Before moving to the US, everyone I worked with always use to tell me how much I'd hate American baked beans. Baked beans to me are one of those things I could never skimp on and buy a shops own brand, it would always have to be Heinz. They are certainly a key cultural icon in the UK - I mean we have them for breakfast, lunch or tea. We all grew up with baked beans on toast, they go perfect with a slice or three of bacon and well they are fine on their own if we're honest and some would even admit to eating them cold.
It's funny how a tin of beans can become and reflect wider cultural impacts and experiences of food when you are an expat, when the things you've eaten for the last 25 odd years in my case suddenly change, hence why this blogger challenge post is about the baked bean, rather than a recipe, which I would normally do anyway. I'm shaking it up.
When you compare the two nations and there two versions of the baked bean, there is actually a far bit of a difference. In the US you'll find them much sweeter due to the inclusion of brown sugar and in variety of sauces and if we're getting observant different in colour. But many say the key difference is down to the tomato sauce - in the US it's certainly thinner, more watery and actually more expensive.
When you compare the two nations and there two versions of the baked bean, there is actually a far bit of a difference. In the US you'll find them much sweeter due to the inclusion of brown sugar and in variety of sauces and if we're getting observant different in colour. But many say the key difference is down to the tomato sauce - in the US it's certainly thinner, more watery and actually more expensive.
According to many an expat, baked beans of the British variety are one of the main food items us expat miss the most although they can be found in those British food sections in the import aisle although you'll probably have to fork out about $3-4 for a tin. Myself? Actually not, I oddly prefer the American variety because they are sweeter and yes the bacon pieces is my winning factor even thought it might only be a teeny tiny 1cm slice in the entire tin. But I think I'm one of the few British expats that prefer the American baked bean.
Custard on the other hand is another matter entirely ... American's can't do custard.
What are your thoughts and what do you love to have your baked beans with? If you've ever tried them, are you a lover or hater of the American baked bean? What would you miss if you moved countries?
Custard on the other hand is another matter entirely ... American's can't do custard.
What are your thoughts and what do you love to have your baked beans with? If you've ever tried them, are you a lover or hater of the American baked bean? What would you miss if you moved countries?
This post is the #6 in the 2014bloggerchallenge.