"Corned Beef" - Where Did It Come From?

History of Corned Beef & Cabbage
Origin of Traditional Irish American St Patrick's Day Recipe

Mar 3, 2009 Stephanie Jolly , Source: Suite101.com

While many North Americans associate corned beef and cabbage with Ireland, this popular St Patrick's Day meal has roots in America, and is not traditional Irish food.


Corned beef, a salt-cured brisket, was traditionally packed and stored in barrels with coarse grains, or "corns" of salt. One of the earliest references to corned beef appears in the 12th century Gaelic poem Aislinge Meic Conglinne, where it references a dainty, gluttonous indulgence. By the 17th century, salting beef had become a major industry for Irish port cities of Cork and Dublin, where Irish beef was cured and exported to France, England and later to America.

Traditional Irish Recipes Contain Salt Pork Instead of Corned Beef
With the majority of Irish beef being exported, beef was an expensive source of protein and unavailable to the majority of Irish citizens. Cows, if owned at all, were raised predominately for their dairy products, from which butter, cheese and cream could be obtained, and were only slaughtered when they were no longer good for milking. Sheep were raised as a source of wool and hogs and pigs were one of the only livestock species raised by the peasantry for consumption.
Salt pork and bacon, therefore, became the commonly consumed meat protein of Irish tables. In Feast and Famine, Leslie Clarkson writes that "fat from bacon supplemented the lack of fat in the farmhouse diet" and Sir Charles Cameron states that he does "not know of any country in the world where so much bacon and cabbage is eaten." Even today corned beef and cabbage appears infrequently in Irish pubs and restaurants, except for those in heavily touristed areas, and is much more likely to be replaced its traditional counterpart - an Irish stew with cabbage, leeks, and a bacon joint.

Corned Beef & Cabbage Eaten by Irish Immigrants After Arriving in America
After the Irish potato blight, or Great Famine, of the mid-19th century brought hundreds of Irish emigrants to the shores of America, the newly immigrated Irish Americans found corned beef to be both more accessible and more affordable than it was in Ireland. Both corned beef and cabbage were ingredients of the lower working class, and their popularity among the Irish population likely had little to do with similarities to the food of Ireland and more to due with the relatively inexpensive nature of salt cured beef and green cabbage.
For several decades following the Irish immigration, St Patrick's Day was celebrated with music, crafts and revelry but banquets, while lavish, contained a scarcity of traditional Irish cuisine. However by the 1920s, corned beef and cabbage came to have an association with Irish American cooking, according to Hasia Diner in Hungering for America: Italian, Irish and Jewish Foodways in the Age of Migration and joined Irish bacon and greens as a food reminiscent of Ireland.

Corned Beef's Association with St Patrick's Day Has Irish American Origins
While both salted beef and green cabbage have historic connections with Ireland, the ritual of serving corned beef and cabbage for St Patrick's Day is exclusively an Irish American tradition. The scarcity and high price of beef in Ireland prevented it from being consumed by the majority of the Irish peasantry until arriving in America, where corned brisket and cabbage were cheap and readily available to the poor. As the stigma of eating working class food faded and the celebration of Irish ancestry grew in popularity, corned

And from Foodtimeline.com, we have:

“Corned beef
While the process of preserving meat with salt is ancient, food historians tell us corned beef (preserving beef with "corns" or large grains of salt) originated in Medieval Europe. The Oxford English Dictionary traces the first use of the word corn, meaning "small hard particle, a grain, as of sand or salt," in print to 888. The term "corned beef" dates to 1621.
"Emphasizing its long history in the Irish diet, Regina Sexton...points out that a similar product is mentioned in the 11th-century Irish text Aislinge meic Con Glinne many wonderful provisions, pieces of every palatable food...full without fault, perpetual joints of corned beef'. She adds that corned beef has a particular regional association with Cork City. From the late 17th century until 1825, the beef-curing industry was the biggest and most important asset to the city. In this period Cork exported vast quantities of cured beef to Britain, Europe, America, Newfoundland, and the W. Indies. During the Napoleonic wars the British army was supplied principally with corned beef which was cured in and exported from the port of Cork."
---Oxford Companion to Food by Alan Davidson, [Oxford University Press:Oxford] 1999 (page 218)

