Origins Part 2

Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.

~Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin~ In 1825

6. Coney: Thank you, New York City. Coney or “Coney’s” got their name from Coney Island in New York City. What are Coney’s? Are you ready? It is a hot dog served in a bun with a meat sauce and onions. The recipe, according to some food historians was created by Greek immigrants in Detroit. Yes, it is okay to read that again. As they passed through New York in the early 1900s, they passed through Coney Island, the one place in America where the hot dog was king. Conieys are still very popular at the Greek diners in Detroit and other Michigan cities, and still travel around the country like
   Cincinnati, Ohio. Side note, what we call hot dogs today are really frankfurters, but are considered a sausage. See the end for a sauce recipe.

TIlly: When I read ‘coney’, my first thought was rabbits and fur … looked online and found this: ‘In American English, coney typically refers to a chili-topped hot dog, or a rabbit/rabbit fur. Both coneys and conies are accepted plural spellings, but coneys is the strongly preferred spelling when referring to the hot dog, while conies is commonly found in older literature or biblical translations.’ Can someone give me the reason hot dogs were mentioned in the Bible?

7. Sardines: Tilly, “pilchards” is what England, your home country, calls sardines. So, what are sardines, and where did they originate? There is this little island in the Mediterranean called Sardinia. Unfortunately, today sardines can now be found in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans.

Tilly: Correct but not quite. Yes, pilchards and sardines are the same species of fish (Sardina pilchardus). There is no biological difference between them, but they are categorized according to age, size, and region. Sardines are younger, smaller fish (usually under 6 inches or 15 cm). Mature, they’re larger, fatter, and referred to as pilchards. I find pilchards have a stronger flavour.

The name “pilchard” has deeply historical, localized roots in Southwest England, particularly in Cornwall. Commercial pilchard fishing and exporting flourished there for centuries, particularly to Mediterranean countries.  There is a Cornish dish called Stargazy Pie, which originated in the fishing village of Mousehole in Cornwall. Legend dates the dish back to the 16th century, created to honor a heroic local fisherman, Tom Bawcock, who braved severe winter storms to catch enough fish to save his starving village.The pie contains pilchards (sardines), potatoes, and eggs, covered in a pastry crust, with the fish heads and tails poking out through the pastry. As the fish bakes, the natural oils run back into the pie. According to legend, the fish heads were left protruding to prove to the hungry villagers that fish was actually inside.Today, the dish is still tied to its roots and is traditionally eaten every December 23rd on “Tom Bawcock’s Eve,” celebrated alongside the famous Mousehole village illuminations.

8. Currants: Have a seat, folks we are not talking about the ocean here. We are talking about small seedless raisins. Harvested and dried like real raisins. The name comes from “raysons of Coraunte” (“raisins of Corinth”). Currants were first recorded in the 15^th century after a Greek harbor. What is unique about this today? Tilly: Scotland and the state of Minnesota have been breeding together and testing since 1999. “Ben” a series of blackcurrants from Scotland (Ben Means Mountain) along with two Minnesota place names. The popularity is that they are used in making jelly, juice, and wine. Tilly: Scotland and the state of Minnesota have been ‘breeding’ together and testing since 1999. It must take a hell of a lot of those little things to make wine. Do they make white and rosé from the white currants and redcurrents, as well as red wine from the blackcurrants?
9. Buffalo Wings: Now how many of you reading this believe they come from a winged buffalo? Did you, Tilly?

Tilly: Well, if elephants and pigs can fly, why not buffalos?

So, what are buffalo wings, and where did the name come from? Well, they’re chicken wings that are deep-fried, then tossed in a sauce (traditionally in a hot sauce) or covered in spices. The name comes from Buffalo, New York. The wings were created at the Anchor Bar by Teressa Bellissimo. Chopping them into the drumette and wingette sections, frying them then dousing them in sauce and serving them. The “New Yorker” –published the story in the early 1980s and of course, they became a nationwide hit. Today restaurants make their own brand and are very good. Mine is fried chicken wings tossed into a seasoning mix… SO GOOD. Tilly, what is your favorite?

Tilly: I confess that usually the wings don’t have much meat on them here (I think our chickens are generally smaller than in the USA), so I use them to make chicken stock.

10: Baloney: NO Tilly, we are not talking about the slang term. The slang term came from when New York Governor Alfred E. Smith called the Washington bureaucracy “baloney” in the 1930s. What we are talking about is everyone’s favorite lunch meat. It is considered an Italian sausage from Bologna, Italy. They used only ground pork and pork fat. Today pick a meat, and that is what it is made from today.

Tilly: I wonder if the UK meaning of baloney – rubbish – came about because some Brits had it for lunch and didn’t like it? Your last line – do you mean the luncheon meat is made from mixed meats, rather than pure pork?

11: Sandwich: Hold on to that glass of wine Tilly, because “Sandwich” is named after a region in your country.  It is a region on the coast along the Strait of England.

Tilly : Yes, there is an area called Sandwich – but the sandwich is not named after it.

Also, it is named after John Montagu, the fourth Earl of Sandwich. The Earl of Sandwich did not like leaving the gambling table, so he ate sandwiches instead.

Tilly: The Earl may have popularized and named them, but wrapping fillings in bread has existed for thousands of years. Ancient Roots: In the 1st century B.C., the Jewish Rabbi Hillel the Elder, is said to have created the first recorded “sandwich” by putting lamb, herbs, and nuts between pieces of flatbread for Passover.The Middle Ages: Europeans commonly used thick, stale pieces of bread called “trenchers” as edible plates to hold meat and stews.Global Variations: Different cultures developed their own versions of stuffed or filled breads independently, such as the Chinese Roujiamo (dating back to the Qin Dynasty) and Greek finger foods served between bread slices, the South African Bunny Chow (half a loaf hollowed out and filled with curry).The Earl’s dining/gambling habit (he wanted to keep his hands free from grease so he didn’t mark the cards) quickly caught on in London coffee houses and eventually evolved into the staple, grab-and-go meal enjoyed globally today.

So what is your recipe for a sandwich? Let Olive and Tilly know.

Tilly: A piece of sourdough French stick – good and crusty – filled with really tasty tomatoes, sea salt, fresh black pepper, basil,olive oil – and if there is any around … some garlic.

Olive and Tilly

“My doctor told me I had to stop throwing intimate dinners for four unless there are three other people.”

Orson Welles