0:00:02 > 0:00:06We believe that Britain has the best food in the world.
0:00:07 > 0:00:11'Our glorious country boasts some fantastic ingredients.'
0:00:11 > 0:00:14Stop eating it, will you?
0:00:14 > 0:00:16'It's home to amazing producers.'
0:00:16 > 0:00:19My goodness gracious, that is epic, isn't it?
0:00:21 > 0:00:23'And innovative chefs.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26'But our islands also have a fascinating food history.'
0:00:26 > 0:00:31The fish and chip shops of South Wales
0:00:31 > 0:00:33are running out of chips.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35Yes!
0:00:35 > 0:00:37'And in this series,
0:00:37 > 0:00:41'we're uncovering revealing stories of our rich culinary past.'
0:00:41 > 0:00:45Now there is food history on a plate.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48'As well as meeting our nation's food heroes who are keeping
0:00:48 > 0:00:50'this heritage alive!'
0:00:50 > 0:00:53Let's have them enjoying themselves. It's a short life.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56Let's make it a happy one like they always have had.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59'And of course we'll be cooking up a load of dishes that reveal
0:00:59 > 0:01:01'our foody evolution.'
0:01:03 > 0:01:06Spring, summer, autumn or winter, it's brilliant.
0:01:07 > 0:01:11BOTH: Quite simply, the best of British!
0:01:24 > 0:01:28Us Brits have always had a taste for adventure
0:01:28 > 0:01:31and an appetite for the unknown.
0:01:31 > 0:01:33HE IMITATES MONKEY
0:01:36 > 0:01:39Especially when it comes to unfamiliar ingredients
0:01:39 > 0:01:41and cuisines from around the globe.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44We've always had a taste for the exotic, from the Christian
0:01:44 > 0:01:48crusaders whose bounty included more pepper than gold.
0:01:48 > 0:01:52From the Georgian aristocrats who spent a small fortune
0:01:52 > 0:01:56cultivating tropical pineapple in our temperate climate.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00And, as a nation, we've always been up for challenging our taste buds
0:02:00 > 0:02:03and broadening our culinary horizons.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05And it's that spirit of adventure
0:02:05 > 0:02:08that we're celebrating in today's show.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11Do you reckon we got away with that, Kingy?
0:02:11 > 0:02:15Aye, it's amazing what they can do with computers these days.
0:02:17 > 0:02:21In today's show we're taking a jaunt through the most expensive,
0:02:21 > 0:02:23the most luxurious,
0:02:23 > 0:02:25the most exotic food around!
0:02:29 > 0:02:32We're going to discover how show-off food took our ancestors
0:02:32 > 0:02:36across the globe, opening up a whole new world of flavour.
0:02:37 > 0:02:41And bringing home exotic dishes that have become everyday eating.
0:02:44 > 0:02:46Viva exotica.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51It's surprising which foods were considered the height of exotic
0:02:51 > 0:02:53and extravagance in the past.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55Take this - the pineapple.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00Whether in a can, or as a whole fruit, they're cheap to buy nowadays
0:03:00 > 0:03:04and recipes they're best known for are perhaps a bit naff 1970s too.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09It's nothing like as bad as it looks, though.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12But back in the 18th century, pineapples were about
0:03:12 > 0:03:15the most expensive and exotic food money could buy.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18The "Fruit of Kings" were originally brought to Europe
0:03:18 > 0:03:22by Christopher Columbus and supposedly the first one was produced
0:03:22 > 0:03:26in Britain for Charles II in 1675.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30By the 1700s they were the ultimate food for show-offs
0:03:30 > 0:03:34and took pride of place on the dining tables of the very wealthy.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39We've headed to Tatton Park in Cheshire
0:03:39 > 0:03:42which was a big part of the pineapple craze.
0:03:42 > 0:03:47Tatton's Pinery Vinery was once famous for producing prize pineapples
0:03:47 > 0:03:52and since 2010, head gardener Simon Tetlow has been growing them
0:03:52 > 0:03:55in their reconstructed glasshouse.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57'For 18th-century WAGs and hipsters,
0:03:57 > 0:04:01'this was the perfect place to see what all the fuss was about!'
0:04:01 > 0:04:03So is it true, Simon,
0:04:03 > 0:04:06that they very first started cultivating pineapples at Tatton Park
0:04:06 > 0:04:10to provide pina coladas for the nouveaux riches Cheshire set?
0:04:10 > 0:04:13It is. It was the kind of 18th century new rich.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16It was the kind of must-have of the wealthy.
0:04:16 > 0:04:21The aristocrat of fruits. The pineapple was symbolic of wealth.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23A hugely expensive crop to provide.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27To build houses like this was very innovative in the day
0:04:27 > 0:04:31and it was the symbol of welcome and wealth.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34So you've got pineapples on gate posts.
0:04:34 > 0:04:38The carriage drives up the house and kind of says, "We can do anything."
0:04:38 > 0:04:41- You have stone pineapples, don't you? - Yeah.
0:04:41 > 0:04:45And there's that house in Scotland that's built like a pineapple.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50Perhaps the most committed fan of pineapples was John Murray,
0:04:50 > 0:04:53Fourth Earl of Dunmore in Scotland.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57He had this 14-metre cupola made for a pavilion at Dunmore House
0:04:57 > 0:05:01and even grew his own in a hothouse specially heated by a furnace.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07They're quite familiar to us now but in the 18th century they must
0:05:07 > 0:05:10have been the most extraordinary looking thing and tasting thing.
0:05:10 > 0:05:12Gardeners of the 18th century,
0:05:12 > 0:05:14probably a plum would be quite exotic.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17They called grapes and peaches exotic fruit,
0:05:17 > 0:05:21but then to have this presented to you, something of a Caribbean crop
0:05:21 > 0:05:24that requires even light, temperature...
0:05:24 > 0:05:27You don't even have a hot water system to heat the place.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30You can just imagine some poor old gardener who's used to digging spuds,
0:05:30 > 0:05:33making runner beans, all of a sudden gets summoned up to the big house -
0:05:33 > 0:05:37"Can you grow that?" - thinking, "Blooming heck, where do I start?!"
0:05:37 > 0:05:41There were accounts of sailors coming back from the Americas
0:05:41 > 0:05:45saying it tasted like sugared wine, rosewater.
0:05:45 > 0:05:49Honey. Anything. They just couldn't describe what they tasted like.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52- Yeah, cos you had no reference point.- No, no.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55- I mean, how would you? - It tastes like pineapple.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04Have you had to grow pineapples?
0:06:04 > 0:06:07If you can provide the right heat and light - doddle.
0:06:07 > 0:06:11But stuck up here in the middle of Cheshire and cold weather winter,
0:06:11 > 0:06:14you would do anything to get the heat in the house.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16Your job depended on it.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19If his nibs was after pineapples for Christmas Day,
0:06:19 > 0:06:23you would pile up steamy piles of manure, shove it against the house.
0:06:23 > 0:06:28You'd be setting fires inside the walls here, down the flues.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31Anything to provide this steamy tropical heat.
0:06:31 > 0:06:35Just to get any method for this high humidity you'd get on the tropics.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39Originally, there was something like 52 different varieties of pineapple
0:06:39 > 0:06:41and there's only two commercially available now
0:06:41 > 0:06:44which is the cayenne and the Jamaica queen,
0:06:44 > 0:06:48but I think the canning processes went on from the start
0:06:48 > 0:06:52of the 20th century, that these pyramidical shapes,
0:06:52 > 0:06:56big chunky fruits, turned into these rather squad cylindrical fruits
0:06:56 > 0:06:58for the canning process.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00- Rings and chunks. - So where's the other 50 gone then?
0:07:00 > 0:07:02I don't know.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07'The 18th century gardener had his work cut out,
0:07:07 > 0:07:09'but the rewards for the house were worth it.'
0:07:09 > 0:07:12'Historic cook Lesley Edwards is going to take us through
0:07:12 > 0:07:17'what they actually did with pineapples once they'd grown them.'
0:07:17 > 0:07:20Here we are in the kitchen with Lesley,
0:07:20 > 0:07:24the expert in dressing said pineapple for a big, posh top table.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27So, having grown the pineapple, what would they have done with them?
0:07:27 > 0:07:29Well, the pineapple would come down to the house
0:07:29 > 0:07:32and then it would be presented on the table.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35They were very impressive to display, so you
0:07:35 > 0:07:38couldn't have a dinner party unless you had a pineapple on the table.
0:07:38 > 0:07:40Now, the people who lived here
0:07:40 > 0:07:44and owned these houses also had townhouses in London, so when you're
0:07:44 > 0:07:47in London and you couldn't perhaps get your pineapple
0:07:47 > 0:07:51from your estates, you could actually hire a pineapple.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54- You'd have to pay about a guinea. - A guinea?
