Interesting facts. The Christmas pudding known today began life as Christmas porridge called Frumenty, a dish made of wheat or corn boiled up in milk. As time went on, other ingredients, such as dried plums or prunes, eggs, and lumps of meat were added to make it more interesting. When cooked, it was poured into a dish. This pudding was called Plum Pudding. The name ‘Plum Pudding’ continued to be used even when people used raisins, currants, and sultanas instead of prunes.
The British are renowned for their love of tea, but the world’s biggest tea drinkers are the Irish, who drink 1,184 cups per person each year. The British drink just 1,025, making them the fifth biggest consumers behind the Turks (1,056), the Kuwaitis (1,069) and the Libyans (1,074).
Curry is now Britain’s most popular meal. It became popular among the English living in India during the days of the British Empire. The word ‘curry’ comes from kari, meaning ‘sauce’, and grew out of a need to preserve meat in a hot climate.
I. True or False? Write True if you agree, or False if you don’t.
1. Nowadays a typical English breakfast is usually a bowl of cereals, a slice of toast, orange juice and a cup of coffee
2. The main meal is usually eaten between 6:30 and 8:00 p.m.
3. Yorkshire pudding is usually eaten as a dessert like other puddings
4. Most Britons like their tea strong and dark with a lot of milk
5. Cheddar, a hard cheese with a strong, nutty taste, is considered the most popular in Britain
II. Find the right answer. Write a, b or c.
1. In England, they usually have meals a day.
a) three
b) four
c) five
2. The traditional English breakfast is called .
a) the Full English
b) the Whole English
c) Standard English
3. The traditional 6 o’clock tea is known as .
a) Afternoon Tea
b) High Tea
c) Black Tea
4. The first tea imported into Britain in the 16th century was .
a) green
b) black
c) loose
5. Sandwiches were invented in England in 1762 and were named after .
a) the town Sandwich in the south of England
b) John Montagu, the Earl of Sandwich
c) sandy beaches of Miami
6. If someone asks if you would ‘like a cuppa’, they are asking if you would like .
a) a cup of Coca Cola
b) a cup of tea
c) a cup of coffee
7. A sandwich, a packet of crisps, a piece of fruit and a drink usually taken by children to school is called .
a) a ‘packed lunch’
b) a ‘package lunch’
c) a ‘school lunch’
8. is England’s traditional take-away food.
a) Fish and chips
b) Roast beef
c) Big Mac
9. Cider, a popular English alcoholic drink, is made from .
a) grapes
b) apples
c) plums
10. Mild, bitter, lager, stout, ale, porter are different varieties of .
a) tea
b) wine
c) beer