Corned beef was very popular in colonial America because it was an economical and effective way to preserve meat. The following corning directions are from The Virginia House-Wife by Mary Randolph, 1824, pages 22-23:
"To corn beef in hot weather
Take a piece of thin brisket or plate, cut out the ribs nicely, rub it on both sides well with two large spoonsful of pounded salt-petre; pour on it a gill of molasses and a quart of salt; rub them both in; put it in a vessel just large enough to hold it, but not tight, for the bloody brine must run off as it makes, or the meat will spoil. Let it be well covered top, bottom, and sides, with the molasses and salt. In four days you may boil it, tied up in a cloth, with the salt, &c. about it: when done, take the skin off nicely, and serve it up. If you have an ice-house or refrigerator, it will be best to keep it there.--A fillet or breast of veal, and a leg or rack of mutton, are excellent done in the same way." “Some people wonder about the shared culinary/cultural heritage of the Irish and Jewish peoples when it comes to corned beef. The practice of curing meat for preservation purposes certainly dates back to ancient times. The use of salt was adopted/adapted by many peoples and cultures, and was widely used during the Middle Ages. Evidence suggests that both Irish and Jewish cooks were making corned (salt) beef independently, long before they met in New York.

"Corned beef comes in two versions: The Jewish special on rye, or the traditional Irish boiled dinner, aka New England boiled dinner. Tonight should be the big night for the Irish version."
---Boiled dinner, The Boston Globe, March 15, 1990 (p.3)

Food Trivia For March

And for March and from Rudy's in Twin Falls, we have an additional piece of trivia. I love these!

March is -
National Caffeine Awareness Month
National Flour Month
National Frozen Food Month
National Noodle Month
National Nutrition Month
National Peanut Month
National Sauce Month


This Week in the History of Food & Drink

March 1, 1989: A 75 year-long ban on beer was lifted this day in Iceland.
March 2, 1904: Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel) was born. Writer and cartoonist. A few of his children's books were 'Green Eggs and Ham,' 'One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish,' 'Scrambled Eggs Super!' and 'The Butter Battle Book'
March 3: National Mulled Wine Day! Try our recipe above!
March 4:National Pound Cake Day
March 5, 1836: Charles Goodnight was born. He is said to have devised the first 'chuck wagon' from an Army wagon in the 1850s or 1860s, with various shelves and compartments for food, equipment, utensils, medical supplies, etc.
March 6: National Chocolate Cheesecake Day
March 7:National Crown Roast of Pork Day

I do hope you visit their website! Cheers!

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Trivia From Rudy's

And again, this trivia information from Rudy's. Enjoy and by all means, pay Rudy's a visit!!

This Week in the History of Food & Drink

February 22, 1630: Quadequina, an American Indian, introduced English colonists to popcorn. He had brought some to their first Thanksgiving dinner. (Some sources say 1631).

February 23, 1896: Leo Hirshfield introduced the Tootsie Roll at his small store in New York City. It was supposedly named after his 5 year old daughter, whose nickname was 'Tootsie.'

February 24, 1938: DuPont begins production of nylon toothbrush bristles. A patent had been granted in 1937. The nylon bristles replaced hog bristles. No more brushing your teeth with hog hair.

February 25, 1922: Donald McLean was born. McLean was a Scottish potato expert who supposedly had the world's largest private collection of potatoes, with 367 varieties.

February 26: National Pistachio Day

February 27, 1827: The first Mardi Gras celebration was held in New Orleans.

February 28: National Chocolate Soufflé Day

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Warm Valrhona Chocolate Cake

One of our Rudy's picks this week is France's prized Valrhona chocolate. It's the star of the richly delicious dessert. For a very runny center, undercook the cake a little bit and serve immediately. The cake can be held raw in the soufflé cup uncovered and refrigerated up to eight hours before baking.

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:
6 ½ ounces Valrhona Caribe Chocolate with 66% Cocao Mass, chopped
½ cup unsalted butter
5 teaspoons Valrhona cocoa powder
3 eggs, separated
¼ cup sugar

Method:
Preheat the oven to 450º. Lightly coat the inside of four, 4-ounce oven-proof soufflé cups with butter. Heat 2 inches of water in the bottom half of a double boiler over medium heat. In the top half, place the chocolate and butter. Melt the chocolate mixture for 5 minutes, then remove it from the heat and stir it until it is smooth. Transfer the mixture to a large stainless-steel bowl and whisk in the cocoa and all the egg yolks. Set the chocolate mixture aside. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until soft peaks form, about 1 minute. Slowly add the sugar and continue beating until the mixture is stiff and shiny but not dry, forming a meringue. Lightly fold the meringue into the chocolate until completely combined. Divide the soufflé batter equally among the prepared soufflé cups. Place cups on a sheet pan and bake for 7 minutes, until puffy and slightly browned on top. Serve immediately by inverting each cup (with an oven mitt) onto a plate until the cake is released. Cut carefully around edges of the cakes to loosen them if they do not come out. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Recipe Notes:
Be sure to not overheat the butter; overheated butter will separate and result in a greasy, crumbly cake.

