La corteza cerebral y el sentido del relato

The influence of France on the food habits of Great Britain and Ireland and vice versa has led to many similarities in the cuisines of these coun- tries, although the ingredients of southern French cooking differ in that they are more like those of Mediterranean countries. The influence of these northern European cuisines on American foods and food habits has been extensive.

Ingredients and Common Foods

Staples and Regional Variations

Great Britain and Ireland. Animal products are

of key importance in Great Britain and Ireland. Some form of meat, poultry, or fish is present at most meals, in addition to eggs and cheese. In Britain and Ireland, lamb is a commonly eaten meat, as is roast beef, which is often made for Sunday dinner with Yorkshire pudding (a popover cooked in meat drippings). Pork is often served as sausages (“bangers”) and bacon. Various game birds are also eaten. The cultural food groups list (Table 6.1) includes a more complete detailing of ingredients.

The British and Irish diets also contain a variety of seafood. A well-known fast-food item is “fish and chips.” The fish is battered and deep-fried, served with fried potatoes, and seasoned with salt and malt vinegar. Salt-dried fish, including ling, cod, and pollack, was traditionally served with a white sauce and potatoes for meatless days by Irish Catholics.51_{Preserved fish is also found as}

an appetizer, or at breakfast. Examples are smoked Scottish salmon and “kippers,” which are a salted and smoked fish.

Dairy products and eggs also play an impor- tant role in the diet of the British and Irish. Eggs are traditionally served for breakfast, and cheese is the key ingredient in the traditional “plough- man’s lunch” served in pubs. It consists of a piece of cheddar cheese, bread, pickled onions, and a pint of beer. Other cheeses produced in England are the slightly nutty Cheshire and Stilton, a blue cheese. In Ireland a market for hand-crafted farm- house cheeses has developed over the past decade. They include both fresh, soft cheeses and aged types (often flavored with herbs or other season- ings), from cow’s or goat’s milk. One cheese that has gained international acclaim is Cashel blue, which is produced in Tipperary, Ireland.

Devonshire, England, is known for its rich cream products, such as double cream (which has twice as much butter fat as ordinary cream) and clotted cream, a slightly fermented, thick- ened cream. It is often spread on scones, biscuits made with baking powder.

Though not the main focus of the meal, breads are not overlooked. In Ireland soda bread, a bread made with baking soda instead of yeast, was tra- ditionally prepared every day to accompany the meal and remains popular today. Another version was made of cornmeal. Wheat flour is commonly 144 NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN EUROPEANS

Chapter 6: Northern and Southern Europeans 145

Table 6.1 Cultural Food Groups: Northern European

Adaptations in the

Group Comments Common Foods United States

Protein Foods Milk/milk products Meat/poultry/fish/ eggs/legumes Cereals/Grains Fruits/Vegetables Seasonings Nuts/seeds Beverages Fats/oils Sweeteners

The English and Irish drink milk as a beverage. Cheese is eaten daily.

Meat, poultry, or fish is usually the centerpiece of the meal.

Meats are generally roasted or broiled in Great Britain; also prepared as stews or in pies. Smoked, salted, or dried fish is popular in

England.

Wheat bread usually accompanies the meal. In Britain and Ireland oatmeal or porridge is

common for breakfast.

Potatoes are frequently eaten in Ireland. Arrowroot starch is used as thickener, and

tapioca (from cassava tubers) is eaten.

British and Irish dishes emphasize naturalness of foods with mild seasoning, served with flavorful condiments or sauces used to taste. French dishes are often prepared with com- plementary sauces or gravies that enhance food flavor.

Nuts especially popular; used primarily in desserts.

Alcoholic beverages consumed as part of the meal.

Butter used extensively in cooking of northern and central France; olive oil more common in southern regions of the country.

Cheese (cow, sheep, and goat milk), cream, milk, sour cream, yogurt

Meat: beef (roasts; variety cuts such as brains, kidneys, liver, sweetbreads, tongue, and tripe), horsemeat, lamb, oxtail, pork, rabbit, snails, veal, venison Poultry and small birds: chicken, duck, goose, par-

tridge, pheasant, pigeon, quail, thrush, turkey Fish and shellfish: anchovies, bass, clams, cod, crab,

crawfish, haddock, herring, lobster, mackerel, mullet, mussels, oysters, perch, pike, pompano, salmon, sardines, scallops, shad, shrimp, skate, sole, sturgeon, trout, whiting

Eggs: poultry and fish

Legumes: kidney beans, lentils, lima beans, split peas Barley, hops, oats, rice, rye, wheat

