Local Food Traditions, History and Myths...

[buckytom]

one thing i would like to straighten out, for all of you new englanders, is manhattan style clam chowder, the red one, is not from new york at all. so get off our backs about how "it's not really chowdah" because it's red, and has a new york name.

it was actually an invention of portugese and spanish sailors, who had tomatoes on board their ships, so they added them to the local soups and chowders when docked in new england. thus, red clam chowder was born. it has since taken on a life of it's own, with many variations to the recipe, including removing much or all of the cream.

looking down their noses at this abomination of their favorite local culinary delight, the people of new england proclaimed it manhattan style chowder, disparaging it as they do all things south of them.

so, you see, it goes even farther back than the yankees and the sawx.

 

[Andy M.]

BT:

You may be right, but it's much more fun to pick on New Yorkers than anyone else. Go Sox!

 

[GB]

but it's much more fun to pick on New Yorkers than anyone else.

Unless you are picking on the New Jerseyites

 

[buckytom]

<< imitating being shot TWICE in the chest with arrows >>

thwap! thwap!!!

aaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!

 

[Andy M.]

Another one bites the dust!

 

[DugDbold]

New Jersey...

I saw GB mention New Jersey and it brought back an old memory. Back in the mid 70's I was a Purchasing Agent for General Electric. Part of that job was taking plant tours of any new vendor we were considering doing business with in the future. [tough job... ]

My only impression of New Jersey [being from Kentucky which is kinda off the beaten track] was Newark which I had passed through several times. But this one trip I headed out to a small town in western New Jersey. Wow, what a difference. Old New England stone fences, rushing streams, totally different environment.

Anyhow... to the food part.. We went to lunch at a restaurant that was only open during the summer. In the winter the owners went lived in Florida [tough duty huh? Anyhow, this turned out to be the last day before it closed for the season. So it seems they were cleaning out the pantry.

I ordered Welsh Rarebit and Corn Chowder. The Rarebit must have had 2 pounds of cheese on it and half a loaf of bread.... Corn Chowder I had never had and still have never seen it in a restaurant to this day. Not sure of the recipe [would like to have one] but it tasted like clam chowder without the clams [if that is possible ]

So how about it, who has a corn chowder recipe?

 

[DugDbold]

Kentucky Bourbon..

OK, while I'm here let me define one of Kentucky's true exclusives. Bourbon...


[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]As with French-appellation wines, there are strict laws governing just what a Bourbon must be to be labeled as such. For example, at least 51 percent of the grain used in making the whiskey must be corn (most distillers use 65 to 75 percent corn). Bourbon must be aged for a minimum of two years in new, white oak barrels that have been charred. Nothing can be added at bottling to enhance flavor, add sweetness or alter color. Though technically Bourbon can be made anywhere, Kentucky is the only state allowed to put its name on the bottle. And as Kentucky distillers are quick to point out, Bourbon is not Bourbon unless the label says so. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]... As the name implies, a single-barrel Bourbon, of which there are precious few, is a whiskey actually taken and bottled from one barrel. Small-batch Bourbons are whiskeys from a "batch" of barrels that have been mixed or mingled, as the distillers say, prior to bottling. For a common brand, the mingling batch could be as many as 200 barrels or more. In contrast, a mingle for a small batch might be 20 barrels or fewer. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]... Today, Bourbon barrels are charred to different degrees, ranked from one to four, depending on the depth of the bum. Single-barrel and small-batch Bourbons are usually aged in a three or four char barrel (moderate to heavy). The charring not only darkens the wood but also caramelizes some of the natural sugars in the oak. [/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]During the aging process, the whiskey is said to "breathe" in the barrel, expanding into the wood over the hotter months and contracting out of it in the winter. Since color and flavor are transferred to the Bourbon while it is in the wood, summer is the most important time in the warehouse. Distillers often refer to it as the "aging" season. Naturally, the longer a Bourbon is aged, the more flavor it takes from the wood. [/FONT]

And there are thousands of recipes that use it as an ingredient... of course I drink the ingredient while cooking....

 

[Ashley]

What's funny is I'm from northern KY and chili is chili there and what you call chili is i guess chili spaghetti, but not really b/c chili spaghetti is the kind of chili you get from skyline, without beans. Can anyone understand what i wrote.

Ok, did you know that Chili here [known as chilie] has spaghetti in it?

