Author: Scoffo
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Umami
What is it? Umami (Japanese: from umai, ‘delicious’ and mi, ‘taste’) is one of the five basic tastes, along with sweet, salty, bitter and sour. In the early 20th century, Kikunae Ikeda, a Japanese chemistry professor, identified a particularly appealing taste common to certain foods. But this taste sensation didn’t fall into any of the recognised taste…
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Squirrel
Red squirrels, a type of rodent, are a protected species in the UK and so it’s illegal to kill or eat them. On the other hand, many organisations these days encourage the killing and eating of grey squirrels. The meat tastes a bit like rabbit but is more delicious. Recipe Try Not Delia’s grey squirrel…
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Shashlik
Shashlik (sometimes also called shashlyk or shish kebab) is a term given to skewered meat in some parts of the world, particularly in Eastern Europe and in Middle Eastern countries. Traditionally the meat used would be lamb or goat, especially in Islamic countries. But these days it can be found with a variety of meat,…
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Souvlaki
Souvlaki is a popular type of Greek kebab in northern Greece. The same dish is called ‘kalamaki’ in southern Greece. It consists of small cubes of meat – and sometimes vegetables – skewered and grilled. It’s often served with flatbread, eg pitta, along with garnishes and sauces. Traditionally in Greece and Cyprus pork is used,…
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Lasagne
The word ‘lasagna’ is originally from the Greek word for ‘chamber pot’. The Romans then borrowed the word applying it as ‘cooking pot’. Perhaps you had to be there to get the joke. Later, the Italians adapted the word to mean a particular dish cooked in such a pot, and that is what we now…
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Lamb’s wool
Lamb’s wool is a traditional English drink which was popular from the 16th to the 19th centuries. It consisted of beer, heated, sweetened and spiced. Then the soft, fluffy pulp of baked apples was mixed in – presumably leading to the drink being so-named. Samuel Pepys mentioned the drink in his diary on 9 November…
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Maid of honour
Maids of honour are small almond-flavoured custard tarts, traditionally made with a lemon curd and cream cheese filling. It’s said that Anne Boleyn invented them whilst she was lady in waiting to Catherine of Aragon and Henry VIII liked them so much he named them maids of honour after the Queen’s unmarried attendants. Recipe Asda…
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Gallimaufry
The word gallimaufry originated from the French galimaufrée meaning a meat stew. The word was adopted in English to mean any kind of hotchpotch, potpourri, or jumble of things. In culinary terms these days it could be used to describe any ragout of mixed meat and/or vegetables.
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Marmite
The original use of the word marmite was for a French two-handled earthenware or metal cooking pot, used for makings soups and stews.
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White meat and dark meat
Find out some fascinating historical facts about why we refer to white meat and dark. It’s not genteel to talk about breasts, legs and thighs.