The History of the Sunday Roast Quiz

Answer: Meat, Yorkshire pudding, potatoes, gravy and several other vegetables such as carrots, cauliflower and peas

The humble Sunday roast consists of meat and potatoes, as well as several different vegetables, which may include, (though is not limited to), carrots, cauliflower, cabbage, parsnip, swede and peas. The dish usually includes a Yorkshire pudding, and is nearly always topped off with lashings and lashings of thick gravy. Though beef is the meat most commonly associated with the Sunday roast, chicken, lamb and pork can all be used instead, while there is also the nut roast on offer for vegetarians.

Answer: Yes

The Sunday roast has several different names, including 'Sunday lunch', 'Sunday joint' and 'Sunday dinner', and all are used frequently by the populace of the United Kingdom. Though the Sunday roast is traditionally eaten during the early afternoon, hence the development of the term 'Sunday lunch', many families have their own Sunday tradition, and thus many eat later on in the day, around 6pm, leading to the widespread usage of the term 'Sunday dinner'. Over time each of these terms have come to stand for the 'Sunday roast', irrespective of the time of day that the meal is eaten.

As for the term, 'Sunday joint', the latter word simply refers to the large side of meat that is commonly used for this Sunday meal.

Answer: Friday

In August 2007, the British newspaper, "The Observer", published an article claiming that Friday had overtaken Sunday as the day that most families sat down and ate a hearty meal together. The article, entitled "How Friday saved the Sunday roast", claimed that in 1961 around 12.7 million people sat down together to eat a Sunday roast, but by 2007 this number had halved, to "just over six million".

However the article also insisted that the ritual of sitting down and having a Sunday roast with the family had not died out, and had instead, been reinvented.

It does indeed seem, according to research conducted by the Future Foundation and the Institute for Social and Economic Research for Gallo Family Vineyards, that the custom has been revived, so that it is now far more common than ever before for families to get together to eat their roast on a Friday evening. One of the main reasons for this is the change in the way people now view Sunday, which is no longer considered by many to be a day of rest, but rather an opportunity to socialise or catch up on work.

Answer: Yorkshire

The roots of the traditional Sunday roast are believed by many to have originated in the English county of Yorkshire, during the Industrial Revolution. On Sundays, families found that leaving meat to roast in the hearth of their fireplaces while they were at church resulted in a roasted, juicy and tender piece of meat, and as a result a new Sunday roast ritual was born.

However there is also another theory, which claims that the humble roast was around even earlier than the Industrial Revolution, as far back as the medieval age. This theory claims that the serfs who worked on the land were rewarded with this hearty meal on Sundays, courtesy of their rich masters.

Answer: Rosbifs

Originally, the term 'rosbif' referred to a popular way of cooking, and according to linguistic expert, Professor Richard Coates, "became a mark of the Englishman as far as the French were concerned in the 18th century". In addition to this, there is the obvious link with the English word 'roast beef', which was originally, an essential ingredient in the Sunday roast, which also went hand in hand with the cooking method of roasting.

Indeed roasting and roast beef are tied to the Sunday roast, which is now inextricably linked to not only England's national identity, but also to that of the UK as a whole.

Answer: Henry Fielding

Historically, the humble roast beef has been a symbol of UK national identity, and this is particularly clear in the patriotic ballad written by English author, Henry Fielding. Fielding, who lived in the first half of the eighteenth-century, wrote "The Roast Beef of Old England" for his 1731 play, "The Grub-Street Opera", which revolved around two men's pursuit of multiple women, and had a heavy moralistic undertone.

The ballad itself went on to be tremendously popular, and further lyrics were added to it over the years. Starting with "When mighty Roast Beef was/ the Englishman's food/ It ennobled our brains and enriched/ our blood", Fielding's ballad more than emphasised the British's love of roast beef, and the importance and benefits associated with it.

Answer: Beefeaters

The Yeomen Warders of the Tower of London are ceremonial guardians, who were originally responsible for protecting the Crown Jewels and safeguarding the prisoners housed in the Tower. However by the twenty-first century their role had changed and they became known more as tour guides. Created in 1485, by King Henry VII, the first Tudor monarch, they are easily identified by the distinctive Tudor rose that decorates their uniforms, which is a testament to their Tudor heritage. Affectionately known as 'Beefeaters', which is thought to be in reference to their right to consume as much beef as they wished from the King's table, they are required to have an honourable armed forces record, and to have completed at least twenty two years' service.

Answer: The Baker

Once roasting became a popular method of cooking meat in the UK, (which was thought to have occurred sometime around the early nineteenth-century), on Sundays households would leave their cuts of meat to roast in the hearth of their fireplaces, go off to church, and then return to find their meat roasted to perfection.

However not all households, especially the poorer members of society, had fireplaces that were large enough to handle a joint of meat. Therefore they utilised the cooling ovens of the local baker, and along with others like them, would deposit their joints of meat in these ovens, before going off to church.

This could only be done on a Sunday, for it was considered to be a day of rest, and so no bread was ever baked on a Sunday.

Answer: True

Incredibly, at least by modern-day standards, in his 1871 masterpiece, the "Cook's Oracle" (also known as "Apicius Redivivus"), food connoisseur William Kitchiner recommended eating a massive 3kg of meat per week. In addition to this, as part of a healthy diet he also recommended eating 2kg of bread and a pint of beer a day. By comparison, early twenty-first century recommendations insist on no more than 1.5kg of meat a week, and although daily recommended amounts of bread and other grains vary, none come close to Kitchiner's daily recommendation.

Indeed if one were to try and follow Kitchiner's example, they would have to eat nearly two whole loaves of bread a day. Yet it is worth pointing out that the meat roasted on a Sunday would be expected to last the whole week, and would have been made into stews and pies to feed the entire family.

Answer: Carvery

Should any newcomer to the British Isles wish to feast upon a glorious Sunday roast, they need only look out for the word 'Carvery'. Indeed while the Sunday roast can be found being served in a variety of different restaurants, (particularly on a Sunday), it is the Carvery that is likely to specialise in such a meal.

A firm favourite with the British public, the Carvery is big business on a Sunday, but many are often open throughout the working week as well. Chains such as the Toby Carvery can be found across the UK, and these are typically open seven days a week. Meanwhile, many pubs, bars and hotels offer a Carvery on the weekend, and this is traditionally when they do the bulk of their business.

As for the term 'Carvery', the word relates to the carving of meat, which is usually freshly sliced to order for each individual customer.