I have a very dear friend who I have known for 45 years. He is from Wisconsin. The first time we had his family over for dinner we had Chilie... They were amazed. In Kentucky it's made with spaghetti. The almost normal ingredients for chili con carne but then you add the spaghetti.

They quickly learned to be careful in restaurants. The words do not always translate as intended.

 

[CanadianMeg]

In my province, we have Saskatoon Berries which are fantastic! The purple Saskatoons are about the same size as wild blueberries, but taste nothing like any other berry. I adore them!

Where are the Alberta folks to say they have the best beef?

 

[buckytom]

the famous nyc egg cream contains no eggs and no cream. go figure.

historically, it was made with cream, but that was changed at some point to milk. and the drink was made frothy by using egg whites, but those were also eliminated, probably for health safety reasons.

so an egg cream is milk, chocolate syrup (i think fox's syrup was the traditional one used), and seltzer.

 

[Barbara L]

BTW, I have not gotten one single challenge to the "birthplace of the cheeseburger". That really surprises me.

Growing up in San Diego, I was always told that the cheeseburger started at "Oscar's." Like you said earlier, a lot of places probably lay claim to it! I do know that Oscar's was supposed to be the first to use Thousand Island dressing on a cheeseburger. Not sure if that is true, but that is what I have heard. I don't know if Oscar's is still even there. I haven't eaten there since I was a kid. They had great Roquefort (sp?) dressing there.

Barbara

 

[Barbara L]

In my province, we have Saskatoon Berries which are fantastic! The purple Saskatoons are about the same size as wild blueberries, but taste nothing like any other berry. I adore them!

Where are the Alberta folks to say they have the best beef?

Alix has sent me pictures of some pretty good Alberta beef. Oh, wait. That was "beefcake." Sorry!

Barbara

 

[licia]

The gooseberries I've seen are almost the color of a Thompson seedless grape with little markings (like onions) on their skin. Are they the same gooseberries mentioned in this thread? I've never eaten any so have no idea what the taste is like.

 

[Barbara L]

The gooseberries I've seen are almost the color of a Thompson seedless grape with little markings (like onions) on their skin. Are they the same gooseberries mentioned in this thread? I've never eaten any so have no idea what the taste is like.

I haven't had gooseberries in years, but I seem to recall that gooseberry pie tasted like rhubarb pie.

Barbara

 

[Ishbel]

Smaller gooseberries are better cooked - but there are many types, particularly those flushed a ruby colour, which are what is termed a 'dessert gooseberry' and can be eaten without cooking. Personally, I love the tartness of all gooseberries and grow them in my garden each year. We call them goozgogs, which is the name that young chldren give them!

Gooseberry fool is one of my favourite puddings - always think it's summer in a bowl!

 

[DugDbold]

Gooseberries and Rhubarb

That also brings back memories. We used to grow rhubarb in the backyard and my grandmother would make rhubarb pie. Gooseberry pie was also on the menu occasionally. Bring on the sugar.....

 

[Gerrycooks]

Cleveland has more clam bakes than anywhere else in the country. Fall is the big season for them. Many restaurants offer 1/2 bbq chicken 1 dozen steamed clams, clam broth boiled potato and corn on the cob for about $14.00.
We cooked our own in a 3 section pot when I was young. But everything tasted like clams.

 

[Paint]

'Hock n Dough' is a traditional Northamptonshire dish that my Mum used to make back in England, You basically put the 'hock' (traditionally pig hock, but my Mum used pork chops) in a large roasting pan, you then put small peeled and halved potatoes around the meat, then you get strips of shortcrust pastry (about 4-5" wide and as long as the pan) and put them around the sides of the pan, so that half is up the sides, and the other half lies in the bottom of the pan. You then slice a large onion and sprinkle that all over the potatoes, meat and pastry, then you pour beef gravy into the pan and roast the whole thing...

...The onions turn the gravy into a rich, tasty oniony sauce, which soaks into the pastry, meat and potatoes at the bottom of the pan while leaving the pastry up the sides crisp. It's a meal in itself and used to be one of my favourite childhood meals.

Paint.

 

[buckytom]

wow does that sound good paint!
i love those rich, hearty english meals.
the different textures of dough sounds great.

 

[mish]

Another one bites the dust!

Hey, hey, hey you. I'm throwing my native new yawka apple atcha.