0:07:54 > 0:07:59- A guinea, which would be something like £1,000 to £1,500.- Right.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02And that gave you the rights to have it beautifully
0:08:02 > 0:08:05displayed on your table, on your vine leaves like that.
0:08:05 > 0:08:09If you actually wanted to eat the hired one,
0:08:09 > 0:08:11you had to pay two guineas.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13- £3,000 to eat a pineapple? - That's right.
0:08:13 > 0:08:14It just seems fascinating to me
0:08:14 > 0:08:17that you could actually serve this beautiful pineapple
0:08:17 > 0:08:20and everybody would admire it and say how wonderful it was, and then
0:08:20 > 0:08:23you might go to Lady Dunabunk's next day
0:08:23 > 0:08:26and perhaps the same pineapple would be sitting on the table!
0:08:26 > 0:08:28That would be brilliant. It's called turning pineapples.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30You know how restaurants turn tables?
0:08:30 > 0:08:33You'd go, "I'm sorry, you've only got it till 7.30pm, then it's away."
0:08:33 > 0:08:36You'll repo the pineapple!
0:08:36 > 0:08:41As it became easier and easier for these big houses to grow pineapples
0:08:41 > 0:08:44in their pineries, so you had to move on a bit
0:08:44 > 0:08:47and you'd go for the biggest pineapple you could find.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51'By the Victorian era pineapples were cheaper,
0:08:51 > 0:08:53'but still considered pretty posh nosh.'
0:08:53 > 0:08:56'The Victorians used them as ingredients
0:08:56 > 0:09:01'in all sorts of fancy desserts, in particular one of our favourites.'
0:09:01 > 0:09:04One of the things that was particularly popular was ice creams
0:09:04 > 0:09:09and first of all they would put them into ice pails to serve them
0:09:09 > 0:09:13and then they moved on to using all sorts of moulds.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15This is the pillar mould.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18This is the mould that this ice cream has been taken from.
0:09:18 > 0:09:22- So that goes in the centre on top of your paper doily.- Oh, lovely job.
0:09:22 > 0:09:24Invented in the late 19th century.
0:09:25 > 0:09:30Now, around those as a garnish, you've got your little fruits.
0:09:30 > 0:09:34'Cor! Let me get my hands on that ice cream!
0:09:34 > 0:09:37'How dainty. It's quite tricky, this.'
0:09:37 > 0:09:41'I don't think we'd have been allowed near the pineapple ice cream.'
0:09:41 > 0:09:44'Speak for yourself. Mine's perfect!'
0:09:46 > 0:09:49Now there is food history on a plate.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52And beautifully done by you two if I may say so.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56- I'll never take a pineapple for granted again.- Absolutely.
0:09:56 > 0:09:58Over the years, this wonderful fruit
0:09:58 > 0:10:01has lost some of its exciting exotic status.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04In the 19th and 20th century,
0:10:04 > 0:10:06it became increasingly cheap
0:10:06 > 0:10:10as high-volume production and imports drove prices down.
0:10:10 > 0:10:14So we might have forgotten the exclusive origins of pineapple
0:10:14 > 0:10:16and take its sweet flavours for granted,
0:10:16 > 0:10:18but the fact it's now affordable
0:10:18 > 0:10:21and available to everyone is surely a good thing.
0:10:24 > 0:10:28Now, pineapple might not be the highly prized exotic wonder that it once was,
0:10:28 > 0:10:30but with a little imagination,
0:10:30 > 0:10:36it can become the catalyst to a truly exotic dining experience.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39And in the Best Of British kitchen, we're going to make a dish
0:10:39 > 0:10:42that would make even the 4th Earl of Dunmore blush!
0:10:42 > 0:10:45To pimp our pineapple, we're going to first use the finest of birds -
0:10:45 > 0:10:49a guinea fowl - to create a salad that is quite simply sublime.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54Once upon a time, long, long ago, British food could have
0:10:54 > 0:10:57been described as being a bit bland and boring.
0:10:57 > 0:11:01- What?!- Bit not now! We have embraced the exotic.
0:11:01 > 0:11:03We've always liked sweet and savoury together...
0:11:03 > 0:11:06- We have.- ..but we've got more and more adventurous
0:11:06 > 0:11:10with our use of spices and mixtures and importations from abroad.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14Yes, we like a cornucopia on our palate.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17Sweet, savoury, hot, cold, sour.
0:11:17 > 0:11:22- Oh, all of those things are epitomised here in Britain.- Oh, aye.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25I mean, our fruit used to be apples and pears,
0:11:25 > 0:11:28but then, as we've just found out at Tatton Park,
0:11:28 > 0:11:31this little fellow's come into our palate,
0:11:31 > 0:11:35and this little fellow goes incredibly well with maybe the more exotic fowl.
0:11:35 > 0:11:41- And it's a damn sight cheaper now than it was then.- Oh, I should coco.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44These little beauties come from Africa, and guinea fowl has been
0:11:44 > 0:11:48an exotic ingredient since the Ancient Egyptians cooked them.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52They're out of the ordinary and taste fantastic with pineapple.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55Guinea fowl are funny, aren't they? I mean, you see them...
0:11:55 > 0:11:57Whereas chickens are all scatterbrained,
0:11:57 > 0:12:00guinea fowl are just like this... Meh!
0:12:00 > 0:12:03JAUNTY MUSIC PLAYS
0:12:05 > 0:12:09..and they used to describe them as "the bohemian of the barn yard"
0:12:09 > 0:12:13due to their looks... and the way they behaved.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16Guinea fowl is a great thing to eat.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19It's a very, very, very tasty bird.
0:12:19 > 0:12:23Now, I'm going to show you how to flatten this out,
0:12:23 > 0:12:26much the same as if it'd been run over by a steam roller.
0:12:26 > 0:12:30To spatchcock means to remove the backbone of your poultry
0:12:30 > 0:12:32in order to flatten it.
0:12:32 > 0:12:36You'll need some sturdy kitchen scissors and a bit of elbow grease.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39So, that's its backbone, and that's the bit that we don't want,
0:12:39 > 0:12:43so we can discard that. Keep it and you can use it for stock.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46And then...flatten the guinea fowl out like that.
0:12:46 > 0:12:52With your hand - even pressure right across the breastbone and...
0:12:52 > 0:12:53BONES CRUNCH
0:12:53 > 0:12:57..just break that breastbone and push.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00- It's a bit like trying to give resus, isn't it?- It is, yes!
0:13:00 > 0:13:02You'd need more than a gentle hand to resus that!
0:13:02 > 0:13:05And that's how we have it.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08Nice, neat, flat, and it'll cook nice and evenly.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10- Tidy, isn't it?- T-T-Tidy thing.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13Right, I'd better get on with the spice mixture.
0:13:13 > 0:13:18Half a teaspoon of salt, half a teaspoon of chilli flakes,
0:13:18 > 0:13:23half of five-spice powder, and about the same of black pepper.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27That'll do us nicely. Right.
0:13:27 > 0:13:31Now we put our bird onto a well-greased baking sheet
0:13:31 > 0:13:33and cover in olive oil.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37Give my beautiful guinea fowl a rub all over...
0:13:37 > 0:13:41..before giving it a liberal coating of our lovely spice mix,
0:13:41 > 0:13:44and don't be shy - guinea fowl works really well with spices
0:13:44 > 0:13:48as it has a strong flavour that holds its own.
0:13:48 > 0:13:53And then just massage it into the skin and the flesh of the bird.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56Get into those nooks and crannies as well.
0:13:58 > 0:14:00Lovely. That's ready to go in the oven.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02So, 20 minutes, 180 degrees Celsius.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06Making the glaze syrup couldn't be easier.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09It's just made up of two tablespoons of soy sauce
0:14:09 > 0:14:12and one tablespoon of honey.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15This is a classic mix of sweet and sour flavours that goes well
0:14:15 > 0:14:18with pretty much everything. It's great!
0:14:18 > 0:14:21When the bird has been in the oven for 20 minutes,
0:14:21 > 0:14:24get it out and smother it in the glaze!
0:14:24 > 0:14:28The juices and the residue we get from a guinea fowl and the soy sauce
0:14:28 > 0:14:31and honey we mix with lime juice to make a dressing for the salad.
0:14:31 > 0:14:35We're not going to waste a single drop of these lovely flavours.
0:14:35 > 0:14:39And then that goes back into the oven for about ten minutes.
0:14:40 > 0:14:45- Champion! Right, salads.- Right!
0:14:45 > 0:14:48This salad is a celebration of exotica,
0:14:48 > 0:14:50and at its heart is a pineapple.
0:14:50 > 0:14:54First, you need to skin it, core it and cut it into chunks.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57It's a fantastic after-dinner fruit, isn't it?
