Rag Pudding
Encyclopedia
Oldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amid the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock, south-southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of the city of Manchester...
, and popular throughout North West England
North West England
North West England, informally known as The North West, is one of the nine official regions of England.North West England had a 2006 estimated population of 6,853,201 the third most populated region after London and the South East...
. A traditional Rag Pudding broadly consists of minced meat
Minced meat
Minced meat may refer to:* Ground meat, meat that has been minced or groundMinced meat may be confused with:* Mincemeat, a mixture of dried fruit and spices, commonly does not contain any meat...
and onions wrapped in a suet
Suet
Suet is raw beef or mutton fat, especially the hard fat found around the loins and kidneys.Suet has a melting point of between 45° and 50°C and congelation between 37° and 40°C....
pastry which is then boiled or steamed http://www.globalguide.org/index.html?id=44422.
The term 'Rag Pudding' comes from the way in which it is prepared, i.e., the contents were traditionally wrapped in a muslin cloth know colloquially as a rag for cooking. This cooking process was made popular, particularly in Lancashire where the cotton trade flourished, as scraps of cotton cloth were readily available to use as the "Rag". Most modern-day rag puddings are the 'boil in the bag' types.
Rag Puddings are more likely to be found in traditional local butcher's shops rather than supermarkets. They can also be found in some of the more traditional Lancashire Fish and Chip shops. Rag Pudding is commonly associated in being the dish of 'Oldham', with the food being popular there.
Common accompaniments to Rag Puddings are chips, mushy peas
Mushy peas
Mushy peas are dried marrowfat peas which are first soaked overnight in water and then simmered with a little sugar and salt until they form a thick green lumpy soup. They are a traditional British accompaniment to fish and chips and sometimes mint is used as a flavouring...
and gravy
Gravy
Gravy is a sauce made often from the juices that run naturally from meat or vegetables during cooking. In North America the term can refer to a wider variety of sauces and gravy is often thicker than in Britain...
.