Culinary Dictionary - B, Food Dictionary, Whats Cooking America Culinary Dictionary Linda’s Culinary Dictionary – B A Dictionary of Cooking, Food, and Beverage Terms An outstanding and large culinary dictionary and glossary that includes the definitions and history of cooking, food, and beverage terms. Please click on a letter below to alphabetically search the many food and cooking terms: baba (BAH-bah) – Baba is called babka in Poland and Babas Au Rhum in France. In French, the word baba meaning, “falling over or dizzy.” These are small cakes made from yeast dough containing raisins or currants. They are baked in cylindrical molds and then soaked with sugar syrup usually flavored with rum (originally they were soaked in a sweet fortified wine). After these cakes were soaked in the wine sauce for a day, the dried fruits would fall out of them. Baba Au Rhum – In the 18th century, French chef, Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1755-1826),created a cake that he served with a rum sauce that he called Baba Au Savarin.

The dessert became very popular in France, but the people called it Baba Au Rhum and soon dropped the name Savarin. History: For a history of Baba and Baba Au Rhum, check out Linda Stradley’s History of Cakes . bacon – Bacon comes from the fatty parts of the pig, especially the sides. The most desirable bacon is cut from the breast of the hog. It is cured with either sugar or salt, which gives it a sweet or salty taste. History: Bacon has played a prominent role in the history of superstition. It was considered a sacred food by the pagans and was regarded as a symbol of prosperity. It was frequently used as an offering to the Gods, and was believed to have curative properties. If a knife, which caused a wound, was stuck into bacon afterwards, it was supposed to prevent infection. bagel (BAY-guhl) – Bagel derives from the Yiddish word beygl, which comes from the German word beugel meaning a “bracelet.” Bagels are bread rolls in the shape of a doughnut or an old-fashioned curtain ring. The brown crust is obtained on the rolls by first boiling them in water and then baking them in an oven.

History: According to legend, the world’s first bagel was produced in 1683 as a tribute to Jan Sobieski, King of Poland. The king, a renowned horseman, had just saved the people of Austria from an onslaught by Turkish invaders. In gratitude, a local baker shaped yeast dough into the shape of stirrup to honor him and called it the Austrian word for stirrup, “beugel.” The roll soon became a hit throughout Eastern Europe. Over time, its shape evolved into a circle with a hole in the center and its named was converted to its modern form, bagel. In the 1880s, hundreds of thousands of Eastern European Jews immigrated to America, bringing with them a love for bagels. In 1927, Polish baker Harry Lender opened the first bagel plant outside New York City in New Haven, Conn. The bagel’s popularity began to spread in the United States. bagna cauda (BAHN-yah KOW-dah) – Bagna Cauda is an Italian term that means “hot Bath.” It is like a Swiss fondue except that it has a much more boisterous flavor.

The original recipe called for walnut oil, but olive oil is now used and is considered the key to a successful sauce. The sauce is made up of anchovy fillets, olive oil, garlic, cream, butter, and vinegar. baguette(bag-EHT) – Is French for a “rod,” “wand,” or “stick.” Baguette is the name for anything long and skinny, including drumsticks, strips of wood, etc. The baguette is generally known as a French white bread due to its popularity in that country. Baguettes are formed into a long, narrow, cylindrical loaf. It usually has a thin, crisp brown crust and an open-holed, chewy interior. History: The shape for which it is famous was developed by an Austrian baker and brought to France in the middle of the nineteenth century. At first French bread was all shaped round, but when bakers realized that their crusts were so tasty, they gave the bread more crust by making them long. bain-marie (bahn mah-REE) – (1) A hot water bath that is used to keep food warm on the top of a stove.

It is also to cook custards and baked eggs in the oven without curdling or cracking and also used to hold sauces and to clarify butter. (2) The term is also used for a cooking utensil, which is a fairly large pan (or tray) which is partly filled with water. The food to be cooked is placed in another container in order that the food is not cooked too quickly or harshly. History: Most authorities think that it was named after Maria Prophetissa. Maria Prophetissa was also known as “Miriam,” “Maria the Jewess” or simply “Maria” and lived during the first century A.D. She is called The Jewess because Zosimos, Egyptian alchemist and historian, called her a Sister of Moses. It is held that Mary Magdalene and the noted first century alchemical author known as Mary the Jewess was one and the same individual. Whoever she was, Mary the Jewess was an accomplished practical alchemist and the inventor of a series of technical devices still in use today, such as the hot ash box for steady heat, the dung box for prolonged heat and the double boiler, still called the “bain-marie” in French and Marienbad in German.

Although no complete works by her have been found, enough fragments exist to establish her as a historical fact. Yet her personal information, even her birthplace, remains a mystery. bake blind – It is the technique used for baking an unfilled pastry shell. The pastry shell is first pricked with a fork to prevent puffing, covered with aluminum foil or parchment paper, and then weighted with rice or beans. It is then baked for a short period of time, about 10 to 15 minutes. Baked Alaska – A dessert that consists of a sponge cake that is covered with ice cream, then with a layer of stiffly beaten egg whites, and lastly put in a hot oven to be browned. Also known as omelette la norvienne, Norwegian omelette, omelette surprise, and glace au four. Baked Apple a la Josephine – The soaked, pruned apples are boiled for 15 minutes. Boiled milk is mixed with rice, salt and sugar are added, and then it is cooled down and divided into four portions. The cores of the apples are removed and are covered with butter and sprinkled with sugar.

