British Oaty Apple Crumble Is Richer Than a Traditional Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is apple crumble American or British? ›

Apple crumble is a British pudding similar to the apple crisp that originated during World War II food rationing. The crumble topping is made of butter, flour, and brown sugar rolled together so that it resembles breadcrumbs.

Like an apple crisp, an apple crumble is a baked fruit dessert with a layer of topping. But unlike the crisp, the crumble topping rarely includes oats or nuts. Instead, a crumble's topping is more like streusel, made with flour, sugar and butter.

Crumbles in varying forms are common in Britain, Ireland, and across the Commonwealth of Nations. While the dish is also found in the US, a similar dessert known as an "apple crisp" bears the same name in American English.

History of apple crumble

Apple crumble was probably invented in the 1940s as an alternative to traditional apple pie. Because of the war, it was harder to get the ingredients for pastry (flour and butter),so instead people made a little 'crumble' from fat and flour and just sprinkled it on top of the stewed fruit.

The difference comes down to the seasoning — and the apples

While Brits sometimes put cinnamon in apple pie, Hollywood told us it's not a mandatory ingredient over there like it is in the U.S.: "I don't think my mum put it in; my mum just used a little bit of sugar and apple. I don't remember at all having cinnamon."

The origins of apple crumble can be traced back to the early 20th century when it was first mentioned in British cookbooks as a popular dessert. During World War II, food shortages led to a shortage of pastry ingredients, and apple crumble became a popular alternative to apple pie, which required more ingredients.

Crisp/crumble: In Alberta, the terms are mostly interchangeable. Both refer to fruit desserts similar to cobbler but made with a brown sugar streusel topping sometimes containing old-fashioned rolled oats. The crisp/crumble is then baked until browned and crisp, as the name suggests.

to break into small pieces: [ I ] That old wall is starting to crumble. (Definition of crumble from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

A brown betty is similar to a crisp or crumble, except the topping is layered into the fruit mixture before baking for an intensely crunchy effect. Food Network Kitchen's Grilled Rhubarb Brown Betty is warm, sweet and super-crisp — excellent when served with a scoop of strawberry ice cream.

A crumble is just a crisp without oats in the streusel. It may feature nuts, but the streusel topping is usually a simple combination of butter, flour, and sugar that is more clumpy than that of a crisp.

Do they eat crumble in America? ›

It may even be an American import of sorts (where it is known as apple crisp), given the earliest print recipes for the crisp-slash-crumble are both found in US cookbooks, in 1924 or 1950, depending on who you Google.

The best source of protein, carbs, and lipids is apple crumble. Additionally, this dessert is a great option for weight management because it has a low caloric content. Due to the inclusion of apples, this dessert also contains healthy fats, a good amount of water, calcium, magnesium, and potassium.

Rather than the good old US-of-A, apple pie as we know it first originated in England, where it developed from culinary influences from France, the Netherlands, and even the Ottoman Empire. In fact, apple trees weren't even native to North America until the Europeans arrived.

If I had to pick one quintessentially British food, it would have to be apple pie. It's one of the best and most popular winter desserts and a reminder of the comfort and warmth of Grandma's kitchen range.