New York Times thinks Yorkshire pudding is a dessert

Image copyright Getty Images

Image caption This is what Yorkshire puddings are supposed to look like

How would you like your Yorkshire pudding - with a mound of gravy or dollop of jam?

Confusion has reigned supreme on Twitter after the New York Times tweeted its version of a classic Yorkshire pudding - to be served with "syrup, preserves, confectioners' sugar or cinnamon sugar."

The "large, fluffy pancake" is apparently called a Dutch baby, and Twitter users have shown their scorn for the take on a northern classic.

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Twitter users were confounded by how anyone had not heard of a Yorkshire pudding in the first place, with at least one Twitter user "spitting feathers" at the very idea of calling a Yorkshire pudding by another name.

Another person labelled the Yorkshire pudding a "thing of beauty" and amassed more than 1,500 likes for her declaration that the batter-based dish "is not a dessert".

The official tourism Twitter account for York got in on the fun with a short letter to the New York Times welcoming them to Yorkshire for a pudding or two.

And BBC Breakfast presenter Dan Walker echoed the sentiments of many on Twitter by claiming that the recipe for Yorkshire puddings is "older than America".

According to Yorkshire food historian Peter Brears, the recipe first appeared in a book called The Art Of Cookery by Hannah Glasse in 1747.

History buffs and fans of the musical Hamilton will know that America was founded in 1776, so it is true that the Yorkshire pud pre-dates the Declaration of Independence by 29 years.

'Yorkshire pudding in pancake guise'

But there was yet one more wrinkle in the tale, as it turned out that British chef Nigella Lawson had beaten the New York Times to the punch with her own take on a Dutch baby.

Five days before the New York Times' contentious tweet, Nigella posted her own variant of the dish, advising readers to "think Yorkshire pudding in pancake guise".

She later explained that the dish is so-called because of its German-American roots.

"It's Dutch in the sense of Pennsylvania Dutch (from Deutsch)," she clarified on Twitter. "I didn't create it.

"Many cultures have batter puddings. I likened it to Yorkshire pudding by way of illustration."

By Tom Gerken, UGC & Social Hub