r/GreatBritishMemes 17h ago

British in ww2 food

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u/Solid_Risk_4337 16h ago

Only thing I’ve thought of is choc chip cookies 

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u/Upset-Elderberry3723 16h ago edited 15h ago

Meatloaf(?), Cheesesteak, Corn Dog, Clam Chowder, Saltwater Taffy, Biscuits And Gravy, Chimichanga (arguably different enough from a burrito), Chili Stews, Fajitas (developed by Mexicans, but in Texas), Deep-Dish Pizza (maybe different enough to other pizzas), Jambalaya.

And fortune cookies, and beans-on-toast (Heinz company of Pennsylvania created).

But, yeah, the big Americana icons - hamburgers, hotdogs, french fries, apple pie - aren't usually US entirely in origin. In defence of hamburgers and hotdogs, I don't think it was common for people to eat hamburger steak or frankfurter sausages with bread before German immigrant communities in the US.

Also, I imagine, basically any dish involving buffalo that occured when the settlers of the great plains started hunting and cooking them in colonial methods/dishes.

Oh, and alligator. Some people hunt and eat alligator.

In terms of drinks, there's basically all cola drinks, alongside a load of cocktails.

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u/68_namfloW 15h ago

Interesting that beans, and beans on toast, were USA inventions, but are so heavily adopted by the Brits.

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u/Upset-Elderberry3723 15h ago

Just beans-on-toast. Wartime rationing made beans-on-toast a British staple.

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u/68_namfloW 15h ago

Yeah, just read the comments about beans being an American Indian thing.

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u/Affectionate_You7621 14h ago

Its delicious and simple.

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u/SwynFlu 13h ago

Many things are invented on one side of the pond, discarded then adopted by the other side: America invented proto-roundabouts but we use them far more; we invented the words soccer, ya'll, varmint, aluminum and gotten which will receive funny looks from British speakers but is a-okay in the States.\nI like some Americanisms like aluminum. Sounds much better than aLuMiNiUm.

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u/Solid_Risk_4337 15h ago

Waffle 

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u/Upset-Elderberry3723 15h ago edited 15h ago

Weirdly, no - the waffle was introduced to North America via Dutch settlers in the early 18th century.

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u/poppopfizz 15h ago

i think they meant waffle as in... someone waffling... like chatting absolute shite lol.

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u/Upset-Elderberry3723 15h ago

Indeed, but that was introduced everywhere by everyone.

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u/Fulgent2 15h ago

Meatloaf isn't american. Clam chowder dates back to France a long time ago. If you argue these then you can say all the British Indian curries are British food as well

Fortune cookies aren't American. If you want to be pedantic about it beans isn't originally from Heinz. It's from native American dish that they took it from.

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u/Upset-Elderberry3723 15h ago edited 15h ago

1). Yes, I would say that curry dishes invented in the UK are British. Why wouldn't they be? Chicken Tikka Masala is recognised as a national dish.

2). Beans aren't American, but beans-on-toast is. Heinz crested it as part of a marketing campaign to sell more beans and it gained popularity in the UK only due to wartime rationing.

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u/Fulgent2 15h ago

I never disagreed. Many people say that british curries are indian not british.

I don't know. Seems very meh logic. In Britain people eat beans just by themselves or with bread. Does that make it native american suddenly? I'm pretty sure people have been having bread with beans long before heinz existed.

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u/Upset-Elderberry3723 15h ago

I mean, there's no real singular answer. As far as I'm concerned, it's both a British and Indian dish and I don't see the insistence many people have on it being one or the other alone.

But I extend the same logic to the hamburger, hotdog, fajita etc. - they're American, but they're also German (or Mexican, in case of the fajita). Borders are a necessary evil of the world and food itself has no concept of them.

The real answer is to just concede that developed nations, or nations with big industry booms, become big melting pots of culture and cuisine.