They are placed in a pre-warmed oven and baked for 20 minutes. The apples are served in the middle of the rice pudding, sprinkled with sugar, and toppled with raspberry syrup. bakers’ ammonia (ammonium carbonate) – It is also called hartshorn. It is an ammonia compound and not harmful after baking. However, do not eat the raw dough. Your kitchen will stink of ammonia while the cookies bake – but once baked, the cookies will not taste of it. Can be substituted for equal amount of baking powder in any cookies recipe. It is an old-time leavening favored for cookies, such as German Springerle. It is said to give a “fluffiness” of texture baking powder can’t. Its leavening is only activated by heat, not moisture (such as baking powder). bake stone – A bake stone is a flat, round iron plate, usually with an attached semicircular iron loop, which allows it to be hung over a fire from a crane. It can also be set down directly on hot embers. Before baking ovens, and even after them, this was a common utensil for baking simple quick breads.

baker’s dozen – The “baker’s dozen” refers to providing 13 baked items for the price of 12. This originated as a way to avoid shortchanging the customer. Bakers who shorted (cheated) customers could be punished severely-such as losing a hand to an axe! This allowed that one of the 13 could be lost, eaten, burnt, or ruined in some way, leaving the baker with the original legal dozen. The practice can be seen in the Baker Guild codes of the Worshipful Company of Bakers in London, 12th century. Baker’s Scale – Baker’s scales are scales used by bakers to measure ingredients by weight, not volume. That is how the master bakers and chefs of the world get great results every time. They are also called Dough Scales. A Baker’s Scale or Kitchen Scale should be an essential tool in every kitchen. Most American kitchens have a set of measuring cups, but do not have a kitchen scale. A scale is more accurate in baking than using measuring cups baking powder – It is a leavener that consists of a combination of baking soda, cream of tartar, and a moisture absorber (like cornstarch).

It has the action of yeast but it acts much more quickly. It is used in batters where there is no acid present. Baking powder acts immediately upon addition of water, therefore a filler (usually cornstarch) is added to absorb the moisture and prevent premature activity. Various baking powders were sold in the first half of the 19th century. Check out the History of Baking Powder . baking soda – Baking soda, which is the alkaline element bicarbonate of soda, is used solely as a chemical leavener in baking. Because it is not premixed with an acid, as is baking powder, it is used alone in baked goods where other ingredients, which also contain acid, are present (yogurt, buttermilk, lemon juice, or sour cream). When the baking soda and acid are combined, they neutralize each other, causing carbon dioxide gas bubbles to form. The bubbles make the dough or batter grow bigger, or rise. Baking soda is more volatile than baking powder because it begins to act the minute you moisten it with the wet ingredients. You must put whatever you are baking right in the oven once the baking soda has been activated. See also bicarbonate of soda.

History: Baking soda was previously known as saleratus, a combination of the Latin “sal” (salt) and “aeratus” (aerated). John Dwight of Massachusetts and his brother-in-law, Dr. James A. Church of Connecticut, started the manufacture of bicarbonate of soda in this country in 1846. The first factory was in the kitchen of his home with baking soda put in paper bags by hand. A year later, in 1847, the firm of John Dwight and Company was formed, and subsequently Cow Brand was adopted as a trademark for Dwight’s Saleratus (aerated salt) as it was called. The standard package at that time weighed one pound. The cow was adopted as a trademark because of the use of sour milk with saleratus in baking. In 1867, James A. Church began marketing sodium bicarbonate as baking soda under the Arm & Hammer label. He formed a partnership known as Church & Company, doing business under that firm name with his sons James A. Church and E. Dwight Church. baking stone – Also referred to as a pizza stone.

Unglazed ceramic, clay, or stone tiles that allows for high temperature and dry heat, which is necessary for crisp crusts when making breads and pizzas. A stone can be placed in the oven (and kept there when not in use) where it retains heat and makes an ideal surface for baking breads. A baking stone is invaluable for getting the “perfect” crust and it can also help your oven to run more efficiently because of its heat retaining properties. They should only be washed with clear, plain water, as these stones are actually molded sand, which is tightly compacted under high pressure. Like sand on the beach, they will suck in any liquid exposed to the surface. baklava (BAHK-lah-vah) – A popular middle eastern (especially Greece and Turkey) pastry that is made with buttered layers of phyllo dough. How it is traditionally made depends on the region. In some areas, it is made with walnuts; in other areas, it is made with pistachios or almonds. Sometimes dried fruit is added between the layers. Baklava consists of 30 or more sheets of phyllo dough brushed with lots of butter, and layered with finely chopped nuts.

After baking, a syrup of honey, rose water and lemon juice (sometimes spiced with cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, etc) is poured over the pastry and allowed to soak in. This dessert is known as baglawa in Syrian and Lebanese. History: Most historians agree that the first people, the Assyrians, in the 8th century B.C. were the first to put together thin layers of bread dough, with chopped nuts in between those layers, added some honey and baked it in their primitive wood burning ovens. This earliest known version of baklava was baked only on special occasions. Baklava was considered a food for the rich until mid-19th century. In Turkey the sheets of pastry for baklava are rolled out so thinly that when held up the person standing behind can be seen as if through a net curtain. In Turkey, to this day one can hear a common expression often used by the poor, or even by the middle class, saying: “I am not rich enough to eat baklava and boerek every day”. The Greek seamen and merchants traveling east to Mesopotamia soon discovered the delights of Baklava and brought the recipe to Athens.