0:14:57 > 0:14:59I mean, it is pudding in itself.
0:14:59 > 0:15:04- Tell you what, I'm glad they're not as expensive as they were back in the day. Dear me!- Oh, in the day.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06I mean, can you imagine going out with a lass
0:15:06 > 0:15:09and she wanted a pineapple and a bunch of tulips?
0:15:09 > 0:15:11- You'd need to be a millionaire! - You would!
0:15:11 > 0:15:13THEY CHUCKLE
0:15:13 > 0:15:18And cut them into the ubiquitous pineapple chunk!
0:15:19 > 0:15:23Next, a cucumber - peeled, seeded and sliced.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25Add this to the pineapple.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30One tablespoon of mint leaves, two tablespoons of coriander.
0:15:30 > 0:15:34It's quite a cocktail, this, isn't it? It builds up the flavour.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37It does. It's great. Now, this is a good bit. I love this bit.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40Next, bung in some pomegranate,
0:15:40 > 0:15:43and we've got a canny way to get all the seeds out.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46Open the flesh out a little bit, like that...
0:15:46 > 0:15:49and then hit it...with a spoon.
0:15:53 > 0:15:57And do you know, it is said that, actually, when Eve got tempted
0:15:57 > 0:16:01in the Garden of Eden, it was with a pomegranate, not an apple.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03Then add some red onion, roughly chopped.
0:16:03 > 0:16:04Right...
0:16:04 > 0:16:08Right... I think the guinea fowl is nearly done.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13- I think we're there, mate. - Brill. Time to assemble.
0:16:13 > 0:16:18Can I have all that residue to craft into a dressing?
0:16:22 > 0:16:24Cor, this is lovely.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27I'm going to try and strain some of the fat off the top.
0:16:27 > 0:16:32That's the honey, the soy, the residue from the five-spice powder,
0:16:32 > 0:16:36the chillies, and of course the guinea fowl.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39What I'll do is, little trick, you put some kitchen paper on there
0:16:39 > 0:16:45and that will soak up the oil and hopefully leave the stock intact.
0:16:45 > 0:16:47Voila!
0:16:47 > 0:16:51Now, into this we want the juice of one lime.
0:16:51 > 0:16:56- How is it, Kingy?- Fantastic. Absolutely fantastic.
0:16:56 > 0:17:00You need to portion the guinea fowl into large pieces for the salad.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03Nothing too dainty here!
0:17:03 > 0:17:05Platter...
0:17:05 > 0:17:07Cucumber and the pineapple.
0:17:07 > 0:17:09Our lovely guinea fowl.
0:17:12 > 0:17:13The red onions go on top.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17The mint and the cori.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23Each layer adds flavour and colour,
0:17:23 > 0:17:26and none more so than the pomegranate seeds.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30- It's kind of like fruit jewellery, isn't it, the pomegranate?- It is!
0:17:30 > 0:17:35And the finishing touch - some of that lovely glaze!
0:17:35 > 0:17:38- Oh, yes. - And this is really quite sparky.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41I mean, that would bring sunshine into the saddest
0:17:41 > 0:17:44of a Great British winter's day, wouldn't it?
0:17:45 > 0:17:48- Fancy a nibble?- I do. Two forks.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51I was just going to use me fingers!
0:17:51 > 0:17:54- Is that wrong?- Um...no, not at all.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56Whoa, look at that.
0:17:56 > 0:18:00- The thing is, it's still juicy, isn't it?- Lovely.
0:18:03 > 0:18:09That's a really good reflection of how multicultural our cuisine actually is.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11Viva exotica!
0:18:16 > 0:18:21Before the modern age, exotic food was rare and incredibly expensive,
0:18:21 > 0:18:23which meant the rich couldn't get enough of it.
0:18:23 > 0:18:27Our Best Of British food historian Ivan Day is going to make
0:18:27 > 0:18:31a dish so rarefied it was served to royalty,
0:18:31 > 0:18:35and like all exotic food, it was made possible by travel.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37We've got a little cookery book here
0:18:37 > 0:18:40which dates from the time of Queen Anne.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42It was first published in 1711.
0:18:42 > 0:18:46It was written at a time when British trade
0:18:46 > 0:18:50with the Orient and the Americas was reaching new heights.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53All sorts of new foods were introduced at this period.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55It is The Queen's Royal Cookery,
0:18:55 > 0:18:59so it's meant to be recipes of the sort that were at court.
0:18:59 > 0:19:05One of them is a very, very elevated dish called a grand salad.
0:19:06 > 0:19:10Butter in a salad? I thought salads were supposed to be slimming?!
0:19:10 > 0:19:12You're probably wondering what on earth this is,
0:19:12 > 0:19:16but it will become clear at the end of the recipe.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19This is a really exotic salad at this period.
0:19:19 > 0:19:24One of the ingredients that's mentioned are mangoes.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26Now, they didn't have fresh mangoes.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29It was impossible to get them all the way from India to England,
0:19:29 > 0:19:31so they would have to be pickled.
0:19:31 > 0:19:35The salad has a line-up of superstar ingredients
0:19:35 > 0:19:37that were as posh as you could get -
0:19:37 > 0:19:42British-grown asparagus was rare and pricey,
0:19:42 > 0:19:44olives were shipped in from Tuscany,
0:19:44 > 0:19:47beans came all the way from the Americas,
0:19:47 > 0:19:49and something even more exotic...
0:19:49 > 0:19:54One of the most amazing things in the salad is bamboo.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57That would arrive in the docks in London,
0:19:57 > 0:20:00and people would probably fight over buying it
0:20:00 > 0:20:04because it was such a prestigious thing to have on your table.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08I challenge thee to a duel, sir...
0:20:08 > 0:20:11if you don't get your hands off me bamboo!
0:20:11 > 0:20:16Added to all this, Ivan's super salad has capers and anchovies from the Mediterranean...
0:20:16 > 0:20:19Oh, and pickled oysters, too!
0:20:19 > 0:20:24Our next job is to garnish the rim of the plate.
0:20:24 > 0:20:28- Why do plates have rims?- To keep your food from falling on the floor?
0:20:28 > 0:20:32Originally, you put garnishes on the rim,
0:20:32 > 0:20:37and these little designs will help you put them in the right place.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42When the serving man comes in with the grand salad,
0:20:42 > 0:20:44it's the very first dish that's put down on the table.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47Everyone thinks, "Wow! That looks really appetising,"
0:20:47 > 0:20:50because it's so colourful, so beautiful, and it's also made up
0:20:50 > 0:20:55of the most expensive, exotic ingredients that anyone could buy.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57I mean, a salad like this on your table
0:20:57 > 0:21:01is really the baroque equivalent of having a Lamborghini.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03It's just like show-off food.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05But we haven't finished
0:21:05 > 0:21:10because the final embellishment is none other than laurel.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13This is bay laurel,
0:21:13 > 0:21:17which we're going to stick in our little lump of butter,
0:21:17 > 0:21:21so I'm going to very carefully push that down into the butter,
0:21:21 > 0:21:24and that is a grand salad.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27I think it's more of a work of art than a dish.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31That's an impressive-looking salad!
0:21:31 > 0:21:33It's even got a tree in it!
0:21:33 > 0:21:37Of course, the people who actually got the luxury stuff for the wealthy
0:21:37 > 0:21:40wanted a slice as well.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44All this impressive food was only made possible
0:21:44 > 0:21:47by sailors carting goods around the globe,
0:21:47 > 0:21:50and whilst the rich ate fancy dishes,
0:21:50 > 0:21:54sailors' rations were barely even edible.
0:21:54 > 0:21:59These poor guys had to live off the most basic and bland food.
0:21:59 > 0:22:03Ship's biscuit - like cardboard.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07Salted pork - just soaked for a couple of days to get rid of the salt.
0:22:07 > 0:22:11It's just like balsa wood. So, after spending a few months just eating that,
0:22:11 > 0:22:13they arrived in the South China Seas
0:22:13 > 0:22:17and they found this amazing larder, fantastic flavours.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20When they got home, they encouraged their wives and their girlfriends
0:22:20 > 0:22:23to try and make them themselves so they tried to counterfeit them.
0:22:26 > 0:22:30To make the bad taste go away, sailors wanted a taste of the unusual,
0:22:30 > 0:22:34which led to the creation of a national favourite - ketchup!
0:22:34 > 0:22:36It's thought to have been inspired
0:22:36 > 0:22:39by a Chinese fish sauce called Khet Siap.
0:22:39 > 0:22:43Slapping this onto their rations made them far more palatable,
0:22:43 > 0:22:46and became known in English as catsup.
0:22:46 > 0:22:52I am going to replicate one of these early catsups from the 1740s.
