Stuffing

Stuffing,filling, ordressingis an edible mixture, often composed ofherbsand astarchsuch asbread, used to fill a cavity in the preparation of another food item.  Many foods may be stuffed, includingpoultry,seafood, andvegetables.  As acooking techniquestuffing helps retain moisture, while the mixture itself serves to augment and absorb flavors during its preparation.
Poultrystuffing often consists of breadcrumbs,onion,celery,spices, and herbs such assage, combined with thegiblets.Additions in the United Kingdom include dried fruits and nuts (such as apricots and flaked almonds),and chestnuts.
It is not known when stuffings were first used. The earliest documentary evidence is theRomancookbook,ApiciusDe Re Coquinaria, which contains recipes for stuffedchicken,dormouse,hare, andpig. Most of the stuffings described consist ofvegetables,herbsandspices,nuts, andspelt(acereal), and frequently contain choppedliver,brains, and otherorgan meat.
Names for stuffing include "farce" (~1390), "stuffing" (1538), "forcemeat" (1688), and more recently in the United States, "dressing" (1850).
In addition to stuffing the body cavities of animals, includingbirds,fish, andmammals, various cuts of meat may be stuffed after they have been deboned or a pouch has been cut into them. Recipes include stuffedchickenlegs,stuffedpork chops,stuffed breast ofveal,as well as the traditional holiday stuffedturkeyorgoose.
Many types of vegetables are also suitable for stuffing, after theirseedsor flesh has been removed.Tomatoes,capsicums(sweet or hot peppers), andvegetable marrowssuch as zucchini may be prepared in this way.Cabbagesand similar vegetables can also be stuffed or wrapped around a filling. They are usuallyblanchedfirst, in order to make their leaves more pliable. Then the interior may be replaced by stuffing, or small amounts of stuffing may be inserted between the individual leaves.
Purportedlyancient Roman, or elseMedieval, cooks developedengastrationrecipes, stuffing animals with other animals. An anonymousAndalusiancookbook from the 13th century includes a recipe for aramstuffed with smallbirds. A similar recipe for acamelstuffed withsheepstuffed withbustardsstuffed withcarpstuffed with eggs is mentioned inT. C. Boyle's bookWater Music.Multi-bird-stuffed dishes such as theturducken or gooduckenare contemporary variations.
Almost anything can serve as a stuffing. Many American stuffings contain astarchyingredient likebreadorcereals, usually together with vegetables, ground meats, herbs and spices, andeggs. Middle Eastern vegetable stuffings may be based on seasoned rice, on minced meat, or a combination thereof. Other stuffings may contain only vegetables and herbs. Some types of stuffing containsausagemeat, orforcemeat, whilevegetarianstuffings sometimes containtofu. Roast pork is often accompanied by sage and onion stuffing in England; roast poultry in a Christmas dinner may be stuffed with sweet chestnuts. Oysters are used in onetraditional stuffing forThanksgiving. These may also be combined withmashed potatoes, for a heavy stuffing. Fruits and dried fruits can be added to stuffing including apples, apricots, dried prunes, and raisins. In England, a stuffing is sometimes made of minced pork shoulder seasoned with various ingredients, such as sage, onion, bread, chestnuts, dried apricots, and dried cranberries.The stuffing mixture may be cooked separately and served as a side dish. This may still be called stuffing or it may be called dressing.
TheUnited States Department of Agriculture(USDA) states that cooking animals with abody cavityfilled with stuffing can present potential food safety hazards. Even when the meat reaches a safe temperature, the stuffing can still harbor bacteria, and if the meat is cooked until the stuffing reaches a safe temperature, the meat may be overcooked. For turkeys, for instance, the USDA recommends cooking stuffing separately from the bird and not buying pre-stuffed birds.