The Greeks’ major contribution to the development of this pastry is the creation of a dough technique that made it possible to roll it as thin as a leaf, compared to the rough, bread-like texture of the Assyrian dough. Phyllo means “layer” or “leaf” in the Greek language. The Armenians, located on ancient Spice and Silk Routes, integrated for the cinnamon and cloves into the baklava. The Arabs introduced the rose water and cardamom. The taste changed in subtle nuances as the recipe started crossing borders. balsamic vinegar – Balsamic vinegar is an aged reduction of white sweet grapes (Trebbiano for red and Spergola for white sauvignon) that are boiled to syrup. The grapes are cooked very slowly in copper cauldrons over an open flame until the water content is reduced by over 50%. The resulting “grape must” is placed into wooden barrels where older balsamic vinegar is added to assist in the acetification. Each year the vinegar is transferred to different wood barrels so that the vinegar can obtain some of the flavors of the different woods. The only approved woods are oak, cherry, chestnut, mulberry, cacia, juniper, and ash.

Balsamic vinegar can only be produced in the regions of Modena and Reggio in Italy. History: The first historical reference to balsamic vinegar dates back to 1046, when a bottle of balsamic vinegar was reportedly given to Emperor Enrico III of Franconia as a gift. In the middle Ages, it was used as a disinfectant. Check out Linda’s article on Balsamic Vinegar . balti – Balti is an Indian dish, which may have originated in Northwest Pakistan. It is a form of a meat curry, but one that’s cooked quickly (like a stir-fry. The spice mix used to flavor the dish is a combination of seeds (coriander, cardamom, cumin, black mustard, fennel, wild onion, and fenugreek). It can be made as either a masala paste or used dry. History: The name comes from the cast-iron pot “balti,” in which it was originally both made and served. Now the term “balti” seems to refer to the food, and the pot is called a “karahi.” In some parts of the world, the dish is also called karai, or karah.

bamboo shoot – Young shoots of the bamboo plant. The shoots grown from an underground stock, and they are cut soon after their appearance above the ground. The outer sheaths are removed and the shoots are prepared for the table much in the same manner as asparagus. They are used a lot in Chinese and Japanese cooking. banana – Bananas are not grown on trees. They are part of the lily family, a cousin of the orchid, and a member of the herb family. With stalks 25 feet high, they are the largest plant on earth without a woody stem. The banana is harvested green, even for local consumption. It is the one fruit, which if left to ripen on the plant, never develops its best flavor. After they are picked, the sugar content increases from 2% to 20%. History: The banana was probably one of the first plants to be cultivated. The earliest historical reference to the fruit was 327 B.C., when Alexander the Great found them flourishing in India. Traders in the Indian Ocean carried the banana to the eastern coast of Africa, and Chinese traders introduced the banana to the Polynesians before the second century A.D.

During Alexander the Great’s life, bananas were called pala in Athens. North America got its first taste of the tropical fruit in 1876 at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition. Each banana was wrapped in foil and sold for 10 cents. Bananas Foster – A dish made of bananas and rum, flamed and served over vanilla ice cream. History: The original Banana Foster was created in the New Orleans restaurant called Brennan’s in the old French Quarter. In the 1950’s, New Orleans was the major port of entry for bananas shipped from Central and South America. Owen Edward Brennan challenged his talented chef, Paul Blang to include bananas in a new culinary creation – Owen’s way of promoting the imported fruit. Simultaneously, Holiday Magazine had asked Owen to provide a new recipe to appear in a feature article on Brennan’s. In 1951, Chef Paul created Bananas Foster. The scrumptious dessert was named for Richard Foster, who, as chairman, served with Owen on the New Orleans Crime Commission, a civic effort to clean up the French Quarter. Richard Foster, owner of the Foster Awning Company, was a frequent customer of Brennan’s and a very good friend of Owen.

barbecue – There are several theories on where or how the word “barbecue” originated. (1) One is that it is a derivative of the West Indian term barbacoa, which denotes a method of slow-cooking meat over hot coals. (2) It is also thought that the word barbecue comes from the French phrase “barbe a queue,” meaning “from heat to tail.” (3) Another theory is that the word comes from a 19th century advertisement for a combination whiskey bar, beer, hall, pool establishment and purveyor of roast pig, known as the “Bar-Beer-Cue-Pig”. (4) The final explanation is that the method of roasting meat over powdery coals was picked up from indigenous peoples in the colonial period, and the word barbacoa became barbecue in the lexicon of early settlers. Barbecuing is a long, slow, indirect, low-heat method that uses smoldering logs, charcoal, or wood chunks to smoke-cook the food (usually some kind of meat). “Indirect” meant that the heat source is located away from the food to be cooked. “Barbecuing” and “grilling” are two different techniques.