0:22:52 > 0:22:56I'm using a recipe which calls for mushrooms.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00They were the most popular ingredient in early catsup.
0:23:00 > 0:23:04First off they were salted for 24 hours to draw out the juice.
0:23:04 > 0:23:09Then they were mushed up to get out as much liquid as possible.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12It must have been fun for English people in the 18th century to
0:23:12 > 0:23:16make what they considered to be an amazingly exotic foreign sauce
0:23:16 > 0:23:19from a long way away from something as everyday as mushrooms.
0:23:19 > 0:23:23But the great thing about it is mushrooms don't last long
0:23:23 > 0:23:27so this is a really good way of preserving their flavour.
0:23:27 > 0:23:31After infusing all that mushroomy goodness you need one of these.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35Those mushrooms have yielded at least a quart, I would say,
0:23:35 > 0:23:41of black, fungal juice. It does smell really delicious.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44The Georgian author of this recipe tells us
0:23:44 > 0:23:49that we have got to add to this an equal amount of stale beer.
0:23:49 > 0:23:50Stale beer?
0:23:50 > 0:23:54There was a beer called Mum which was brewed with wheat
0:23:54 > 0:23:57and very spicy but it doesn't exist any more
0:23:57 > 0:24:01so I just made it with a very, very dark, very strong ale.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03You know, a mushroom-flavoured, stale brown ale
0:24:03 > 0:24:06doesn't sound very exotic to me.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08Hang on, Ivan always delivers the goods!
0:24:09 > 0:24:13We have got other ingredients to add to this yet.
0:24:13 > 0:24:17Horseradish, a British native. Very spicy, very, very peppery.
0:24:17 > 0:24:21We are getting slightly more exotic here with this Mediterranean plant.
0:24:21 > 0:24:23Bay leaves.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26As the sailors had no idea what went into the oriental sauces
0:24:26 > 0:24:28they'd tasted,
0:24:28 > 0:24:32a whole load of spices were used to get that extraordinary flavour.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35Nutmeg, mace, allspice from Jamaica, black pepper
0:24:35 > 0:24:39and long pepper from Indonesia and also ginger were ground up
0:24:39 > 0:24:41and added to the mushroom brew.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46And then we will put it on the heat and let it slowly simmer away
0:24:46 > 0:24:49until it reduces down to about a third.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53Then we will have the first British ketchup.
0:24:53 > 0:24:58At the time, one of the most exotic flavourings you could get.
0:24:58 > 0:25:00After bubbling away the catsup is ready.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03It's not quite what you might expect.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06It's thinner and less gloopy than modern ketchups
0:25:06 > 0:25:08but the results are worth it.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11What they were doing is starting a tradition,
0:25:11 > 0:25:15basically, which ends up with such famous things as Worcester sauce
0:25:15 > 0:25:18and the other ketchups, the brown sauces,
0:25:18 > 0:25:21all those things which we now just take for granted.
0:25:21 > 0:25:25They were known as bottle sauces or store sauces
0:25:25 > 0:25:27because they could be kept for years.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29Just open it, put a little bit in.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31But what they were also used for was for putting into gravy,
0:25:31 > 0:25:36and into soups just to lift the flavour a little bit.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39So, for that poor, fatigued British sailor
0:25:39 > 0:25:43on that long voyage from the South China Seas,
0:25:43 > 0:25:46with that little bit of black magic in a bottle,
0:25:46 > 0:25:50you could add the relish that you just really needed to make
0:25:50 > 0:25:54that incredibly bland food palatable.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56Relishes and ketchups kick-started
0:25:56 > 0:26:00a love of oriental flavours that has stayed with us ever since.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04As well as giving us that magical sense of excitement at the dinner table,
0:26:04 > 0:26:08exotic ingredients have helped lift our everyday food for hundreds of years.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13Whether you're showing off, or just on the look-out to spice
0:26:13 > 0:26:17up your life, there's nothing better than a touch of the exotic.
0:26:22 > 0:26:26Historically, we Brits have always embraced food from afar
0:26:26 > 0:26:30but during the Second World War our menu was very restricted.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32And even in the years following it,
0:26:32 > 0:26:35we found it difficult to shake off our limited palate.
0:26:35 > 0:26:39And the country fell into a bit of a culinary slumber.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42But the 1960s brought about a lot of change and, as the years
0:26:42 > 0:26:45went on, people were more than ready to try something new.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48Especially when it came to our food.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51The time - 3pm. The place - Brixton.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54And over there, a typical Englishman.
0:26:54 > 0:26:56SONG: RULE BRITANNIA
0:27:00 > 0:27:02He has reached a crossroads.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05For after 36 years of cod and chips, peas and chips
0:27:05 > 0:27:07and boiled carrots twice on Tuesdays,
0:27:07 > 0:27:10he has decided to fling discretion to the wind
0:27:10 > 0:27:15and indulge his jaded palate in an orgy of exotic vegetables.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18John Bull is on his way to market.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20Back in 1969,
0:27:20 > 0:27:24Nationwide chronicled the changing landscape of British cuisine
0:27:24 > 0:27:26in this rather quirky little piece.
0:27:26 > 0:27:28Here, two cultures meet and here,
0:27:28 > 0:27:33the sturdy English potato rubs shoulders with sweet potatoes,
0:27:33 > 0:27:38yams, plantains, green peppers, aubergines and chocho.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41Suddenly, there was a lot more choice on offer,
0:27:41 > 0:27:43as the food market began to cater
0:27:43 > 0:27:45to our ever-growing immigrant population.
0:27:50 > 0:27:52It comes from West Africa, right,
0:27:52 > 0:27:55but they grow yam and that out there.
0:27:55 > 0:28:01He eats yam, green bananas, okra and things like that.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04You know, okra's a thing that you put in your dinner, you know,
0:28:04 > 0:28:06liven it up. Something like that.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08But whilst these ingredients could be grown
0:28:08 > 0:28:10in plentiful supply in other parts of the world.
0:28:10 > 0:28:14Sadly, the British climate meant they all had to be imported
0:28:14 > 0:28:16and that was expensive.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19Sales in these vegetables here, these Caribbean vegetables,
0:28:19 > 0:28:22they are slowly descending, slowly dropping.
0:28:22 > 0:28:24Jamaicans and all that, people from the West Indies,
0:28:24 > 0:28:26are deciding that it is too dear.
0:28:26 > 0:28:30But some of the more experimental Brits were keen to give them a go.
0:28:30 > 0:28:36Sweet potato, yam, the peppers, all them kind of things, you know,
0:28:36 > 0:28:38you find the foreigners usually like
0:28:38 > 0:28:40but British people are going over to it now.
0:28:43 > 0:28:46Now that our typical Englishman has gathered together all
0:28:46 > 0:28:50the ingredients for his exotic dinner, he still has problems.
0:28:50 > 0:28:53How to cook them, peel them, chop them,
0:28:53 > 0:28:55toss them in a pan of deep fat.
0:28:55 > 0:28:56Or is that chips again?
0:28:56 > 0:29:00Luckily, Nationwide had a rather glamorous lady on hand
0:29:00 > 0:29:02to inspire us.
0:29:02 > 0:29:04So, here you have a selection of Caribbean food
0:29:04 > 0:29:07and you want to know what to do with it.
0:29:07 > 0:29:09Well, don't be put off by their appearance
0:29:09 > 0:29:12because they look a bit strange. They are quite simple to prepare.
0:29:12 > 0:29:15Sweet potatoes are very nice candied
0:29:15 > 0:29:19and they're very nice to accompany roast pork and dishes of that sort.
0:29:19 > 0:29:22Green peppers, there isn't a great deal you can do with them.
0:29:22 > 0:29:26They're very nice used as garnish. Slice then cut them into strips.
0:29:26 > 0:29:30Take out the hard core or you can lop off the top, stuff them
0:29:30 > 0:29:33with mince and they're very tasty.
0:29:33 > 0:29:35These days, yams and chochos might still be seen
0:29:35 > 0:29:38as exotic in the eyes of a lot of Brits.
0:29:38 > 0:29:41But thankfully, the likes of peppers and sweet potato quickly got
0:29:41 > 0:29:45assimilated into our ever-changing food repertoire.
0:29:45 > 0:29:47So there you are, typical Englishman,
0:29:47 > 0:29:49your illustrious ancestors
0:29:49 > 0:29:52Francis Drake, Sir Walter Raleigh, Captain Cook had
0:29:52 > 0:29:55adventure on the high seas and now you also,
0:29:55 > 0:29:57ever-adaptable typical Englishman,
0:29:57 > 0:30:01can add spice to your life and adventure to your meals.
0:30:15 > 0:30:18You know, Kingy, it's funny, there are quite a few kind of spices
0:30:18 > 0:30:22and flavours that we are so familiar with that they have become,
0:30:22 > 0:30:26well, not exotic but mundane and kind of part of our establishment almost.
