The origins of the British Sunday roast reportedly date back as far as the 15th century, but the ritual—which is enjoyed across the United Kingdom and Ireland—became popular in the 19th century. During that era of rapid industrialization, meat (and fuel for cooking it) became widely affordable for the first time. At its core, the Sunday roast is a family-centered event, though the food is important, too: There will typically be a roast beef on the table, along with Yorkshire pudding, gravy, potatoes, and a range of roasted vegetables.
Admittedly, I didn’t grow up eating a traditional Sunday roast—there were never Yorkshire puddings or peas on our table, and we usually preferred oniony, fall-apart-tender brisket to a bone-in rib roast—but the custom of a weekly meal shared with family is definitely one I can get behind. Every Sunday, my parents, sister, and I would go to my grandparents’ house for dinner, where we’d eat red sauce spaghetti with Italian sausage and mushrooms, barbecued hamburgers and hot dogs in the summer, and (if it was one of our birthdays) fried fish followed by pie or lemon cake.