What foods you don't ever want to see on your plate?

[GLC]

And as far as I know the traditional sausage casing is intestines.

Kind of. Natural casing is the intestinal sub-mucosa, the thin, smooth layer just below the heavily folded an slimy mucosa. So there's some good bit of processing to remove the outer muscle and fat layers. With beef casings, a layer of esophagus or bladder or one of the stomachs is also used. (Those big baloneys.) Intestines are processed using rollers or some other pressure device to crush and loosen everything that's not the tough sub-mucosa. (Again, little is wasted. Mucosa is used to make medical blood thinner.) What's left is collagen, the substance that makes skin, tendons, etc. tough enough to work and that makes heavily used muscle meat tough - that is, until it's cooked slow and moist and becomes gelatin, as we do with "cheap" cuts. And it's the collagen that's tough enough to survive the prep process and to contain the sausage filling under pressure. Likely it wasn't any great leap for early man to discover casing. They were already using skin, tendon, etc. by cleaning off the unwanted layers, and the toughness of intestines would have suggested that there was a useful layer to be had for use as bindings, and bladders and stomachs were very early used to contain water and to cook food prior to ceramics.

 

[Andy M.]

It's not from USA? I didn't know that.

I was posing a question.

 

[taxlady]

Kind of. Natural casing is the intestinal sub-mucosa, the thin, smooth layer just below the heavily folded an slimy mucosa. So there's some good bit of processing to remove the outer muscle and fat layers. With beef casings, a layer of esophagus or bladder or one of the stomachs is also used. (Those big baloneys.) Intestines are processed using rollers or some other pressure device to crush and loosen everything that's not the tough sub-mucosa. (Again, little is wasted. Mucosa is used to make medical blood thinner.) What's left is collagen, the substance that makes skin, tendons, etc. tough enough to work and that makes heavily used muscle meat tough - that is, until it's cooked slow and moist and becomes gelatin, as we do with "cheap" cuts. And it's the collagen that's tough enough to survive the prep process and to contain the sausage filling under pressure. Likely it wasn't any great leap for early man to discover casing. They were already using skin, tendon, etc. by cleaning off the unwanted layers, and the toughness of intestines would have suggested that there was a useful layer to be had for use as bindings, and bladders and stomachs were very early used to contain water and to cook food prior to ceramics.

My MIL grew up on a farm. She and her brothers had to clean intestines for casings. They did it by hand. The kids were not fond of doing it. (Big surprise)

 

[PattY1]

I was posing a question.

Well let me throw my 2 pennies in here. No Green Bean Casserole is not a Original Tradition, but it has made it's place as a traditional holiday dish over the last 56 years.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

That green bean casserole is not a real American holiday tradition. It was made up by Campnell Soup Company to increase sales for their Cream of Mushroom soup. It was printed in time for Thanksgiving in their ads in such a way that folks began to think that it was unAmerican to not make it for this time of year. Campbell also owns the French Onion brand. If they had owned a green bean product at the time they would have printed their own name brand of that also. I would rather make my own cream of anything recipe. Less salt yet more flavor. I make cream carrots with white sauce and organic carrots with the tops still on them. The kind you have to peel. I hate the texture of those little peeled carrots. They have been treated with chemicals to keep them looking fresh. I will do my own work, thank you.

I was posing a question.

I was agreeing with Addie, for all the reasons that she stated, and her post speaks more eloquently to your question than I could.

I'm no arbiter in what constitutes anything except my own opinion, and IMO the Campbell/French's commercial recipe is not an American tradition, at least not in my family. IMO it's a commercial marketing campaign intended to promote Campbell products.

As I said, I like the recipe but I expect that if I cooked it often I'd tire of it. It's not a real recipe since it requires brand name products, and it's not an American tradition, not in my personal opinion. Your mileage may vary.

 

[Andy M.]

I apologize for creating confusion.

I guess my question should be posed to Addie. Why isn't GBC an American holiday tradition?

 

[Robo410]

wow, for a group of foodies, there sure is a lot of dislikes. Think I'll go cook some liver and cauliflower...

 

[JoAnn L.]

both of my ancestries (norwegian and irish) make blood pudding/sausage. i have to say that i've enjoyed both types.

it sounds disgusting but it doesn't taste bad. it really just adds a sort of food colouring and a slight mineral taste, but if no one told you what was in the sausage, i doubt anyone would guess.

My grandson just emailed and said that he went to the cafe LAVANT COMOIR in Paris (he has been working over there) and he had blood sausage, it was served with a little side of apples and cinnamon. He said he knows that it sound strange but they went together really well.

 

[vitauta]

wow, for a group of foodies, there sure is a lot of dislikes. Think I'll go cook some liver and cauliflower...

really! i'll bring the blood sausage....

 

[CWS4322]

I am bringing hotdogs and smoked eel!

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

I apologize for creating confusion.

I guess my question should be posed to Addie. Why isn't GBC an American holiday tradition?

No apology necessary, but accepted nonetheless.

But let's turn it around, if you think that GBC is an American holiday tradition, then why?

