For centuries, residents of the British Isles have found culinary comfort in the mysterious golden chemistry of the Yorkshire pudding.
The versatile doughy pockets have been used as an accompaniment to a variety of dishes, but they are best known as a vital component of the traditional Sunday roast.
With their deep puffy hollows and gilded crenellations, the Yorskhire pudding’s success lies in its simple magic – wrought from nothing more than flour, eggs and milk, the batter is bunged into the oven, and what emerges is a lumpen, crispy beacon of British cookery.
They first became popular after wheat flour began to become commonly used in the production of cakes and puddings, and there were various recipes from the 18th century which advised on how to create them at home. Early variations included a 1737 recipe for “dripping pudding”.
But the Yorkshire pudding surged to fame and gained its name ten years later, with the 1747 publication of the book The Art of Cookery made Plain and Easy, by Hannah Glasse.
Glasse, who has previously been described as “the first domestic goddess”, and even “the mother of the modern dinner party”, saw immediate success upon the publication of her book, which saw a reprint in its first year, and then remain in print for almost a century in over 20 editions.
The book’s cover did not reveal Glasse as the author, but instead mysteriously stated it was “By a Lady”.
Despite the success of the work, Glasse did not prosper for long after the initial publication. In 1754, she became bankrupt and was forced to auction her most prized asset – the copyright to the book.
In 1757 she was consigned to debtors’ prison, but released later that year, when she registered shares in a book she’d written in 1755 The Compleat Confectioner – it was also reprinted several times, but did not enjoy the same levels of success as The Art of Cookery made Plain and Easy.
Glasse died in September 1770 aged 62. Her contribution to the success of the Yorkshire pudding has been recognised in a Google doodle.
HANNAH Glasse is hardly a name synonymous with celebrity chefs - but the British cook was one of the first.
Here's why the cookbook author is being celebrated with a Google Doodle on what would have been her 310th birthday.
Google Hannah Glasse’s 310th Birthday is marked by this Google doodle
Who was Hannah Glasse?
Born on March 28 1708, Glasse would go on to be a English cook who penned and recorded for the first time the most popular dishes of the 18th century in a pioneering book.
It was published in 1747 and was called The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy.
But it wasn’t just any recipe book - it was one of the first designed for normal people.
It’s easy-to-read conversational style made it a bestseller.
And it has remained a significant piece of work because it contains one of the earliest recipes for Yorkshire puddings - a staple of the classic roast dinner.
The book has seen Glasse described as "the mother of the modern dinner party" with her book remaining in print for nearly a hundred years.
Glasse lived to the age of 62, and despite the success of her book suffered severe financial difficulties for much of her life.
Hannah Glasse was born 310 years ago and has been further immortalised for a day
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What is a Google Doodle?
In 1998, the search engine founders Larry and Sergey drew a stick figure behind the second 'o' of Google as a message to that they were out of office at the Burning Man festival and with that, Google Doodles were born.
The company decided that they should decorate the logo to mark cultural moments and it soon became clear that users really enjoyed the change to the Google homepage.
Google Google celebrated the Autumn Equinox with a themed doodle
In that same year, a turkey was added to Thanksgiving and two pumpkins appeared as the 'o's for Halloween the following year.
Now, there is a full team of doodlers, illustrators, graphic designers, animators and classically trained artists who help create what you see on those days.
Among the Doodles published recently were ones commemorating German scientist Robert Koch, Jan Ingenhousz (who discovered photosynthesis) and the 50th anniversary of kids coding languages being introduced.
In 2017, the search giant celebrated the Autumn Equinox , which marked the official ending of summer and the coming of autumn.
If the thought of Yorkshire pudding and gooseberry fool makes your mouth water, you have Hannah Glasse to thank for making these two delectable dishes staples in English cuisine. Born on this day in 1708, Glasse was a pioneering English cook and author of the most popular cookbook of the 18th century. Published in 1747, The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy was unique; it was one of the first cookbooks written in a simple and conversational style, which meant that any English speaker and reader – regardless of their class – could learn how to cook.
Glasse’s cookbook was popular not only because it was easy to read, but also because of its massive scope. It included a whopping 972 recipes, covering everything from puddings and soups, to what to serve at Lent, to preparing food for the sick.
Today’s Doodle features Glasse whipping up a batch of classic Yorkshire puddings. Her recipe for Yorkshire pudding, among many others, is one of the earliest known ever published.
Happy 310th birthday, Hannah Glasse!
Illustration by Matthew Cruickshank