0:30:26 > 0:30:29But not so long ago, those flavours would have seemed
0:30:29 > 0:30:32so revolutionary and exotic, they would have thrilled us.
0:30:32 > 0:30:36- They would have. - You know, like ginger.- Hey!
0:30:37 > 0:30:41It may not look like... I mean, look, it's ugly. Isn't it?
0:30:41 > 0:30:44I mean, it's misshaped and it's a bit odd but this is beautiful.
0:30:44 > 0:30:48Like ginger parkin. It's old-fashioned and familiar.
0:30:48 > 0:30:51Gingerbread, treacle toffee, all those things,
0:30:51 > 0:30:52they came from overseas.
0:30:52 > 0:30:57And I mean, Whitehaven, Maryport, really kind of Northern spots,
0:30:57 > 0:30:59they're full of all this pepper
0:30:59 > 0:31:01and stuff because that's where it all shipped in from.
0:31:01 > 0:31:04It's like Whitehaven - Fletcher Christian, you know,
0:31:04 > 0:31:07mutiny on t'Bounty. He was from Whitehaven.
0:31:07 > 0:31:08He was, you know.
0:31:08 > 0:31:11Captain Bligh lived on the Isle of Man.
0:31:11 > 0:31:15All these fellas were roaming the ocean just to bring back these
0:31:15 > 0:31:18exotic spices for us to enjoy.
0:31:18 > 0:31:21- And some hundred years on, we take it for granted.- True.
0:31:21 > 0:31:24So we are going to show you a fantastic,
0:31:24 > 0:31:28fantastic dessert that is exotic but quintessentially British.
0:31:30 > 0:31:33I tell you what, viewers, we've really pushed the boat out
0:31:33 > 0:31:35for you on this one!
0:31:36 > 0:31:39This seriously decadent sponge has a cheeky kick of chilli
0:31:39 > 0:31:42to complement some good old-fashioned ginger,
0:31:42 > 0:31:45slathered in a delicious ginger toffee sauce.
0:31:49 > 0:31:51And it tastes flipping lovely.
0:31:51 > 0:31:53- It's a bit of a palate-blower. - Right.
0:31:53 > 0:31:56We're going to make a sweet syrup for the batter mix.
0:31:56 > 0:32:01And it couldn't be easier. Put in 125g of soft brown sugar.
0:32:01 > 0:32:06And 125g of butter. That just melts down with the sugar.
0:32:07 > 0:32:09And give it a stir.
0:32:09 > 0:32:12Then add 125g of dark treacle, which is
0:32:12 > 0:32:16about two large tablespoons and the same of golden syrup.
0:32:16 > 0:32:18This is tempting stuff.
0:32:22 > 0:32:26Sugar has had a massive part to play in British history.
0:32:26 > 0:32:30I mean, obviously the tragic stories from the slave trade
0:32:30 > 0:32:34but companies like Tate & Lyle were massively, massively wealthy.
0:32:34 > 0:32:36Hence the Tate Galleries in London.
0:32:36 > 0:32:40That all came from this kind of philanthropy that was
0:32:40 > 0:32:43a by-product of the sugar industry but, of course, the suffering
0:32:43 > 0:32:46that it involved probably didn't justify the ends, really.
0:32:46 > 0:32:49What I have done, I have taken this off the heat so that mixture
0:32:49 > 0:32:53of those lovely syrups, treacles, sugar and butter needs to cool.
0:32:54 > 0:32:56Oh, the consistency.
0:32:56 > 0:33:01Now, we are going to mix eggs in that so it has got to be cold or
0:33:01 > 0:33:04else if we put the eggs now, it's just going to scramble your eggs.
0:33:07 > 0:33:11Right, I have got preserved stem ginger here
0:33:11 > 0:33:14and that comes in ball forms.
0:33:14 > 0:33:19And again, this is like another hark back to old methods of preserving
0:33:19 > 0:33:22and keeping food because that ginger that was imported,
0:33:22 > 0:33:25that would be precious and you wouldn't want to throw that away.
0:33:25 > 0:33:29I have got four stem ginger balls here, which I have grated.
0:33:29 > 0:33:34I am now going to cut very finely a chilli and a half.
0:33:34 > 0:33:37One and a half of these long chillies with seeds removed
0:33:37 > 0:33:39and all chopped up,
0:33:39 > 0:33:41is just enough to give the cake a bit of zing.
0:33:41 > 0:33:46I am going to mix that with my four grated ginger balls.
0:33:50 > 0:33:52Now, we want the ginger cake to have a bit of lift
0:33:52 > 0:33:54so we are using self-raising flour.
0:33:54 > 0:33:56275g.
0:33:56 > 0:33:59For even more lift, a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda.
0:34:02 > 0:34:04Now some dried spices.
0:34:04 > 0:34:08We have got 1 teaspoon of allspice.
0:34:10 > 0:34:12That smells of Christmas.
0:34:12 > 0:34:16- It does, doesn't it? - And two of ground ginger.
0:34:20 > 0:34:21Look at that.
0:34:21 > 0:34:25Even the flour, it looks a bit more exotic and dangerous now, doesn't it?
0:34:25 > 0:34:26It's lovely, mate.
0:34:26 > 0:34:30Now, put the four stem ginger balls and the chilli into this
0:34:30 > 0:34:31and stir it in.
0:34:31 > 0:34:37Right. And make a well in the middle.
0:34:40 > 0:34:43Into your cooled syrup, pour 200ml of semi-skimmed milk.
0:34:43 > 0:34:47Then add three beaten eggs and whisk it all together.
0:34:49 > 0:34:51Then add it to the dry mix.
0:34:54 > 0:34:58Oh! This is like nuclear fusion in the cake world.
0:34:59 > 0:35:00But there's flavour in this,
0:35:00 > 0:35:04and it's got all those elements of sweet and savoury.
0:35:04 > 0:35:07A little bit of salt as well, it's lovely.
0:35:07 > 0:35:08Get it in.
0:35:09 > 0:35:13- Lovely.- And the lovely bits in there, it's the stem ginger.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16It's not that it's gone wrong. We're happy with that.
0:35:18 > 0:35:23Now we put that into a liberally buttered bowl.
0:35:28 > 0:35:33Oooh, yes. You know that's going to be fantastic.
0:35:33 > 0:35:37If you struck that in Texas, you'd know you were going to be rich!
0:35:37 > 0:35:40That's it. And we pop this into a moderate pre-heated oven,
0:35:40 > 0:35:44160 degrees Celsius for about 35-40 minutes.
0:35:44 > 0:35:47Which gives us time to make the caramel sauce, which is
0:35:47 > 0:35:48a ginger caramel sauce.
0:35:48 > 0:35:52I mean, we're gingering up everything in this one, aren't we?
0:35:52 > 0:35:57- We are. And quite rightly so. - I need three bowls of stem ginger.
0:35:57 > 0:35:59'While Dave cuts the ginger into thin strips,
0:35:59 > 0:36:02'I'm going to get cracking with the sauce.'
0:36:02 > 0:36:03So...
0:36:03 > 0:36:10In a pan, combine 75g of butter
0:36:10 > 0:36:14and 100g of dark brown sugar.
0:36:15 > 0:36:17Melt, stir.
0:36:17 > 0:36:21It's a real easy sauce this, isn't it? You just combine everything,
0:36:21 > 0:36:23- bring it to a frizzle. - It's brilliant.
0:36:23 > 0:36:26And then kind of cool it down and pour it on your cake.
0:36:26 > 0:36:29Here y'are, mate, incoming.
0:36:30 > 0:36:32Look at that.
0:36:32 > 0:36:36'Now pour in 200ml of luxuriant double cream.'
0:36:36 > 0:36:39Add heat. Stir till it's all combined.
0:36:39 > 0:36:41Job's a good 'un. There's your sauce.
0:36:41 > 0:36:45Beautiful. I mean, this isn't for every day, this pudding. It is...
0:36:47 > 0:36:50It's very rich and very special, but for high days, holidays,
0:36:50 > 0:36:53well, once or twice a week, it's worth giving it a go.
0:36:53 > 0:36:55Certainly is.
0:36:57 > 0:36:59Oh! Look at that.
0:37:01 > 0:37:04Oh, man! What a belter.
0:37:04 > 0:37:06That's soft and sticky.
0:37:06 > 0:37:08It'll be softer and stickier in a minute,
0:37:08 > 0:37:11because that sauce we pour all over the top.
0:37:11 > 0:37:13Get in!
0:37:18 > 0:37:22And really, by putting the sauce on the top, it turns the cake,
0:37:22 > 0:37:24to my mind, into a pudding.
