Cauliflower cheese
 | This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. (December 2012) |
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| Main ingredients | Cauliflower, cheese |
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Cauliflower cheese, is a traditional English dish. It is usually eaten as a side dish alongside Sunday Roast.
Cauliflower cheese consists of pieces of cauliflower which are initially steamed and covered with a sauce made using butter, flour, milk and mature cheddar cheese, occasionally the sauce is enhanced with English mustard. The dish is topped with grated cheese (sometimes mixed with bread crumbs) and baked in the oven for about 30 minutes before serving.
History
Cauliflower is thought to originate from Kythrea in Cyprus, which historically was a former British Colony. Béchamel sauce was used extensively in Cypriot cooking of the 19th Century and the early 20th Century. Anglocypriots claim to have introduced the dish to the UK. Cauliflower was said to have been introduced to the west during the French Lusignan rule of Cyprus. The Old French word for Cauliflower is chou de Chypre (Cyprus cabbage).
There is a recipe for cauliflower with Parmesan cheese in Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management, first published in 1861. In the 19th and 20th centuries the dish was often served as an accompaniment to the roast meat and potatoes that were eaten for the traditional Sunday lunch, normally in the winter months.
In the UK, cauliflower cheese is now widely produced as a vegetarian ready meal, and is also popular as a pre-prepared baby food.