I'm noting that apparently (according to the tales) Ben Franklin wanted the American national symbol to be the turkey, not the eagle. There's an American tradition that's been around for over 200 years. I'm pretty sure stuffing has been around just as long. Or what about cranberry sauce?

It was interesting that I googled cranberry sauce and found that Wikipedia says it is "commonly associated with Thanksgiving dinner in North America and Christmas dinner in the United Kingdom." (I think they got it wrong in that cranberry sauce is associated with Christmas too in NA.) But additionally, "There are differences in flavor depending on the geography of where the sauce is made: in Europe it is generally slightly sour-tasting, while in North America it is sweetened." Maybe I'm European at heart, but I always make mine based upon fresh packaged cranberries, and I use half the recommended sugar. Perhaps I shouldn't have gone this far off topic.

I don't want to see over-sweetened cranberry sauce on my plate! Cranberry sauce should be slightly sour tasting. Maybe people want sweet tasting cranberry sauce to go with their soda-pop. Please pass the wine!

 

[GLC]

I think it's far more interesting to chop cranberries, orange, and walnuts as a mildly sweet relish. Better than overly sweet and infinitely better than that jellied puree abomination in the can.

 

[Dawgluver]

really! i'll bring the blood sausage....

You are welcome to my portion, Vit!

 

[buckytom]

My grandson just emailed and said that he went to the cafe LAVANT COMOIR in Paris (he has been working over there) and he had blood sausage, it was served with a little side of apples and cinnamon. He said he knows that it sound strange but they went together really well.

that sounds good!

there used to be a little french place here in the 50's near 8th ave. that i loved to go to years ago. they had an a la carte nenu, but if you ordered the prix fixe menu, they started you off with a charcouterie tree. it was this stainless steel hangar thing standing up from the middle of a plate on which various different kinds of small dry sausages were hung. on the plate were veggies like carrots, celery, and radishes, along with grapes and little apples. everyone at the table would help themselves to slices of whatever sausages and fruit or veggies they liked.

with a loaf of french bread and a bottle of wine it was a meal in itself, but it was only the appetizer.

i never told anyone the delicious black sausages were blood sausage because everyone always enjoyed everything and no one needed to get freaked out.

 

[Andy M.]

No apology necessary, but accepted nonetheless.

But let's turn it around, if you think that GBC is an American holiday tradition, then why?...

Regardless of it's origin in the home economics department of Campbell's, it has been a ubiquitous dish at Thanksgiving since 1955. If look back at the threads on this site in November (as one piece of evidence) you will see it's a recurring favorite.

Simply based on how popular it has been across the country since its introduction makes it a tradition. It's just a younger tradition than some others.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

So how can we make this recipe without buying brand name products? How do you make French's onions without getting it out of a can? Let's turn this into a real traditional food by losing the dependence on brand name products. I'm not willing to call anything a tradition as long as I have to buy products from one manufacturer. Instead I'd call that a marketing department success story.

 

[buckytom]

wow, for a group of foodies, there sure is a lot of dislikes. Think I'll go cook some liver and cauliflower...

it stands to reason that people who are passionate about the many foods they love would also be passionate about the ones they hate.

what i don't get is how many things that people haven't ever tried (within reason) but say they are disgusted by the thought of eating them.

i'm not talking about eating weird creatures or things that can make you sick, but a real foodie will at least try something at least once that other people like them normally eat. and if it's made by someone you trust who says their version is good, maybe try something twice.

i'm going to play a trick on my son to see if my theory holds water. he told me recently that he absolutely hates liver. his opinion is from a combination of my wife repeatedly saying how disgusting it is, and from the one time my macedonian neighbor gave him some to try. i've had her cooking a few times and it's pretty bad for the most part. almost eveything is greasy. she could make a caprese salad or a baked potato greasy.

i gave my son some pate' on toast once that he liked, right up until my wife told him it was made from liver. now he won't touch it.

anyway, i'm going to cook some liver with bacon and onions one night when dw is out and tell him that it's a calf steak. we'll see how he feels about it then.

 

[buckytom]

So how can we make this recipe without buying brand name products? How do you make French's onions without getting it out of a can? Let's turn this into a real traditional food by losing the dependence on brand name products. I'm not willing to call anything a tradition as long as I have to buy products from one manufacturer. Instead I'd call that a marketing department success story.

frizzled onions are pretty easy to make, and so is cream of mushroom soup.

 

[vitauta]

So how can we make this recipe without buying brand name products? How do you make French's onions without getting it out of a can? Let's turn this into a real traditional food by losing the dependence on brand name products. I'm not willing to call anything a tradition as long as I have to buy products from one manufacturer. Instead I'd call that a marketing department success story.

c'mon greg, gbc may not be your tradition or mine, but like it or not i think we have to admit that americans across this land agreed on this one with or without us a half century ago....

 

[Daizymae]

I think it's far more interesting to chop cranberries, orange, and walnuts as a mildly sweet relish. Better than overly sweet and infinitely better than that jellied puree abomination in the can.

"Jellied puree abomination"

However, would you add no sweetener at all, or simply less? Does the orange have enough sweetness for you?