A Folk Tale of Vikings and Yorkshire Puddings

How one county explains a culinary tradition.

A Fabulous Folk Tale

Yorkshire puddings are famous across the Anglosphere. For the uninitiated, these are baked puddings of varying sizes made from eggs, flour, and milk.

They are named after their supposed origin — Yorkshire, UK. Although the largest county in the UK, Yorkshire maintains an eminent rivalry with Lancashire, its smaller westerly neighbor. This conflict peaked in the medieval English Civil War when Houses from both regions fought for the English Crown.

Yorkshire Puddings are served as a vital accompaniment to a roast dinner, and even with jam as a dessert. But in Yorkshire, they are always eaten as a starter. Why? The fabulous folk tale below reveals all.

Pudding and Plunder

Way back in the annals of history, Yorkshire was the prime target for Viking raiders. These vagrants attacked coastal settlements, which they could easily reach with their longboats. Many inland villages thought they were safe. Unfortunately for one settlement, on this particular day, this was not the case. It was Sunday, at noon, and a Viking band had encountered so little resistance on the coast they headed onto Yorkshire’s unspoiled moorland to attack the poorly defended villages within.
By the time this unscrupulous band of raiders reached our little village, however, they were tired and hungry from their morning’s ‘work’. This tiny little hamlet would be easy pickings, and then Vikings could look forward to a well-earned afternoon rest.

So the Vikings headed into the village, with small groups of one or two heading to each house. The ladies of this isolated spot had heard nothing of the invasion, and upon seeing the rather bedraggled men entering their homes, simply thought they were visitors expecting a Sunday lunch. Such weary travelers could never be refused a meal.

As it was lunch-time the ladies brought out the Sunday dinner, which the Viking had arrived just in time to sample. Each man recieved generous helpings of meat, vegetables, and Yorkshire puddings. Confused by the situation, the Vikings decided to sit down and eat — they were hungry after all.

After Dinner

After eating their meals, rather than pillaging the village, the Vikings convened outside the houses for a discussion. With their swords firmly within their scabbards, they turned to the villagers.

“Do you have more Yorkshire puddings?”, they said.

The townsfolk, now aware that these were not simply travelers, duly obliged. They cooked Yorkshire puddings until they ran out of ingredients, and the Vikings ate the lot. After their planned afternoon rest, the Vikings said they would prepare for more raiding. This concerned the villagers, but one woman had an idea. She walked towards the leader of the group and spoke.

‘Over West, there is a place called Lancashire. There are many villages to be raided, and no-one there can make Yorkshire puddings like we can.’

Hearing this, the Vikings decided to spare the village and headed west. Following this incident, the townsfolk made sure to eat the Yorkshire puddings as a starter in the future, just in case any more Vikings turned up.