History: The earliest example of barbecue is in 1661, when it is used as a verb meaning ‘to cook on a barbecue’. Other early senses include ‘the wooden framework for supporting food’; ‘a whole animal, or a piece of an animal, roasted on a barbecue’; and ‘a social gathering at which food is cooked on a barbecue’. Barbecuing is primarily a New World phenomenon, originating in the Caribbean and then spreading to the United Sates (the American South in particular). In the Southern United States, barbecue is considered a cherished cultural icon. In other areas of America, the word barbecue is a verb (Northerners barbecue food on the backyard grill). In the South, barbecue is most definitely a noun (a barbecue is a gathering of food aficionados who appreciate the aroma of roasted meant that has been painstakingly smoked for several hours) During the colonial period, the practice of holding a neighborhood barbecue was well established, but it was in the fifty years before the Civil War that the traditions associated with large barbecues became entrenched. Plantation owners regularly held large and festive barbecues, including “pig pickin’s” for slaves.

In the 19th century, barbecue was a feature at church picnic and political rallies as well as at private parties. A barbecue was a popular and relatively inexpensive way to lobby for votes, and the organizers of political rallies would provide barbecue, lemonade, and usually a bit of whiskey. Unlike most food preparation in the South, which is dominated by women, barbecue is a male preserve. In 1951, George Stephen of Palatine, Illinois invented the kettle grill and revolutionized the art of outdoor cookery throughout the US. bard – Refers to the practice of surrounding or enveloping meat with pork fat. The fat keeps the meat moist while it cooks. barley – Barley, as a food, is most commonly identified as pearl barley, which is traditionally used in soups and stews. In the last few years, we have become more creative with barley and have used it in summer salads, casseroles, and side dishes. Barley is also used as a commercial ingredient in prepared foods such as breakfast cereals, soups, pilaf mixes, breads, cookies, crackers, and snack bars. Today it is the world’s fourth largest cereal crop.

History: Barley has held a prominent and long-standing place in the history of food, being the world’s oldest grain, and has been cultivated for about 8,000 years. Babylonians brewed beer from barley around 2500 B.C. Both the ancient Greeks and Hebrews made use of barley in porridge and bread. Barley remained an important bread grain in Europe until the 1500s when wheat breads became popular. Bartlett pear – History: The Bartlett pear variety originated in Berkshire, England, in the 17th century, by a schoolmaster named John Stair. Stair sold some of his pear tree cuttings to a horticulturist named Williams, who further developed the variety and renamed it after himself. After pear seedlings crossed the Atlantic with the early colonists, the Williams pear found fame and fortune in 1812 under the tutelage of nurseryman, Enoch Bartlett, of Dorchester, Massachusetts. Bartlett, unaware of the pear’s true name, distributed it under his own name.

Ever since, the pear has been known as the Bartlett in the United States, but is still referred to as the Williams pear in other parts of the world. Bartlett pear trees eventually came out West in the covered wagons of the 49ers heading for the Great California Gold Rush. base – Base is a soup reduction paste similar to bouillon, but richer, more flavorful, and less salty. You can find it in the soup section of the super market. It comes in a jar and must be refrigerated after opening. baste – To spoon, brush or pour drippings or liquid over a food before or during cooking in order to prevent drying, to add flavor, or to glaze it. batter – The name of many semi-liquid, floury mixtures of flour, water or milk (or both) or some other liquid. It also usually includes sugar and eggs. Batters may be thin or thick (but even when thick, they must be fluid enough to drop from a spoon). When thin, they should pour out like creamy milk. sponge – A batter to which yeast is added. This batter is so stiff that it does not drop from a spoon, but can be handled.

Basil – Basil – Learn about basil, how to store it, and preserve it. History: The ancient Greeks believed that only the king should be allowed to cut the basil plants, and he must use a sickle made of pure gold. Bavarian cream – It is a molded cream that is made from custard sauce or sweetened fruit puree that is bound with gelatin and lightened with whipped cream. Bavarian cream can be served on its own or used as a filling for cold charlottes or molded cakes. History: Check out History of Cakes . biscotti (bee-SKAWT-tee) – In Italian, biscotti means, “twice cooked.” The word biscotto is derived from bis (twice) and cotto (cooked). Biscotti is also the generic term for cookies in Italian. The dough is formed into logs and baked until golden brown. The logs are then sliced, and the individual biscotti are baked again to give them their characteristic dryness. The shelf life of biscotti are three to four months without preservatives or additives. Other countries have their version of this cookie – Dutch rusk, French biscotte, and the German zwieback.

History: Early Seaman’s biscuits, also known as hard tack, probably were the first version of biscotti. They were the perfect food for sailors who were at sea for months at a time on long ocean voyages. The biscuits were thoroughly baked to draw out the moisture, becoming a cracker-like food that that was resistant to mold. Biscotti were a favorite of Christopher Columbus who relied on them on his long sea voyage in the 15th century. Historians believe that the first Italian biscotti were first baked in 13th century Tuscany in the in a city called Prato. biscuit (BISH-kiht) – In England, it is the equivalent of U.S. cookies (small, sweet cakes). In the U.S., a type of non-yeast bread made of flour, milk, and shortening, usually served with breakfast – small, and similar to what much of the world refers to as “scones.” bisque (bisk) – A bisque is a thick, rich, creamy sauce in the form of a puree.