0:37:26 > 0:37:28Oh, mate.
0:37:30 > 0:37:32'We're going to serve it up with ice cream
0:37:32 > 0:37:35'and a bit of grated lime zest for that extra taste
0:37:35 > 0:37:37'of far-flung paradise.'
0:37:38 > 0:37:41It's like a Martian's toupe, isn't it, sitting on the top!
0:37:41 > 0:37:43Beautiful.
0:37:43 > 0:37:44Oh!
0:37:47 > 0:37:51Do you know, if you're a fan of sticky, old-fashioned puddings,
0:37:51 > 0:37:55but you want something a bit more, something a bit special, sir,
0:37:55 > 0:37:58- this is the one for you. - It's a thing of joyous beauty.
0:37:58 > 0:38:00You get delicate puddings.
0:38:00 > 0:38:03You get a little bit of fruit through this, fruit through that.
0:38:03 > 0:38:04THAT's a puddin'!
0:38:06 > 0:38:08The texture is awesome, isn't it?
0:38:08 > 0:38:11I can't wait to taste that fresh chilli.
0:38:19 > 0:38:22Now, this is as exotic as Britain comes.
0:38:31 > 0:38:34Of course, over the years, Britons have been far and wide
0:38:34 > 0:38:37in search of unusual flavours like ginger.
0:38:37 > 0:38:42But there have been times when the exotic came looking for us.
0:38:42 > 0:38:44DOORBELL RINGS
0:38:44 > 0:38:47Straight from Brittany, madam. Feel the weight.
0:38:47 > 0:38:50There's more to an onion than meets the eye.
0:38:50 > 0:38:54There's more to an onion man than a beret or a bicycle.
0:38:55 > 0:38:57This was Onion Johnny,
0:38:57 > 0:39:00and he was just one of hundreds of men all with the same nickname.
0:39:00 > 0:39:03Year after year, the Onion Johnnies would travel
0:39:03 > 0:39:06to Britain from France, to sell their onions door to door.
0:39:06 > 0:39:10And, for decades, proved they really were worth their onions.
0:39:10 > 0:39:13By providing the British not only with a taste of the Continent,
0:39:13 > 0:39:17but also the opportunity to interact with a different culture.
0:39:18 > 0:39:23From Exeter to Glasgow, from Swansea to Newcastle, they zigzag
0:39:23 > 0:39:27across Great Britain with a little piece of France on a string.
0:39:32 > 0:39:36The Onion Johnny became part of the fabric of many British towns,
0:39:36 > 0:39:39but always remained true to their Breton roots.
0:39:39 > 0:39:43These are French men who come here for five or six months every year
0:39:43 > 0:39:46and they call this island home,
0:39:46 > 0:39:49like Monsieur Francois Pere, Woodford and Roscoff.
0:39:52 > 0:39:57Every single Onion Johnny comes from the same place - Roscoff.
0:39:57 > 0:40:00They are men with two homes.
0:40:00 > 0:40:03Claude Tanguy, Roscoff and Edinburgh,
0:40:03 > 0:40:06Auguste Coquin, Roscoff and Swansea.
0:40:06 > 0:40:08Ivan Grilladere, Roscoff and Glasgow.
0:40:09 > 0:40:13For 500 years, Roscoff shook its fist at the English.
0:40:13 > 0:40:16Now it sends them onions.
0:40:16 > 0:40:17Such is progress.
0:40:17 > 0:40:22The trade supposedly began in 1828 with one man, Henri Olivier.
0:40:22 > 0:40:26The journey across the Channel from Roscoff actually proved easier
0:40:26 > 0:40:30than transporting the onions across France, so more men followed.
0:40:31 > 0:40:35The 1920s was the Golden Age of the Onion Johnny.
0:40:35 > 0:40:391929 saw the greatest number of Johnnies - about 1,400 -
0:40:39 > 0:40:43and the highest tonnage of onions sent to Great Britain.
0:40:43 > 0:40:47Portsmouth Harbour, the only successful French landing
0:40:47 > 0:40:49since William the Conqueror.
0:40:49 > 0:40:53There were fewer after the two wars, but it was an annual invasion
0:40:53 > 0:40:56that continued right up until the end of the last century.
0:40:56 > 0:41:00Ammunition - onions. Objective - the British housewife.
0:41:00 > 0:41:04Can you make yourself comfortable in here while I put the kettle on?
0:41:04 > 0:41:05Thank you.
0:41:05 > 0:41:07They might have been wooed by a bit of Gaelic charm.
0:41:07 > 0:41:09But at the end of the day, it was really their onions
0:41:09 > 0:41:12the British housewife was interested in.
0:41:12 > 0:41:15It doesn't seem 28 years since I was here the first time, does it?
0:41:15 > 0:41:19Oh, it doesn't. Do you remember how much they were at that time?
0:41:19 > 0:41:22A shilling for a small bunch and two shillings for the big ones.
0:41:22 > 0:41:25Wonderful.
0:41:25 > 0:41:27The women of Britain were happy to pay a little bit more
0:41:27 > 0:41:29for the Roscoff onion,
0:41:29 > 0:41:32because they appeared to keep for longer and had a unique flavour.
0:41:34 > 0:41:37The Onion Johnny offered us a little taste of Brittany
0:41:37 > 0:41:41way before most of the population had had the chance to travel.
0:41:41 > 0:41:43And they made such a lasting impression, that the image
0:41:43 > 0:41:47of a man on a bicycle with onions around his neck would come
0:41:47 > 0:41:48to represent all Frenchmen -
0:41:48 > 0:41:53well, in the eyes of many Britons - for years to come.
0:41:53 > 0:41:55Not a bad day. Not a bad day at all.
0:41:58 > 0:42:02Of course, the types of foods that we consider to be exotic
0:42:02 > 0:42:04are constantly changing.
0:42:04 > 0:42:08There was a time when Spanish dishes may as well have come from the moon.
0:42:08 > 0:42:14And Chinese cuisine was a rumour on the lips of far-flung adventurers.
0:42:14 > 0:42:17No doubt it will be a long time before we can convert
0:42:17 > 0:42:20the British from fish and chips to bird's nest soup.
0:42:20 > 0:42:23But with wartime, travel and the end of austerity,
0:42:23 > 0:42:26our curiosity about eating food we considered to be glamorous
0:42:26 > 0:42:28and exclusive, grew and grew.
0:42:28 > 0:42:32And over the years, increasing numbers of Brits gave things a go.
0:42:34 > 0:42:36I'm afraid you're eating frog's legs.
0:42:36 > 0:42:38THEY ALL LAUGH
0:42:40 > 0:42:41Not Kermit, please!
0:42:42 > 0:42:46Driven by immigration and inquisitive eaters,
0:42:46 > 0:42:49dishes we once thought of as highly out of the ordinary
0:42:49 > 0:42:51are now High Street favourites.
0:42:51 > 0:42:54So to get something that really stretches the adventurous
0:42:54 > 0:42:57British palate requires a flair for the unusual.
0:42:57 > 0:43:00And they don't come any more unusual than the recipes
0:43:00 > 0:43:03of Dan Creedon at Archipelago.
0:43:03 > 0:43:07Part amazing cuisine, part bush tucker trial, Dan is on a mission
0:43:07 > 0:43:11to make us try dishes most of us would never have imagined eating.
0:43:13 > 0:43:16Our tagline is "explore the exotic" and that's kind of the whole point.
0:43:16 > 0:43:19We just want to broaden people's horizons when it comes to food.
0:43:19 > 0:43:22Today we're doing what we call the sharing platter,
0:43:22 > 0:43:23it's kind of a taster menu.
0:43:23 > 0:43:26It's got some crocodile, some alpaca, got some kangaroo.
0:43:26 > 0:43:30Hold the phone - did he just say crocodile?!
0:43:30 > 0:43:32The crocodile is actually from Zimbabwe.
0:43:32 > 0:43:37We mince it up and marinate it with Thai panang curry.
0:43:38 > 0:43:40The crocodile is farmed.
0:43:40 > 0:43:43Obviously you couldn't eat wild crocodile, they eat things
0:43:43 > 0:43:46that have been dead for three months. You'd end up dead yourself.
0:43:46 > 0:43:47Good to know!
0:43:47 > 0:43:52They're farmed for their skin and the meat is just a by-product.
0:43:52 > 0:43:57Of course, eating exotic food doesn't mean cooking up rare species.
0:43:57 > 0:43:59This didn't do the Dodo any favours,
0:43:59 > 0:44:03and nowadays there's no excuse for eating endangered types of animal.
0:44:03 > 0:44:07However strange, everything Dan cooks is sustainably sourced,
0:44:07 > 0:44:11whether it's croc or kangaroo. When you're dealing with meat,
0:44:11 > 0:44:15or any food that isn't exactly commonplace, you have to pay extra
0:44:15 > 0:44:17attention to where it came from.
