Most underrated foods? Basic or fancy.

[Yello24]

I love reading about the history of food and recipes and how we ended up eating what we do. Along the way some foods have become commonplace and some are sought after and celebrated (mostly because expensive).

I am here to celebrate the pea. That pretty and delicate little green ball that I can’t believe comes in giant bags for £1.50. How is it so cheap? Why don’t people appreciate it? A dish of peas with butter and mint is divine. They are so delicious and delicate and pretty. Did people appreciate them properly when they had to remove them from their pods and could only eat them fresh for a couple of weeks?

Other things that absolutely punch are sesame oil, sumac, balsamic vinegar. Why are they not more expensive?!

Runner beans are one of the few seasonal vegetables left, they appear in shops then go again. I quite enjoy top and tailing them!

I hate peas. I think it's because the accompanied almost every dinner when I was growing up. Boiled peas, never quite drained enough.

I do really enjoy soft butter head lettuce. They taste so gentle, a soft roll with ham, butter head lettuce and a little bit of mayonnaise is like going back in time to summer lunches in the garden when I was little.

I've just discovered how incredible sweetheart cabbage is when roasted in chunks in the oven.

Snowball Melons! Oh my! I’ve eaten my weight in them.

Another egg fan.

I love them in any form, but my favourite at the moment is a soft omelette with grated carrot, spring onion, and baby red pepper. It’s like eating sunshine.

Runny poached egg on toast with real butter

I think a lot of us detest cabbage on the basis of the boiled to death slime dishes up ala 70s school dinners
Don't mind it raw in a salad.

But nobody's mentioned custard yet. Food of the gods especially with a side of syrup sponge pudding.

Buttered breaddipped in a runny egg yolk or beans . Egg bread

Freshly boiled hot beetroot is fantastic. Earthy yet somehow fragrant, sweet and mild all at once. Bears no resemblance to its poor relation, the pickled or vacuum packed version.

My mum used to simply serve them in a bowl, so hot we could barely touch them, and we’d peel them and gobble them down.

Egg
Lemon

Grains like freekeh and pearl barley. I have them instead of rice or pasta.

Broad beans and runner beans - home grown not supermarket ones.

Potatoes:
Mashed
Roast
Boiled
Parmentier
Chips
Dauphinois
Duchesse
Sliced and roast with olive pil, oregano and parmesan
Baked
Potato bake with onion, bacon and cheese sauce and served as a main with carrots and cabbage

Whites, reds, edwards, maris piper, jersey royal, anya, etc.

New: roasted in their skins, boiled and served hot with butter and herbs, cold in a potato salad, sliced cold and fried in olive oil

Dug fresh from the garden, they cook twoce as quickly as shop bought.

Quinoa instead of pasta and rice, or in a bowl with 2 poached eggs which reminds me, fresh kipper from the fisherman's hut topped with poached egg and white bread and and butter

What is a snowball melon? I love melon of any kind so I must try this one.

Fiji apples and Korean pears for me, absolutely adore them.

Yeah I gathered over the years Brits have canbage (and other veg) trauma from that period🙈 From what I heard, I understand!

My granny grew potatoes and we had them boiled with mint (also from her garden) and served with butter. God, they were glorious.

Lea and Perrins (or Henderson’s if you are of a South Yorkshire persuasion). I use it in ALOT of things and it always makes everything taste better.

Eggs. I love them. Even when it was fashionable to avoid them I ate loads.

I'm not a huge cabbage fan but I make an honorable exception for savoy, which is designed by nature to hold its own weight in gravy and melted butter.

Greengages are the un-cool cousin of the plum, but they're tasty!

I am a big fan of fruit plucked straight from the tree/hedge/plant, so green apples from the tree at the top of the lane, gooseberries (wild or otherwise), blackcurrants, blackberries (although this year's were a watery disappointment).

In terms of cooked food, stodgy British puddings (syrup sponge, sticky toffee, spotted dick) drowned in custard, or carrot mash (potatoes, carrots, milk and butter). Yum!

Also, jam and coconut sponge cake. I had some this weekend.

@Flannelfeet Snowball Melons are white. I buy mine in Sainsburys. Never ever had a tasteless one, the skins are really thin so you get loads and loads of juiciness.

Oh my, this is indeed a blessed thread, thank you so much OP for starting it and PP for contributing!

I have Covid atm and have zero appetite; your posts are the closest I’ve come to enjoying food in a week

Popcorn!!!!

Home done. Your pan .the first pops.

Amazing! :)

Oh i need to look for these next time im in sainsbury's, they sound delicious. Thank you.

A honey mango. Oh my days.
Heaven on earth.

Kale or baby spinach. Home grown.
Kale finely shredded.
knob of butter, wilt, lots of black pepper.
Delish!