Sunday roast facts for kids
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| Course | Dinner |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Main ingredients | Roasted Meat |
A Sunday roast is a super popular meal in Britain and Ireland. People usually eat it on Sunday. It's a big, yummy meal with roasted meat, roast potatoes, and lots of other tasty things.
Some common extras include Yorkshire pudding, stuffing, and gravy. You might also get sauces like apple sauce, mint sauce, or redcurrant jelly. Many different vegetables can be part of a Sunday roast. These include broccoli, Brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, parsnips, or peas. These veggies can be boiled, steamed, or roasted with the meat and potatoes.
The Sunday roast is so important in British culture that in a 2012 poll, it was voted the second most loved thing about Britain! People also call this meal Sunday lunch, Sunday dinner, roast dinner, or a full roast. It's a bit like a smaller version of a traditional Christmas dinner. This meal is also popular in other English-speaking countries. These include Australia, Canada, South Africa, the United States, and New Zealand.
Contents
Why Do People Eat Sunday Roasts?
How the Sunday Roast Started
The Sunday Roast began in the British Isles. It was a meal eaten after church on Sunday. Eating a large meal after church is common in many parts of Europe. However, the Sunday Roast became special in Britain and Ireland.
In the past, people had different rules about what they could eat. For example, many Christians did not eat meat on Fridays. Instead, they ate fish. This is why 'fish Fridays' are still common in fish and chip shops today.
Also, some people would not eat much before Sunday church services. This was a type of fast. After church, they would have a big meal to break their fast. The Sunday roast was a way to celebrate the end of not eating meat.
Two Ideas About Its History
There are two main ideas about how the modern Sunday Roast began:
- In the late 1700s, during the Industrial Revolution, families would put meat in the oven before going to church. They would add vegetables like potatoes and parsnips. When they came home, dinner was almost ready! The juices from the meat and vegetables were used to make gravy.
- Another idea is that the Sunday Roast goes back to medieval times. Back then, village serfs worked for their lord six days a week. On Sunday, after church, they would gather in a field. They would practice their battle skills. As a reward, they would get a huge feast of oxen roasted on a spit.
What's in a Sunday Roast?
The Meat
The most common meats for a Sunday roast are chicken, lamb, pork, or roast beef. Sometimes, depending on the season, people might use duck, goose, gammon, turkey, or other game birds.
The Vegetables
Sunday Roasts come with many different vegetables. These can be boiled, steamed, or roasted. The vegetables change with the seasons and where you are in the country. But you will almost always find roast potatoes. These are cooked in meat drippings or vegetable oil.
You'll also get gravy. This is made from the juices of the roasting meat. Sometimes, cooks add stock cubes or corn flour to make it thicker. Some people cook the potatoes right around the meat. This lets them soak up all the juices and fat. However, many cooks prefer to cook the potatoes and Yorkshire pudding in a hotter oven. They take the meat out first to rest in a warm spot.
Other vegetables often served include mashed swede or turnips, roast parsnips, boiled or steamed cabbage, broccoli, green beans, and boiled carrots and peas. Sometimes, you might even see dishes like cauliflower cheese or stewed red cabbage.
The Extras
Here are some common traditional extras for your roast:
- For roast beef: You'll usually have Yorkshire pudding and suet pudding. Sauces include English mustard or horseradish sauce. Roast beef with Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes, vegetables, and horseradish sauce is even called the national dish of England!
- For pork: Look for crackling (crispy skin) and sage-and-onion stuffing. You might also get apple sauce or English mustard.
- For lamb: Mint sauce or jelly or redcurrant jelly are common.
- For chicken: You might find pigs in blankets (small sausages wrapped in bacon), other sausages, stuffing, bread sauce, apple sauce, cranberry sauce, or redcurrant jelly.
What to Do with Leftovers
Leftover food from a Sunday Roast is often used to make meals for other days. For example, leftover meat can be used in sandwiches. Roast beef might be chopped up with leftover potatoes and onion. Then it's fried to make a dish called roast beef hash. Lamb can be used to make the filling for a shepherd's pie. Vegetables might be used to make bubble and squeak or, in Scotland, a dish called stovies.
Sunday Roasts in Pubs and Restaurants
In the UK, many pubs that serve food have a special Sunday menu. This menu almost always features a Sunday roast. You can usually choose from different types of meat.
See also
In Spanish: Sunday roast para niños