Bisque in French means a “shellfish soup.” The word is a corruption of “biscuit,” as the soup was cooked twice to thicken it. Bisques in the 18th century were made of poultry and game, not with shellfish as they usually are today. bistro (BEES-troh) – (1) In France, a bistro used to be a bar that also sold wine. S ometimes, they would have one or two tables and the wife of the owner would have made a dish she would sell. Today a bistro is a small neighborhood restaurant with a comforting, predictable menu and reliable daily specials. It functions as a home away from home for many people, drawn by the familiar atmosphere, honest food and consistent prices. (2) Bistro also means a style of cooing (simple home cooking – it is similar to old-fashioned American food). It is a return to the era before fast food, before speed and convenience became more important than flavor and quality, but not quite to the complexity of old school French cooking. Black pudding – Called “Marag” (Blood Pudding) in Gaelic (it also means a fat, shapeless person!).

This is one of the famous blood dishes that Scottish people love. It usually accompanies other fried dishes, such as bacon and eggs. While it might seem shocking to eat blood, do not forget that all meat dishes contain blood and it’s the basis, with fat, of gravy. Blood dishes are popular all over Europe, especially in Transylvania. blackened – A cooking technique where meat or fish is usually seasoned with a Cajun spice mixture and then cooked in a cast-iron skillet that has been heated almost red-hot. This technique gives the food an extra crispy crust and sears in the juices. It is also guaranteed to set off your smoke detector–unless the battery is dead! Blackened Redfish – A dish made by searing seasoned redfish fillets in a smoking hot skillet (usually a cast-iron skillet). History: This cooking technique and popular fish dish was introduced by Louisiana chef Paul Prudhomme, causing a worldwide culinary phenomenon in the early to mid-1980s. As the dish’s fame grew in the late 1980s, stiff limits had to be placed on redfish catches to prevent the disappearance of the species from Gulf Coast waters.

Chef Paul Prudhomme’s non-traditional “blackened redfish” dish sparked a worldwide Cajun food craze which inspired creative chefs to start “blackening” everything from chicken to veal in order to continue to cash in on the craze. blanch, blanching – (1) To briefly plunge food into boiling water and then into cold water to stop cooking. (2) Blanching allows you to cook vegetables completely, then cool them quickly for use in dishes like salad, soup, stew, and pasta. Blanching is used to loosen skins of fruits and vegetables or to prepare them for more cooking by another method. (3) To scald shelled nuts until the thin outer skins are sufficiently loosened to remove easily. Brazil nut – Although referred to, as nuts these are actually the seed of a South American tree that grows in the Amazon jungle. The tree yields 3 to 4 pound pods with thick shells that must be broken open with a machete. Inside are 12 to 20 three-sided Brazil nuts. Their extremely hard shells are dark brown and triangular in shape and can be very hard to break. The kernel is white and has a rich flavor.

bread – Bread is the name given to the oldest, commonest, and cheapest form of human food. Bread is made of the flour or meal of one or more kinds of cereals, which can be obtained from some grasses, seeds, and root stocks other than cereals. History: Grain cultivation most likely began around 10,000 B.C, and bread was baked on hot stones into loaves of flatbread. Evidence of ovens was found dating back as far as 25,000 B.C. in the Ukraine. Historians think that the first combination of bread ingredients and yeast happened by accident. Probably when an alcoholic drink or fermented honey was accidentally added to flatbread dough. This more likely happened in a brewery in ancient Egypt where archaeologists have found ruins and drawings of bakeries and breweries. The Egyptians had supplies of mead, beer, and primitive wines. By the third century B.C., Romans had created ovens made from dried and hardened mud, and by 200 B.C. there were more than 200 bakeries in Rome. Roman Emperor Trajan (98-117 A.D.) founded the first bakers’ school in Rome.

Once a man became a baker, he was not allowed to change work. They taught their sons the trade, passing baking secrets down from generation to generation. There are many stories of wars being won or lost and favors being granted by the barter of freshly baked bread. French soldiers demanded white bread to give them courage, and Greek women were said to have tucked a piece of bread into their husbands’ clothing as he went off to war. Bakers in local communities celebrated political victories or “saved a country” by introducing a specific shape or type of bread. breadfruit – Although it is a fruit, it’s light yellow flesh has the starchy consistency of unripe potatoes, which makes it seem more like a vegetable weighing between two to five pounds. As the breadfruit ripens it softens to about the consistency of a mango but without the sweetness. The reason for the name “breadfruit” is that when eaten before it is ripe, breadfruit not only feels like fresh bread, but also tastes like it. Not only are breadfruit trees in the Pacific prized for their fruits but their wood is also highly valuable. In Hawaii, the wood of breadfruit trees was made into fine quality canoes, drums, and surfboards.

In Guam and Samoa, the bark was used for making tapa cloth. A starchy staple of the Caribbean and Pacific islands, breadfruit is fried, baked, boiled, and sometimes mixed with coconut milk to make a pudding. It is used like a potato – in stews, whipped, and diced, and in a salad resembling potato salad. History: Probably native to the Malay Archipelago, breadfruit either drifted on the sea or was carried by early peoples to the Pacific Islands well before written history. The plant has been cultivated there for thousands of years. Breadfruits were traditionally baked with hot stones in pits dug into the ground. The wood of the trees—which grew as high as 60 feet—was also used for canoes, and the bark was made into cloth on Guam and the islands of Samoa. In Hawaii the wood was prized for making drums and surfboards. In the 1700’s the British began to establish breadfruit crops in the West Indies, as a staple with which to feed the African slaves who worked the huge sugar plantations. During his voyage to Tahiti in 1769, Captain James Cook was introduced to breadfruit when he brought it back to England.