0:44:17 > 0:44:19I'm quite partial to a bit of crocodile, mate.
0:44:19 > 0:44:21People always try and say it's like chicken -
0:44:21 > 0:44:23they say the same about frog, to be honest,
0:44:23 > 0:44:27they say the same about any kind of white meat which they've never tried
0:44:27 > 0:44:29before, but it's not particularly chicken-ish,
0:44:29 > 0:44:33it's closer to...a very meaty fish.
0:44:33 > 0:44:36Aye, it's got a bit of a bite to it, hasn't it?
0:44:36 > 0:44:38Oh, dude, did you have to?
0:44:38 > 0:44:41At the end of the day, it's reptile. It tastes like reptile,
0:44:41 > 0:44:44it looks like reptile. Snake is similar. Other lizards are the same.
0:44:44 > 0:44:48- That's what reptile flesh is like. - Oh, I'm not convinced!
0:44:49 > 0:44:54Next I'm going to do the alpaca, which is called ropa vieja,
0:44:54 > 0:44:57which is Spanish for "old clothes".
0:44:57 > 0:44:59First crocodile, now old clothes!
0:44:59 > 0:45:03I thought they were usually more jumpers than dinners.
0:45:03 > 0:45:08Alpaca is more farmed as a... like we farm sheep for wool.
0:45:08 > 0:45:10At the end of the day,
0:45:10 > 0:45:12people in the Andes aren't going to waste anything.
0:45:12 > 0:45:16When it's time for the animal to die, they're going to eat it.
0:45:16 > 0:45:21This is a lovely, gamey, strong, flavoursome meat, which you
0:45:21 > 0:45:24traditionally cook for 8 to 12 hours, something like that,
0:45:24 > 0:45:25so it's obviously using old animal.
0:45:25 > 0:45:28If you were eating a four-year-old working animal,
0:45:28 > 0:45:30it needs a fair bit of cooking.
0:45:30 > 0:45:33Apparently, alpaca stew gets its name "old clothes"
0:45:33 > 0:45:37from being colourful like a pile of washing, rather than its taste.
0:45:37 > 0:45:38I quite like the look of this one.
0:45:38 > 0:45:40And the strangeness doesn't stop there.
0:45:40 > 0:45:43Next up is some Aussie kangaroo.
0:45:43 > 0:45:45This here is the kangaroo.
0:45:45 > 0:45:48They are wild animals, they are not farmed.
0:45:48 > 0:45:52So this is marinaded in a spice called zhug from the Yemen,
0:45:52 > 0:45:54which is one of my favourites,
0:45:54 > 0:45:57it's kind of a Middle Eastern curry type spice blend.
0:45:57 > 0:46:00I recognise curry. Curry can make anything taste good.
0:46:00 > 0:46:04The cooking is as dramatic as the ingredients!
0:46:04 > 0:46:09Dan fries up his crocodile dolmades and the alpaca is ready to go.
0:46:10 > 0:46:14As you can see, the meat has completely almost pureed.
0:46:14 > 0:46:18This isn't supposed to be a stew, it's...
0:46:18 > 0:46:20It's more similar to a pate or something like that,
0:46:20 > 0:46:21that kind of consistency.
0:46:21 > 0:46:26- Nice! That just leaves one last course.- Erm...
0:46:26 > 0:46:28Here we've got locusts and crickets,
0:46:28 > 0:46:31which I'm going to fry up with chilli, galangal, garlic,
0:46:31 > 0:46:34sauce and that will go on top of the salad.
0:46:34 > 0:46:38He just slipped that one in, didn't he? Crickets and locusts!
0:46:38 > 0:46:40It's a brave soul that has a go at them.
0:46:40 > 0:46:43In many of the countries these are eaten in,
0:46:43 > 0:46:46normally they will just fry them up with some flavour, eat that,
0:46:46 > 0:46:51but what we do to make them more palatable is we bake them, almost
0:46:51 > 0:46:56dehydrate them in the oven first, which makes them dryer and crispier.
0:46:56 > 0:47:00It is almost like eating pork scratching or something like that.
0:47:00 > 0:47:02As far as I know, more than 60 percent of the world's
0:47:02 > 0:47:06population eat insects regularly, and out of the two, the locust
0:47:06 > 0:47:10is more acceptable, the cricket is a bit more unusual.
0:47:10 > 0:47:13Yes, locusts are perfectly normal eating, Dan!
0:47:15 > 0:47:18I think I'll have mine medium rare, please.
0:47:19 > 0:47:20Lovely.
0:47:22 > 0:47:23Well, dinner's ready!
0:47:23 > 0:47:27Let me just get this straight - we've got crocodile in vine leaves,
0:47:27 > 0:47:32alpaca stew, kangaroo curry with locust and cricket for afters.
0:47:32 > 0:47:33Right you are.
0:47:33 > 0:47:36I'm quite looking forward to revisiting some of these.
0:47:36 > 0:47:38Unfortunately, it is not us eating it,
0:47:38 > 0:47:42but the International Food And Wine Society are.
0:47:42 > 0:47:44I hope they know what they are in for.
0:47:44 > 0:47:49We go for classic French and Italian, English sometimes,
0:47:49 > 0:47:55maybe the occasional Chinese, but for the most part we are fairly conservative.
0:47:55 > 0:47:57Has he seen the menu?
0:47:57 > 0:48:02I've never come across alpaca before on the menu, and I can't wait to try it.
0:48:03 > 0:48:06Well, first up you've got to get past the crocodile.
0:48:12 > 0:48:17It's very nice, actually. A bit lighter than I expected it to be.
0:48:17 > 0:48:18A little bit fishier.
0:48:18 > 0:48:19Interesting!
0:48:22 > 0:48:25Kangaroo, I've taken in my stride.
0:48:25 > 0:48:30Well, Skippy is a hit too - maybe there's something to it after all.
0:48:30 > 0:48:33What about the old clothes?
0:48:33 > 0:48:35This is beautiful.
0:48:35 > 0:48:37This is...mmm.
0:48:37 > 0:48:41Think she likes it. But, oh dear, what will they make of the insects?
0:48:43 > 0:48:46First time I ate an insect when I was a child, it was raw
0:48:46 > 0:48:50and jumping around, so I'm quite looking forward to trying it.
0:48:50 > 0:48:51Right.
0:48:51 > 0:48:57- Stand by.- Oh, that is very crunchy.
0:48:58 > 0:49:02Tastes a lot better than it did when I was 10 years old.
0:49:02 > 0:49:07- They are actually really tasty and very nice.- Told you it was tasty.
0:49:07 > 0:49:09A very pleasant snack.
0:49:09 > 0:49:12The sort of thing if I had a little bag of them
0:49:12 > 0:49:14in the car I would quite happily eat.
0:49:14 > 0:49:18# I don't like cricket
0:49:20 > 0:49:22# I love it. #
0:49:22 > 0:49:26Well, that's all food for thought - they might be unusual ingredients,
0:49:26 > 0:49:29but all they get the thumbs-up from our diners.
0:49:29 > 0:49:34This meal is the most amazing fusion of different continents.
0:49:34 > 0:49:37South America, Africa, apparently, with the crocodile,
0:49:37 > 0:49:40the insects seem to be eaten on several continents,
0:49:40 > 0:49:47so you cannot place this, it is more than fusion, it is
0:49:47 > 0:49:49the whole experience, the whole world.
0:49:51 > 0:49:54These dishes are about as exotic as you get.
0:49:54 > 0:49:57And once you get past the fact you've never eaten them before,
0:49:57 > 0:50:02the rewards are more than just novelty eating. They're great food.
0:50:06 > 0:50:09There are some special dishes that you might eat on a night out,
0:50:09 > 0:50:13but would be intimidated from trying to make in your own kitchen.
0:50:13 > 0:50:16So we're going to demystify one school of food, that is
0:50:16 > 0:50:19a real treasure when you know how.
0:50:19 > 0:50:20- Sushi!- Sushi!
0:50:22 > 0:50:25It is a nourishing and tasty snack.
0:50:25 > 0:50:29Whoever thought of putting rice, raw fish, mustardy thing
0:50:29 > 0:50:33and ginger together with soya sauce, this taste explosion in your face.
0:50:33 > 0:50:34It is lovely.
0:50:35 > 0:50:37We're going to show you how
0:50:37 > 0:50:42to make a few sushi dishes that look fantastic, taste beautiful and are
0:50:42 > 0:50:46a bit fiddly, but a lot of fun and well worth it!
0:50:46 > 0:50:49Sushi starts with rice, in fact, sushi means rice,
0:50:49 > 0:50:52it does not mean raw fish. It is vinegar rice.