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Fasnacht

Fasnacht

Makes 50 Fasnacht

Ingredients:
¼ cup warm water
1 pkg. yeast
2 tbsp. sugar
2½ cups lukewarm milk
4½ cups flour
4 eggs, beaten
½ cup lard, melted
1 cup sugar
dash of salt
5 ½ cups flour

Directions:
1). Dissolve yeast in warm water.
2). Mix next three ingredients together, then add to yeast mixture. Set in warm place and let rise overnight.
3). In the morning add next four ingredients. Add last batch of flour slowly; it may not all be needed. Dough should be sticky but able to be handled.
4). Let rise until doubled, approximately 2 hours.
5). Roll out and cut with biscuit or doughnut cutter, with or without a center hole. Let rise 1 hour.
6). Deep fry in hot oil at 375 degrees for several minutes, turning until brown on both sides.

Among the PA Germans, Shrove Tuesday (day before Ash Wedsnesday) is known as Fassnacht Day (night before the fast). In a symbolic effort to rid their homes of leavening agents and to feast before Lent, many PA Germans cooks spend part of their day making Fassnachts. The cakes are made of yeast dough, and tradition requires that they be shaped in squares or rectangles, with slits cut in them.

Shrove Tuesday is the day before Lent begins.
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Hogmanay - New Years Eve in Scotland

Hogmanay - New Years Eve in Scotland
By Elaine Lemm, About.com Guide

What is Hogmanay?
Hogmanay is a Scottish celebration, it is the celebration of New Years Eve and can last for days. No-one celebrates the eve quite like the Scots. It is believed the Scots inherited the celebration of Hogmanay from the Vikings and their celebration of the shortest day but many believe that as Christmas was virtually banned and not celebrated in Scotland from the end of the 17th century until the 1950’s, New Years Eve was a good excuse for some revelry and the excuse to drink whisky and eat good food. Hogmanay involves parties and festivals across Scotland with the largest and most famous public party in Edinburgh.

Hogmanay Customs:
As midnight strikes the strains of Auld Lang Syne, Robert Burn's version of this traditional Scottish air, can be heard everywhere, followed by a toast to health, wealth and happiness for the coming year and the custom of First Footing.

First Footing:
First-Footing – the visiting of friends and family immediately after midnight sees the Scots rushing from house to house to welcome in the New Year. The First-Foot in the house traditionally is a dark, handsome male carrying a piece of coal, whisky, Scottish shortbread and black bun - a rich dark fruitcake encased in pastry. The visitor in return is given a small glass of whisky.

Customs in the Rest of the UK:
Many of the Scottish customs have infiltrated into the rest of Britain. Though First Footing is less common south of the Scottish border, the singing and toasting - sometimes followed by fireworks - can be heard throughout the British Isles.

The Foods of Hogmanay and New Years Eve:
Food at Hogmanay must include the traditional foods of Scotland.

Shortbread is always eaten at Hogmanay and sometimes served with cheese.

All the First Footing on a cold night means food must be warm and comforting a casserole or a hearty Venison Pie with a side dish of Rumbledethumps and of course Haggis will most certainly make an appearance.

And to Drink....?:
It has to be Whisky in Scotland. Scotch Whisky is world renowned and what better time to drink it than Hogmanay. Nobody knows exactly when the art of distilling was first practised in Scotland but it is believed it was the Ancient Celts who first practiced the art. Uisge Beatha - the water of life - as the Celts call it evolved into Scotch, a drink made only in Scotland, but enjoyed around the world.

The Words to Auld Lang Syne:

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne!
Chorus:
For auld lang syne, my jo,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet
For auld lang syne.

The Translation
Should old acquaintances be forgotten
And never be remembered?
Should old acquaintances be forgotten
and days long ago.
Chorus:
For days long ago, my dear,
For days long ago
We'll drink a cup of kindness yet
For days long ago!

A hearty casserole is ideal for the main course - lamb stew topped with a crust of best Scottish black pudding is perfect food to warm diners up. To line the stomachs further, a dish of Rumbledethumps, made from wholesome potatoes, turnips (called 'swede' south of the Scottish border) and kale is delicious and comforting.

Pudding must be over-the-top as we Scots have such a sweet tooth, so a steamed pudding served with hot butterscotch sauce will end your Hogmanay dinner with panache.

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Lamb Stew with Stornoway Black Pudding crust

By Sue Lawrence

Description:
Stornoway is my favourite black pudding, with its rich yet non-greasy flavour and good crumbly texture.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for brushing
25g/1oz butter
800g/1lb 12oz lamb shoulder, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 heaped tbsp flour, seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 onion, chopped
2 leeks, finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 bushy sprigs fresh rosemary
150ml/5fl oz red wine
150ml/5fl oz lamb stock
200g/7oz Stornoway black pudding, skin removed, thinly sliced (chill well before slicing)

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 160C/325F/Gas 3.
2. Heat one tablespoon of olive oil with the butter in an ovenproof casserole until hot.
3. Place the lamb into a large bowl, sprinkle over the seasoned flour and mix well. Tip half of the lamb pieces into the casserole and cook, stirring frequently, until browned all over. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate and repeat with the remaining meat, then remove the second batch of meat to a plate.
4. Add another tablespoon of oil to the casserole and gently fry the onion, leeks and garlic until softened.
5. Return the meat to the casserole along with the rosemary, wine and stock. Bring to the boil, then cover with a lid and transfer to the oven. Cook for about an hour, stirring once halfway through the cooking time.
6. Remove the casserole from the oven and discard the rosemary sprigs. Increase the oven temperature to 190C/375F/Gas 5.
7. Place the black pudding slices on top of the stew, overlapping slightly. Brush the slices with a little olive oil, then return to the oven and cook, uncovered, for about 30 minutes, or until the stew is bubbling and the topping is crisp.
8. Serve at once with Rumbledethumps and a green vegetable.

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Seven-cup Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce

Serves 6
Preparation time less than 30 mins
Cooking time over 2 hours

By Sue Lawrence

Description:
Non-Scots might eat this with some custard or cream, but I would inundate it with custard, cream - and (don't forget that sweet tooth of ours!) a scoop of best-quality ice-cream.

Ingredients:
For the pudding (use a regular 300ml/10fl oz coffee mug for the measurements)
1 mug raisins
1 mug sultanas
1 mug self-raising flour
1 mug shredded suet
1 mug fresh breadcrumbs
1 mug light muscovado sugar
1 level tsp ground cinnamon
1 heaped tsp ground mixed spice
1 mug whole milk
1 medium free-range egg, beaten
butter, for greasing
For the butterscotch sauce
75g/2¾oz light muscovado sugar
50g/2oz butter
150ml/5fl oz double cream
few drops vanilla extract
crème fraîche, to serve

Method:
1. For the pudding, place the first six mugfuls of ingredients into a bowl with the spices and mix well.
2. Add the milk and beaten egg and mix well.
3. Grease a 1 litre/1¾ pint pudding basin with butter, then pour the pudding mixture into the basin.
4. Cover with baking paper or foil, then place into a steamer set over a pan of simmering water and cook for about 2½ hours, or until cooked through.
5. For the butterscotch sauce, place all the sauce ingredients (not the crème fraîche) into a pan and heat gently until the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and boil for three minutes, stirring frequently, until thickened and smooth.
6. To serve, turn the pudding out onto a serving plate and serve with the butterscotch sauce and crème fraîche.

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So there you have a different custom. My Mom would be proud! I'll tip a glass for you, Pop! Cheers! (There's a hot link for some information at the title.)

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Bacon Fest, Nampa, Idaho

I know, we have too much time on our hands!!

Yup! There really is a Bacon Fest! This one was held at Brick 29 in Nampa, Idaho. (If you have never eaten here, absolutely don't miss it!!) But this was a special event and I think sponsored by Vande Rose Farms, Iowa Duroc Heritage Breed Pork. You can reach them, and order products, from their website, Vande Rose Farms. Bacon, bacon, bacon! A bacon lovers event. You can try bacon any way you can think of it.

Eggs and Bacon on Bread Triangles
Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms
Bacon Dip
Bacon Wrapped Mushrooms
Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno
Bread stuffed with Swiss Cheese and Wrapped in Bacon
Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato Sandwiches (BLT)
Chocolate Covered Bacon

And then there is Bakon Vodka. Yup! You have not read it wrong ... Bakon Vodka. This vodka is from New West Spirits. The original spelling of bacon came from the "... Old German (bakkon) and Old French (bako). "Bacon" or "bacoun" first appeared in the English language around the twelfth century, initially to describe pork in general". (2009 Lauer, pg 20) So, what do you do with Bakon Vodka besides mix it with eggs and then scramble them? Try one of these:

1. Bakon Apple Martini
(Apple, Bakon and Rum)
2. Luau Martini
(Bakon, Pineapple and Butterscotch)
3. Irish Boar Martini
(Bakon, Kahlua, Baileys, Hazelnut and a splash of Cream)
4. Bakon Mary
(Killer Bloody Mary with Bakon)
5. Pemican Martini
(Bakon and Huckleberry Vodka. Robin came up with this one!)

It was nice to meet Heather Lauer author of Bacon: A Love Story and to have her sign her book. And there are some really nice looking recipes in the book like Bacon Frittata, page 116, and Hana Beach Breakfast Sandwich, page 118. But the book is not all recipes. There is really some delightful discussions of bacon folklore. And some lyrics from Bacon Love Songs, like in chapter 5, page 88. "A little bit of bacon, A little bit of life." Or, "Beer and bacon waitin' for my friends, They ain't comin' over, but I'm not stayin sober." But I know, you're waiting for a recipe. Well try this and it too, is a song lyric. "Bacon, lettuce and tomato ... Try it with some Mayo ... Fry it up, put the oil in a cup. Bacon." And, as Ms Lauer states in the header of her first chapter in Bacon: A Love Story, let us not forget that "On the eigth day, God created bacon." Hmmmm. Now where is the corn?

I know. Waaaay too much fun! But then good food, good drink and warm friends make it that way. Cheers all! (Oh. I almost forgot. I do have some photos coming after a while. My camera is in the shop - too many falcon photos - so one of the waiters at Brick 29 who was taking photos said he would send some.)

A Little Food Trivia

And from this weeks newsletter from Rudy's, in Twin Falls, Idaho, we have these wee bits of trivia! Enjoy them.

This Week in the History of Food & Drink:

July 21: Today is national Junk Food Day… This could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on what you deem as junk food.

July 22, 1993: Rudy’s own Christmas Cheese Elf was born. A title many aspire to but rarely attain. Happy 16th birthday Audrey!

July 23, 1894: Arthur Treacher, actor, announcer was born. He played the quitessentail English butler in many a movie and later founded Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips restaurant franchise.

July 24, 1938: Nestle introduced Nescafe Instant Coffee in Switzerland.

July 25, 2008: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation that will ban trans fats in restaurants and retail food establishments. The ban goes into effect on January 1, 2010. California is the first state to ban trans fats in restaurants. There are several cities that have banned them, and California and Oregon have previously banned trans fats in school meals.

July 26, 1926: Roquefort cheese is the first cheese designated with an appellation d'origine controlee. Only cheese that is processed in Roquefort, France and aged in the caves there may be called 'Roquefort Cheese.'

July 27: National Scotch Day… Get your kilt on!

Just some interesting tidbits!

Interesting Food Trivia

I really don't know where they come up with these, but I will say that I do believe that they are legit!

This Week in the History of Food & Drink:

May 4, 1494: Columbus landed at Jamaica and met the Arawak Indians. The Arawak used Jamaican pimento (allspice) to season and smoke meat (usually pigs), the foundation upon which Jamaican Jerk developed.

May 5: Cinco de Mayo!!

May 6:.National Crepe Suzette Day

May 7,1660: Isaack B. Fubine of The Hague, Netherlands, received a patent for macaroni.

May 8, 1842: Emil Christian Hansen was born. He was a Danish botanist who developed new methods to culture yeast. He revolutionized the beer industry, and proved that there are different species of yeast. He refused to patent the method, but instead made it available for free to other brewers.

May 9, 1785: The beer-pump handle was patented by Joseph Bramah.

May 10: National Shrimp Day!

For more information about Rudy’s, visit us online at www.cooksparadise.com

Bon Appetit,

So much information .... So little time! Cheers!