The Greatness That Was Once Britain - Something For Cal.

[Admiral Yi]

Essentially, any national dish that does not involve cooking a large slab of cow or pig comes originally from the poor cooking something deemed inedible or cheap and making an art form out of it - any seafood or pasta are great examples.

On this, Marti is wise.

A vast overstatement.  Most hunted animals are not going to fall in this category.  Cheese and bread are examples of food which is neither distinctly peasant nor aristocratic originally.

[OttoVonBismarck]

I always knew a lot of French cuisine that is famous came out of peasant innovations, but then you've also got a good mixture of well known upper class stuff too. I guess my point was with Poland the first cuisine that comes to mind is peasant food, I don't think that is true of Italian or French cuisine.

[mongers]

Thread has reminded me one of the things I need to get in is a decent pork pie.   

[crazy canuck]

I guess my point was with Poland the first cuisine that comes to mind is peasant food, I don't think that is true of Italian or French cuisine.

In relation to Italian cooking, you cant get much more basic then olive oil, bread, pasta and tomatoes.  Granted they do some wonderful things with those basic ingredients.

[mongers]

I guess my point was with Poland the first cuisine that comes to mind is peasant food, I don't think that is true of Italian or French cuisine.

In relation to Italian cooking, you cant get much more basic then olive oil, bread, pasta and tomatoes.  Granted they do some wonderful things with those basic ingredients.

For Brits that would traditionally be lard, wheat, mutton, potatoes and carrots.   

[Richard Hakluyt]

Essentially, any national dish that does not involve cooking a large slab of cow or pig comes originally from the poor cooking something deemed inedible or cheap and making an art form out of it - any seafood or pasta are great examples.

On this, Marti is wise.

A vast overstatement.  Most hunted animals are not going to fall in this category.  Cheese and bread are examples of food which is neither distinctly peasant nor aristocratic originally.

There are many types of bread though and a white wheaten loaf was aristocratic while impoverished peasants ate black bread with many different grades of bread for the ranks in between. We have records of the food allowances given to people at the medieval English court, the bread an individual received was graded like pay and perks are in a modern corporation. Similarly cheese was regarded as an inferior substitute for meat. The forest and other laws in England also prevented the overwhelming majority of people from hunting.

[crazy canuck]

I guess my point was with Poland the first cuisine that comes to mind is peasant food, I don't think that is true of Italian or French cuisine.

In relation to Italian cooking, you cant get much more basic then olive oil, bread, pasta and tomatoes.  Granted they do some wonderful things with those basic ingredients.

For Brits that would traditionally be lard, wheat, mutton, potatoes and carrots.   

Goes a long way to explain why nobody raves about traditional British foods.

[Neil]

The greatness that was Britain?

[mongers]

Had quite a nice melton mowbray pie today, not the one I wanted, as there seems to be a buying frenzy at the moment for them. 

Oh and for Neil, I've found a model kit of HMS Warspite, shall I badly build it over Xmas and video it sinking in the river ?   

[Neil]

Warspite doesn't sink.  It grounds itself to avoid getting scrapped.

[mongers]

Warspite doesn't sink.  It grounds itself to avoid getting scrapped.

Indeed.

[Scipio]

Are these the turnover-style of meat pies or the regular-looking ones?  Seems like every culture (save for maybe the US) has their own slight variation on the meat pie turnover.

I can't think of a Ukrainian meat pie turnover.  There's the ubiquitous pyrogy of course, but I've never heard of a meat-filled pyrogy.

That's because you're a fake Uke.

There are two kinds of pies: cabbage and meat.  Either baked or fried, depending on where in the Rodina you come from.

[Sheilbh]

I always knew a lot of French cuisine that is famous came out of peasant innovations, but then you've also got a good mixture of well known upper class stuff too. I guess my point was with Poland the first cuisine that comes to mind is peasant food, I don't think that is true of Italian or French cuisine.

It is true of the French and Italians too. Haute cuisine I think is more about techniques but the dishes and style seems to change according to fashion. Most of the enduring classics come from the peasants, the farms and then, especially in France, the small middle class restaurants - even if they've since been reinterpreted.

[Valmy]

That's because you're a fake Uke.

If being a real Uke requires one to actually live in the Ukraine I think he is coming out ahead here.

[dps]

Britian is to the history of cuisine roughly what Yeman is to the history of aeronautics.