0:50:52 > 0:50:57It has taken us ages to get this right in a domestic environment,
0:50:57 > 0:51:01this seems like a faff with your rice, but it works.
0:51:01 > 0:51:04This is Japanese sushi rice.
0:51:04 > 0:51:11It is a short grain rice, it is a bit sticky, a bit firm. It is just right.
0:51:11 > 0:51:15It needs treating with respect. First off, the washing process.
0:51:15 > 0:51:18You wash it not once but thrice.
0:51:20 > 0:51:22Right, we will just leave that to stand now.
0:51:24 > 0:51:27Now we need to boil up some water, with - if you can find it -
0:51:27 > 0:51:28some kombu seaweed.
0:51:30 > 0:51:38We pop the rice in, stir it once, put the lid on,
0:51:38 > 0:51:40bring it to the boil, simmer for 10 minutes.
0:51:40 > 0:51:44Whilst that's cooking, we need to make some rice dressing.
0:51:44 > 0:51:48We start with rice vinegar. 200 millilitres of vinegar.
0:51:51 > 0:51:57Put that in a pan, into that vinegar we want four tablespoons of sugar
0:51:57 > 0:52:00and four teaspoons of salt.
0:52:00 > 0:52:03Heat that up till it dissolves. It won't take long.
0:52:03 > 0:52:07Set aside for it to cool. This is what we dress the rice with.
0:52:07 > 0:52:11After ten minutes, the rice should have absorbed all the water.
0:52:11 > 0:52:16We turn the heat off, and we leave that for 20 minutes,
0:52:16 > 0:52:18just to settle in its own steam.
0:52:18 > 0:52:20Don't take the lid off.
0:52:20 > 0:52:22Cup of tea.
0:52:28 > 0:52:30Right, the time has come, the rice is done.
0:52:32 > 0:52:36Using a wooden rice paddle, you put the rice into the bowl.
0:52:36 > 0:52:38As you can see, it is cooked through.
0:52:38 > 0:52:42There is no water in the bottom and no mess.
0:52:42 > 0:52:44Now, let's dress the rice.
0:52:44 > 0:52:47Basically, you sprinkle it over the rice.
0:52:47 > 0:52:49Cut it through with a slicing motion,
0:52:49 > 0:52:52but hopefully not mashing the hot rice.
0:52:53 > 0:52:54And then it's got to be cooled.
0:52:54 > 0:52:57Not in the fridge, but with a fan.
0:52:57 > 0:52:59This process is known as pearlising the rice.
0:52:59 > 0:53:03It kind of produces this sheen on the rice, so you
0:53:03 > 0:53:08want 10 minutes like this, then using the rice paddle, turn the rice over.
0:53:08 > 0:53:14Fan for 2 minutes, turn it over for 2 minutes,
0:53:14 > 0:53:16then it should be fine to use.
0:53:16 > 0:53:19Done this at home sometimes, I've just put an electric fan there,
0:53:19 > 0:53:21but it's not right, really, is it?
0:53:21 > 0:53:24- It is wrong.- It is perfect.
0:53:25 > 0:53:28Now, you're probably wondering what Japanese sushi has to do with
0:53:28 > 0:53:33Best Of British - meet British scientist Kathleen Drew-Baker.
0:53:34 > 0:53:37In the 1940s, she did a lot of work in ways of developing
0:53:37 > 0:53:39the cultivation of nori seaweed.
0:53:39 > 0:53:43Nori seaweed is the seaweed that becomes these sheets that you
0:53:43 > 0:53:45roll your sushi rolls in.
0:53:45 > 0:53:49She developed loads of ways of making nori seaweed which in turn led
0:53:49 > 0:53:54to sushi becoming more available and more popular, and indeed, April 14
0:53:54 > 0:53:57in Japan is a day dedicated to her,
0:53:57 > 0:54:00and they call her the mother of the sea.
0:54:01 > 0:54:05In honour of Kathleen, we're going to make some nori rolls.
0:54:06 > 0:54:09How's that rice coming along, Kingy?
0:54:09 > 0:54:11That's got to be 10 minutes by now.
0:54:14 > 0:54:15Look at that. Stick.
0:54:18 > 0:54:20Oh.
0:54:20 > 0:54:22- That's the sushi rice we know and love.- That is it.
0:54:22 > 0:54:24It is absolutely perfect.
0:54:26 > 0:54:29Take a sheet of nori seaweed and cut it into strips,
0:54:29 > 0:54:33then cover your bamboo rolling mat in clingfilm.
0:54:33 > 0:54:37Take your nori, now you start with the shining side down.
0:54:38 > 0:54:40Now we want to cover, this is a narrow roll.
0:54:42 > 0:54:45Up to there with the rice, about two centimetres.
0:54:46 > 0:54:48Do not put too much rice in.
0:54:48 > 0:54:51Got a good stick but every grain is separate.
0:54:53 > 0:54:55Just a little smidgen of wasabi.
0:54:55 > 0:54:59Wasabi is a Japanese relative of horseradish and be careful,
0:54:59 > 0:55:01it is powerful stuff.
0:55:01 > 0:55:04You don't want to create a pocket of wasabi or it will give
0:55:04 > 0:55:06somebody a dreadful fright.
0:55:06 > 0:55:09Next, add some sliced raw salmon and cucumber.
0:55:12 > 0:55:16I've just wet that edge, because I want this to form a seal.
0:55:18 > 0:55:20Roll it, try and keep that in the middle.
0:55:23 > 0:55:25I will turn it over.
0:55:28 > 0:55:29Keep it tight.
0:55:31 > 0:55:33With your mat, squeeze it like so.
0:55:34 > 0:55:36And...your nori roll.
0:55:36 > 0:55:40Just cut into bite-size rolls.
0:55:44 > 0:55:47Again, these are fresh and sticky.
0:55:47 > 0:55:52A million miles away from the supermarket dried-up stuff.
0:55:53 > 0:55:57Another variation using nori seaweed is gunboat sushi.
0:55:57 > 0:56:01Simply make a patty of rice, wrap a strip of nori around it,
0:56:01 > 0:56:04and then fill it with salmon or herring roe.
0:56:10 > 0:56:14For nigiri, or finger sushi, create an elongated patty of rice.
0:56:15 > 0:56:22Take your third finger and your thumb, like so,
0:56:22 > 0:56:25and you make the shape of a patty.
0:56:25 > 0:56:27To go on top we've got tuna, salmon,
0:56:27 > 0:56:31and some king prawns on skewers, which I'm going to poach in a
0:56:31 > 0:56:33flavoursome mixture of 2 tablespoons of sake,
0:56:33 > 0:56:36and 500 mls of water.
0:56:36 > 0:56:38This will sweeten the prawns up even more.
0:56:38 > 0:56:40It come to the boil, put them in at once,
0:56:40 > 0:56:42so they cook all the same time.
0:56:42 > 0:56:44Instantly they start to change colour.
0:56:46 > 0:56:49- 1 minute.- Out they come.
0:56:54 > 0:56:56Now place a dot of wasabi.
0:56:58 > 0:57:03Take a piece of fish, this lovely tuna, put it on top like so,
0:57:03 > 0:57:06and again, take it back to your hand, third finger and thumb,
0:57:06 > 0:57:10and kind of shape the fish around the rice patty.
0:57:10 > 0:57:12It is the first finger sushi.
0:57:14 > 0:57:18Nigiri sushi is like handmade sushi.
0:57:18 > 0:57:23It first started in the 1820s at a sushi stall in Japan
0:57:23 > 0:57:26when they used to make the rice in a mould.
0:57:28 > 0:57:33The fellow was in a hurry, customers waiting, so he formed it by hand.
0:57:33 > 0:57:37Put the fish on top, as simple as that. It caught on.
0:57:37 > 0:57:41But nigiri sushi, they say, never eat with chopsticks,
0:57:41 > 0:57:43always with your finger.
0:57:43 > 0:57:45Happy days.
0:57:45 > 0:57:49- And that is home-made nigiri sushi. - How beautiful does that look?
0:57:49 > 0:57:55All right, but get your rice right. The rest of it is culinary macrame.
0:58:03 > 0:58:09- They are just fresh. That rice is sweet, it is savoury.- Fantastic.
0:58:10 > 0:58:15This is the epitome of exotic. Fabulous.
0:58:19 > 0:58:23Exotic foods are jewels of delight in British cuisine,
0:58:23 > 0:58:27that make eating so exciting and adventurous.
0:58:27 > 0:58:28And once you give them a go,
0:58:28 > 0:58:31they offer tastes you'll never forget.
0:58:31 > 0:58:34If you want to know more about the recipes in this programme,
0:58:34 > 0:58:36log on to our website to find out more.
0:58:43 > 0:58:47Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd