whereas French refers to the notion by using the infinitive. [...]
[...] This corresponds to the recipe of the French pain perdu, which avoid to waste stale bread. After dipping the bread in the mixture, it is cooked in both sides in a pan. Omelettes (or omelets) have been a part of French cuisine for hundreds of years. This dish is made by mixing together eggs and frying it. You often find it with small pieces of other food. The place of the omelette today in a French meal is not as a breakfast dish like in England, but as an entrée. [...]
[...] A cake recipe may call for a moule à manqué (literally, mold for a failed cake), which is actually a simple cake pan The measurements The way of measuring ingredients is different in France and England. The most important difference you may encounter is whether dry ingredients are measured by weight (e.g. ounces, pounds, grams, kilograms) or by volume (e.g. tablespoons, cups, milliliters, liters). For small volumetric quantities, the French use equivalents of the teaspoon and tablespoon . A cuillère à café is essentially equivalent to an English teaspoon and is equal to 5 ml. [...]
[...] Over the years, the English language has borrowed a great number of words and expressions from French. Some of this vocabulary has been so completely absorbed by English that speakers might not realize its origins. Moreover, France had its renaissance earlier than England and was a wealthier country than England for many centuries, so England borrowed many words and phrases for cooking, fashion, and the arts from France. Familiarity with a dish will eventually motivate lexicographers to add a dictionary entry. [...]
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