King George III was convinced of the necessity of transporting breadfruit from the Pacific to the Caribbean and in 1787 Captain Bligh and his ship HMS Bounty was sent to Tahiti with the mission of delivering the breadfruit trees to the Caribbean. Records indicate that 347 breadfruit trees arrived on the HMS Providence on the fifth of February 1793, and were distributed throughout the island. bread pudding – A pudding that dates back to earlier times. It originated as a way to use stale bread and avoid throwing it away. brie cheese (bree) – One of the most popular of imported cheeses, brie has been called the “king of all cheeses.” This cheese is made from whole, skim, or partially skim cow’s milk (the quality varies with the kind of milk used). It is described as creamy, smooth, and very delicate. The natural white rind of the brie cheese is edible; so do not discard it when serving brie as an appetizer. History: Brie cheese originated in France centuries ago. It is named after La Brie, the province in northern France where it was first made. brine – Brining is like a marinade as it keeps food moist and tender.

Brining or salting is a way of increasing the moisture holding capacity of meat resulting in a moister product when it is cooked. One of the great things about brining is that there are so few rules. Most brines start with water and salt — traditionally, 3/4 pound of salt per gallon of water, but since we’re not concerned with the brine as a preservative, you can cut back on the salt. Check out Guidelines for Brining Poultry . broaster, broasted, and broasting – Broaster and broasted are registered trademarks of the Broaster Co. in Beloit, Wisc. that has been broasting chickens since 1954. It is a registered process that builds pressure in the pot, which seals in the natural juices while sealing out almost 100% of the cooking oil. It is not only the process of frying chickens under pressure, but includes a special marinating process. The Broasters and the seasonings are sold only to restaurants and the food trade, so Broasted chicken is available to you only when you dine out. broccoli – It is a member of the Cruciferae family and is a relative of cabbage, brussels sprouts, and cauliflower.

It has tight clusters of tiny buds that sit on stout, edible stems. It is available year-round. The word broccoli comes from the Italian word “brocco” meaning “arm branch.” History: Broccoli has been around for more than 2000 years. During the 16th century, the plant was grown in France and Italy. Little was known about broccoli in the United States until the 1920s, when the first commercially grown broccoli was grown in Brooklyn, New York. In 1923, broccoli was first planted in California. broccolini – A new hybrid vegetable that is sure to make a statement at your dinner table. Technically a cross between broccoli and Chinese kale, this vegetable looks more like a broccoli-asparagus mix. Broccolini comes in bunches of 17-20 stalks and has a shelf life of 2 weeks in the refrigerator from date of purchase. Broccolini is a great source of Vitamin C, Vitamin A and potassium, and has no fat. It can be cooked and eaten the same as broccoli: blanched, steamed, sauteed, poached, roasted, fried or grilled.

It is 100% edible, so there’s no need to remove any of the stems, making a wonderful presentation on the plate with its long slender stems. broccoli rabe – Also known as rapini, broccoli raab, broccoletti di rape, and broccoletto. It is related to the turnip and cabbage families and has very little resemblance to broccoli. It has a thin, leafy, dark green stock with few buds, and has a pungent-bitter flavor. It gives a lift to bland foods and a nice accent to spicy foods. If served alone, blanch in salt water before further cooking to remove some of the bitterness. When choosing broccoli rabe, it should be firm with small stems and few buds. It is best to keep it wrapped and in the vegetable crisper for no more than five days. Broccoli rabe is available all year, but it most plentiful from spring to late fall. It is a great source of vitamins A, C and K, and a good source of potassium and folic acid. brochette – (1) Small portions of meat, chicken liver, or seafood that is coe on a skewer (usually sauteed or grilled).

Food cooked “en brochette” is cooked on a skewer. Also known as kabob, a la broche, or shish ka bob. It is derived from the word “broche,” meaning, “pointed tool.” (2) Brochette is also used by confectioners to thread fruit in before candying them. broil, broiling – In this method of cooking, the heat source is above the food. In home cooking, an oven is often used for broiling by setting it so that only the top element comes on. Broiling is a high-heat method of cooking in which food is placed on a rack below, and the speed with which it cooks depends on how far away it is from the element. As with grilling, food has to be watched carefully, so it does not overcook. broth – Broth is a flavorful liquid resulting from the long simmering of meat, vegetables, poultry or fish. The French call if “bouillon.” Also know as “stock.” brownie, brownies – A chocolate bar cookie. The name comes from the deep-brown color of the cookie.

