There are many old dishes in the UK that are hyper-regional, whose reach has never extended beyond geographical boundaries but remain much loved where they originated. Yorkshire curd tart is a good example: it is barely known beyond God’s own county (or God’s own four counties, which now technically make up what we think of as Yorkshire). There is no good reason for this – Yorkshire curd tart is just a delicious well-kept secret.
The tart enjoyed its heyday in the 17th century, when most families would have kept their own cow
It was traditionally baked for Whitsun, or Pentecost, the day the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus’s disciples. Curd tart is literally a moveable feast, as its date depends on that of Easter itself. It may look like (and is sometimes wrongly characterised as) a custard tart, but it’s really a cheesecake baked in pastry. This makes sense when you realise that the ‘curds’ in its name are Little Miss Muffet-style curds, as opposed to lemon curd.
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