Old Britons' Not Successful in Passing on Their Culinary Heritage

It looks like older Britons have not been successful in passing on their culinary heritage to the new generation, for according to a new survey, the nation's youngsters are completely clueless when it comes to their traditional foods.

According to the survey, young Britons are so ignorant about traditional foods that some regional delicacies risk being lost forever.

In the survey, about 2,000 people were given a list of 10 dishes from around the country and asked to choose a definition for each.

However, although the poll posed few problems for those over 45, more than half of the younger generation was baffled.

Haslet - a salted pork and offal dish - proved particularly tricky, with a quarter of those aged 18-24 identifying it as part of a morris dancer's attire.

They had similar difficulty identifying the Welsh delicacy of laverbread, with only 29 per cent aware that it was seaweed puree served with fried bacon.

A quarter assumed it was a loaf baked on volcanic rocks.

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A third of young adults questioned in the survey, commissioned by Country Living magazine, were under the impression that champ was part of a horse's bridle, rather than a creamy mash and spring onion dish.

Other sources of puzzlement included Cullen skink, stotty cake and bara brith.

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Haggis was the only regional speciality recognised by both young and old, with 99 per cent correctly identifying it.

"While we had a giggle at some of the answers chosen by young British people in this survey, it is a real cause for alarm," the Telegraph quoted Susy Smith, the editor of the magazine, as saying.

"Traditional foods are in danger of disappearing from the British dining table and if the next generation is not even aware of them then they certainly won't be buying and eating them," Smith said.

Source-ANI
SPH/L