Editing Yorkshire pudding (section)

==History==
[[File:Traditional.Sunday.Roast-01.jpg|thumb|Mini Yorkshire puddings, served as part of a traditional [[Sunday roast]]]]
[[File:YorkshirePudding.jpg|thumb|A Yorkshire pudding filled with mashed potato, beef, gravy and vegetables]]
[[File:Yorkies in cast iron frypan.JPG|thumb|Yorkshire pudding cooked in a {{convert|22|cm|in|abbr=on}} diameter cast-iron frying pan]]

When [[wheat flour]] began to come into common use for making [[cake]]s and [[pudding]]s, cooks in [[northern England]] ([[Yorkshire]]) devised a means of making use of the fat that dropped into the [[dripping]] pan to cook a batter pudding while the meat roasted. In 1737, a recipe for "a dripping pudding" was published in Sir Alexander William George Cassey's book ''The Whole Duty of a Woman'':<ref>{{cite book | last1 = Lady | first1 = A | first2 = William |last2 = Kenrick | title = The Whole Duty of a Woman | year = 1737 | location = London | pages =468–9 | url =https://archive.org/stream/wholedutyawoman00unkngoog#page/n477/mode/2up |access-date=7 December 2017 |via=archive.org}}</ref>

{{blockquote|Make a good batter as for [[pancake]]s; put in a hot toss-pan over the fire with a bit of butter to fry the bottom a little then put the pan and butter under a shoulder of [[mutton]], instead of a dripping pan, keeping frequently shaking it by the handle and it will be light and savoury, and fit to take up when your mutton is enough; then turn it in a dish and serve it hot.}}

Similar instructions were published during 1747 in the book ''[[The Art of Cookery made Plain and Easy]]'' by [[Hannah Glasse]], with the name 'Yorkshire pudding'. It was she who renamed the original version, known as Dripping Pudding, which had been cooked in England for centuries, although these puddings were much flatter than the puffy versions made in modern times.<ref>{{cite book | last=Glasse | first=Hannah| title=The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy | publisher=Applewood Books | date=1998 | orig-year=1747 |isbn=978-1-55709-462-9 }}</ref> William Sitwell suggests that the pudding got the name 'Yorkshire' due to the [[South Yorkshire Coalfield|region's]] association with [[coal]] and the higher temperatures this produced which helped to make the batter crisper.<ref>{{cite book|last=Sitwell|first=William|title=A History of Food in 100 Recipes|publisher=William Collins|year=2015|isbn=978-0-00-741200-6|page=136}}</ref>

Originally, the Yorkshire pudding was served as a first course with thick gravy to dull the appetite with the low-cost ingredients so that the diners would not eat so much of the more expensive meat in the next course.<ref name="food.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.food.com/recipe/old-england-traditional-roast-beef-and-yorkshire-pudding-263751|title=Old England Traditional Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding|publisher=food.com|access-date=15 October 2015}}</ref> Because the rich gravy from the roast meat drippings was used with the first course, the main meat and vegetable course was often served with a parsley or [[Béchamel sauce|white sauce]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Secret of a perfect Yorkshire pud |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/north_yorkshire/7729470.stm |work=[[BBC News]] |access-date=14 November 2008 |date=14 November 2008}}</ref> In poorer households, the pudding was often served as the only course. Using dripping,<ref>{{cite web |title=The history and origins of the Yorkshire Pudding |url=https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/Yorkshire-Pudding/ |access-date=26 June 2022 |website=Historic UK }}</ref> a simple meal was made with flour, eggs and milk. This was traditionally eaten with a gravy or sauce, to moisten the pudding.

The Yorkshire pudding is meant to rise. The [[Royal Society of Chemistry]] suggested in 2008 that "A Yorkshire pudding isn't a Yorkshire pudding if it is less than {{convert|4|in|cm|0|spell=in|disp=sqbr}} tall".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rsc.org/aboutus/news/pressreleases/2008/perfectyorkshire.asp |title=Yorkshire pudding must be four inches tall, chemists rule |date=12 November 2008 |publisher=Royal Society of Chemistry|access-date=8 January 2014}}</ref>