Posted on December 27th, 2008 by admin
Medieval peasants had a simple diet available to them. Most of the wheat they harvested went exclusively to the market, and peasant breads were made from barley and rye, baked into dark heavy loaves. Ales made from barley would quench the thirst, as would water drawn from the well, sweetened with honey. Peasant society got what little proteins they could from peas and beans that would be added to bread and pottage. Pottage was often favoured over bread, because it did not require the grains that the miller guarded closely. Onions, cabbage, garlic, nuts, berries, leeks, spinach and parsley were some of the foods that would combine to make a thick soup. Medieval diets lacked vitamins A, C and D and were not high in calories, making the regular drinking of ale a necessity for most.
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Posted on December 27th, 2008 by admin
Medieval foods and diets depended much on the class of the individual. For those living in the manor house, there was a wide range of foods available. Fowl such as capons, geese, larks, and chickens were usually available to the lord and his family. They would also dine on other meats; beef, bacon, lamb, and those living close to water may have regularly dined on salmon, herring, eels ands other fresh water fish. Fish would either be sold fresh or smoked and salted. Wealthy society could afford large quantities of milled flour and other meals made from grain. Dairy products such as cheese and butter could also be seen on the manor table.
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Posted on October 9th, 2008 by admin
A popular way of serving a sandwich in America is using French bread, and several different names have arisen depending on the area of the States you are in. The most common name for such a sandwich is a Sub, though other names you may come across are a Hoagie, a Hero and a Po’Boy. The latter is a Deep South term and the sandwich is often filled with deep-fried seafood. There are other types of sandwich you will almost certainly come across. A Club sandwich is a large overstuffed sandwich containing tomato, bacon, cheese, turkey, sliced ham, lettuce served with gherkins and crisps. A BLT is a common sandwich comprising bacon, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise inside two pieces of toast. A Muffuletta is an Italian French bread sandwich served in Louisiana.
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Posted on October 9th, 2008 by admin
A few American food terms have found their way across the pond with various fast food franchises, but there are plenty of terms that mean nothing to the average visitor to the States. For example there are three ways to ask for a fried egg. A Sunny side up egg is fried on one side only, so the exposed top of the yolk is uncooked. An Over egg is flipped over so that both sides are cooked and the yolk is hard. An Over and Easy egg is flipped for about ten to fifteen seconds, enough to cook the egg leaving the yolk soft inside. Here’s a confusing one – what we know as chips are called French fries, and what we know as potato crisps are called chips. While on the subject of potatoes, hash browns are grated raw potato fried in either butter or bacon fat (called bacon grease in the States!)
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Posted on October 9th, 2008 by admin
I had never tried cooking a Soufflé before yesterday evening, but having a plethora of fresh free- range farm eggs in the kitchen and some raspberries in the freezer, I decided to give it a go. I’m very pleased to say that it was an enormous success – in fact last night’s first attempt at Soufflé has given me a whole new range of dishes to add to my repertoire. I can’t wait to try Soufflés made with cheese, strawberries, salmon, lobster, chicken or chocolate – there are so many different flavours to try, so as the chickens are producing between six ands nine eggs a day, it looks like I’m going to be busy.
Filed under: 1 Dessert Recipes, French Cuisine | No Comments »