History: The origins of the chocolate brownies is uncertain but it is felt that it was probably created by accident, the result of a forgetful cook neglecting to add baking powder to chocolate cake batter.Sears, Roebuck catalog in 1897 published the first known recipe for the brownies, and it quickly became very popular (so popular that a brownie mix was even sold in the catalog). brunch – A combination of the words for breakfast and lunch, and which is neither breakfast nor lunch, which combines some of the features of both and is served mid-morning. History: Brunch first appeared in England at the end of the 19th century. In August 1896, the word appeared in the magazine called Punch. The magazine reported on a company breakfast by Mr. Guy Beringer of the defunct Hunter’s Weekly about a combined breakfast and lunch that was served after guests returned home from a morning of hunting. The article went on to say “To be fashionable nowadays, we much brunch.” It was not until the 1930s in the United States that the idea of brunch became popular in restaurants and hotels.

Customers became know as “pilers.” brunoise (broo-NWAHZ) – It is a French word used to describe a mixture of vegetables, usually onion, celery, and carrot, which has been very finely diced, then cooked slowly in butter. This classic mixture is used as a base to flavor soups, stews and sauces. Brunswick stew – This famous stew was originally a game stew and not a domestic meat stew as it is today. History: According to one story, it began as a squirrel stew created by “Uncle” Jimmy Matthews and named after Brunswick County, Virginia (which was named for Braunschweig in Germany). In 1828, Dr. Creed Haskins, a member of the Virginia state legislature, wanted something special for a political rally he was sponsoring. He persuaded Matthews to part with his recipe. The stew remained, for many years, one of the main attractions at political rallies conducted by both the Whigs and the Democrats. Gradually more vegetables were added and chicken replaced squirrel as the major ingredient. Virginians insist that the dish was invented in Brunswick County, VA.

A county of the same name in North Carolina and some citizens of Brunswick, GA., also lay claim to have originated the stew. bruschetta (broo-SKEH-tah) – Traditional Italian garlic bread. Grilled slices of bread are brushed with extra-virgin olive oil and fresh garlic. brussels sprouts – They are the buds of a cultivated variety of the common cabbage plant. In appearance, brussel sprouts resemble miniature cabbages, but have a much stronger flavor than their larger cousins. History: They were cultivated as food in Belgium as early as the 13th century. History: Learn more about History and Legends of Cobbler, Crisps, Crumble, Brown Betty, Buckle, Grunts, Slumps, Bird’s Nest Pudding, Sonker, & Pandowdy Buffalo Chicken Wings – They are deep-fried chicken wing serve with a hot sauce, celery stalks, and blue cheese dressing. Because the residents of Buffalo are so enamored with these chicken wings, the city of Buffalo, New York has declared July 19th as the “Official Chicken Wing Day.” The city’s proclamation noted that, because of Mrs.

Bellissimo’s kitchen, “thousands of chicken wings are consumed by buffalonians in restaurants and taverns throughout the city each week.” History: This famous chicken wings were created a the Frank & Teressa’s Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York on October 30 1962, by owner Teressa Bellissimo. According to the story by the restaurant, her son, Dom Bellissimo, asked Teressa Bellissimo to fix something for his group of hungry friends. To make a long story short, as she was about to put them in the stockpot for soup, she looked at them and said, “It’s a shame to put such beautiful wings in a stock pot.” So she battered and then deep-fried the chicken wings. The rest is history! bulgogi – Bulgogi is marinated strips of beef cooked over charcoal on a grill. It is the best known and most popular of all Korean foods. Beef is most often identified with bulgogi, but even pork, chicken, lamb, squid, and octopus can be cooked bulgogi style. Foreigners consider it the national dish of Korea.

It is often prepared at the table on small grills and accompanied by kimchi, a spicy pickled cabbage. In Korean, the word bul means “fire” and gogi means “meat.” The word is commonly translated as Korean barbecue, thought it literally means “fire meat.” sandwich history | Anatomy of a Sandwich Anatomy of a Sandwich On April 6, 2015 by casey With 0 Comments - Classics , Culture , Regional Homemade Open Face Tompkins Square Bagel The Wood Bagel Alright, so I know it’s a bit weird to blog about one of Judaism’s most famous leavened breads during Passover (which, for all the non-jews out there, is a holiday where you abstain from leavened bread), but I’m not the best Jew, so this isn’t entirely out of character. There are a few origin stories for the bagel. One, a myth that has since been debunked, tells the tale of a baker in Vienna in 1683, who created a bread shaped like a stirrup, in honor of King John III Sobieski of Poland, who prevented the Turks from taking over the city.

This story even claims that the word bagel comes from the German word for stirrup, bugel. Though this story held sway for many years, we now know that it is totally false, since the Yiddish word beygl can be found in a 1610 documen t of rules for a Jewish community in Krakow. The rules state that bagels were to be given to women in childbirth as a gift. It’s believed that the bagel actually originated in South Germany, where it was named beugel, or bracelet. It then moved into Poland, where, some sources say, it was used as an alternative to the obwarzanek, a very similar bread, that was associated with Lent. Whether or not this is true, the bagel has quite a history in Poland. In the shtetls, hawkers sold bagels out of baskets or on long sticks, and were required to have a license. Even the illegal selling of bagels occurred, mostly by children with widowed mothers, though if they were caught, the police would often beat them and take away their goods.