Fruits: apples, apricots, cherries, currants, gooseberries, grapes (many varieties), lemons, melons, oranges, peaches, pears, plums, prunes, raisins, raspberries, rhubarb, strawberries

Vegetables: artichokes, asparagus, beets, brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, celery root, cucumbers, eggplant, fennel, green beans, green peppers, kale, lettuce (many varieties), leeks, mush- rooms (including chanterelles, cèpes), olives, onions, parsnips, peas, potatoes, radishes, salsify, scallions, sorrel, spinach, tomatoes, turnips, truffles, watercress Angelica (licorice-flavored plant), bay leaf, capers, chile

peppers, chives, chocolate, chutney, cinnamon, cloves, coffee, cognac, fennel seeds, garlic, ginger, horseradish, juniper berries, mace, malt vinegar, marjoram, mint, mustard, nutmeg, oregano, paprika, parsley, pepper (black, white, green, and pink), rose- mary, saffron, sage, shallots, sweet basil, Tabasco sauce (and other hot sauces), tarragon, thyme, vanilla, Worcestershire sauce

Nuts: almonds (sweet and bitter), chestnuts, filberts (hazelnuts), pecans, walnuts (including black) Seeds: sesame

Beer (ale, stout, bitters), black and herbal tea (mint, anise, chamomile, etc.), cider, coffee, gin, hot chocolate, liqueurs, port, sherry, whiskey, wine (red, white, champagne, and fruit/vegetable) Butter, goose fat, lard, margarine, olive oil, vegetable

oil, salt pork Honey, sugar

The Irish consume more animal protein.

Corn and corn products are consumed more. Native and transplanted

fruits and vegetables, such as bananas, blueberries, okra, and squash, were added to the diet.

Cajun and Creole cooking are highly spiced. Stews are thickened with filé powder (sassafras).

Molasses and maple syrup are used as sweeteners. Irish Americans use more sugar than members of other groups.

used for baking, and oatmeal is eaten as a porridge for breakfast in Scotland or used in making bread and biscuits throughout Britain and Ireland. Biscuits, or “biskcake,” in England can refer to bread, cake, cookies, crackers, or what are known in America as biscuits. Scottish shortbread is an example of a sweet, buttery biscuit.

Fruits and vegetables are limited to those that grow best in cool climates. Potatoes, brought to

Ireland from the New World in the seventeenth century, are the mainstay of the Irish diet and are found in British fare as well. Potatoes are found in stews or pies, such as stobhach Gaelach, an Irish stew of lamb’s neck, and shepherd’s or cottage pie, a meat pie made of leftover ground meat and onions and topped with mashed potatoes. Mashed potatoes are often just referred to as “mash,” as in bangers and mash (sausages and mashed potatoes). Some side dishes made of potatoes are “boxty,” a type of potato pancake or dumpling; “bubble and squeak,” a dish made of leftover cabbage and potatoes chopped and fried together; and colcannon, mashed and seasoned boiled white vegetables with onions or leeks. Berries are popular in puddings, pies, and jams. Kitchen gardens are still found in many areas, providing tomatoes, cucumbers, watercress, and other items. Farmers’ markets, featuring fresh local produce, are increasingly popular.

One unusual vegetable of the region is sea- weed. Laver is a purple seaweed (called nori in Japan) that is a specialty in Wales and parts of northern coastal England. It is customarily boiled into a gelatinous paste, then mixed with oatmeal and formed into patties that are fried. Known as “laverbread,” these cakes are traditionally served at breakfast with bacon. Dulse, a red algae eaten in Ireland, can be consumed fresh, but is usually dried, then chewed like beef jerky for a snack, or flaked and added to soups or warm milk.

The most common beverages consumed by adults in Ireland and England are tea, beer, and whiskey. Tea, which has become synonymous with a meal or break in the afternoon, was intro- duced to England in 1662 by the wife of Charles II. Drunk with most meals and as a refreshment, strong black tea is preferred, served with milk and sugar. Frequently consumed alcoholic bever- ages include beer and whiskey. The British and the Irish do not drink the bottom-fermented style of beer common in the United States. Instead, in Britain the pubs usually serve bitters, an amber- colored, top-fermented beer, strongly flavored with hops, while in Ireland, a favorite is stout, a dark, rich beer that can provide substantial calo- ries to the diet. Both beers are served at cellar temperature and are naturally carbonated.

Whiskey is made in both Ireland and Scotland, but the Irish are usually credited with its invention and name. In Ireland it is distilled from mashed, fermented barley. Scotch, or 146 NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN EUROPEANS

Fish and chips are classic pub food in England and Ireland, typically served with malt vinegar.

An Irish Pub Supper