However the bagel originated, with the diaspora of the Jews, it spread to Western Europe and the east coast of America, where it found a stronghold. Many Jews found employment selling bagels in their new cities. These days, the bagel is one of the more well known Jewish foods, and is intensely associated with New York. In fact, New Yorkers claim that they actually make the very best bagels, thanks to the high quality of the water. They even call their plain bagels “water bagels.” Another variety of bagels is the Montreal bagel, which is made with malt and is blanched in water with honey. Bagels, in addition to being a famed Jew-food, also hold a lot of significance in Jewish culture. The shape of bagels symbolizes the circle of life; the loop of a bagel has no beginning and no end. Even more, they were considered to be a good luck token and it was thought they could fend off the evil eye. For this reason, it has held meaning in ceremonies that are life cycle events, like circumcisions, during childbirth (as mentioned above), and funerals.

And as much of Jewish humor revolves around food, you can bet there are bagel jokes…namely “a bagel is a donut with rigor mortis.” But really, while all of this bagel history is interesting, what is more interesting is how delicious they are. Bagels are made from an enriched dough with flour, water and yeast, though these days many people add eggs as well. The dough is then rolled out and shaped into the familiar rings, and are left to rise briefly. In order to get the fantastic crusty outside with the delightfully chewy center, the dough rings are blanched quickly in boiling water, and, after being drained, are then baked to bagel-y perfection. Of course, bagels don’t retain their freshness for very long, which is where that rigor mortis joke comes in! But what really makes bagels so great are their ability to make delicious sandwiches. While much of bagel cuisine revolves around cream cheese and smoked salmon, the bagel is truly a versatile bread. Really, you could throw anything between a halved bagel, and chances are, it’d be awesome. Even better, is that the bagel is a very sturdy bread, so you can easily make open face sandwiches!

Of the photos above, the sandwich ones are from Tompkins Square Bagels in New York City, which was around the corner from where my brother used to live, and was a place that necessitated at least two visits per trip to New York. The first open face bagel is a homemade sandwich, with lox from Zabar’s , and the second two are from The Wood in Los Angeles, a cute restaurant, and this, in my opinion, is the star of their menu. But however you eat your bagel, (or for that matter, whether you’re a Jew or not!), bagels are definitely a part of both the sandwich and the breakfast culture of America. You can get a bagel with cream cheese at almost any grab and go breakfast place, and even many lunch places: Dunkin Donuts will put any of their sandwiches on a bagel for you. And these days, you can get just about any flavor of bagel you want, from plain to blueberry, to pumpernickel. Which really just gives you more options for your sandwiches.

On March 20, 2015 by casey With 2 Comments - Classics , Regional Hot Lobster Roll Cold Lobster Roll Well, it’s been quite a hiatus, but I’m back, and starting up again with one of my favorite sandwiches…the lobster roll. Let’s begin with a bit of lobster history! There are actually quite a few species of lobster, but culinarily speaking, there are two that really matter. Lobsters are actually found all over the world, but the two we eat most are from each side of the Atlantic Ocean: the American lobster, and the European lobster. In fact, lobsters have been a part of the human diet as far back as the Greeks and Romans! For our purposes, let’s stick with the lobster we all know and love, from the westside of the Atlantic. When the Americas began to be populated, lobsters were overwhelmingly plentiful, and not considered a delicacy. As it became a part of our diet, it was actually seen as the opposite: only the poor, prisoners, and indentured servants ate lobster…and they weren’t happy about it!

But by the mid 1800s, eaters in Boston and New York had begun to pick up on the deliciousness, and technology advanced to a point where lobsters could be fished more easily for mass consumption. The problem is, lobsters inherently lend themselves to being a luxury. They live alone, on the sea bed, in rocky outcrops, and reproduce very slowly….it can take up to two years to produce fertilized eggs, and then another six to eight years for the lobsters to become large enough to legally fish. Furthermore, lobsters are caught in traps, not with huge nets, and have been known to engage in cannibalism when in captivity. So in terms of price, female lobsters are the way to go…not only are they generally bigger, but the eggs, or coral, can also be used in sauces, and many gourmands believe that they taste better anyway. In America, Maine is known for their lobster, and lobster is associated more than anything else with Maine. And it’s true, a lot of lobster comes from Maine. But actually, there’s a whole lot more in Canada, Maine just has a better PR company. But let’s move on to lobster rolls.

Lobster rolls come in two forms: hot and cold. The original lobster roll, unsurprisingly, comes from Maine, and is cold. The Maine version usually has a bit of mayo and some seasoning tossed with the lobster meat. Elsewhere in New England, the meat is usually mixed with mayo, celery, and a bit of seasoning…it’s actually a bit similar to a tuna salad, just overwhelmingly better (because it’s lobster). The hot lobster roll is credited to Harry Perry of Milford, CT, and is a simpler affair: hot chunks of lobster meat, drenched in drawn butter. But where the hot and cold join in the Venn diagram of lobster rolls is the bread: a toasted hot dog bun (or similar shape) cut down from the top instead of horizontally. I think the wonderfulness that is the lobster roll is best summed up by Susan Russo in her book The Encyclopedia of Sandwiches: “it’s ironic that lobster, one of the world’s most luxurious foods, is also the featured ingredient in this, one of New England’s least pretentious sandwiches.” I think anyone who has had a lobster roll in New England can agree.

The photos above are from Captain Scott’s Lobster Dock in New London, CT, where I went to college. The afternoons I spent there, eating lobster rolls (always hot of course…I may be a sucker for mayo, but there’s nothing better than hot lobster and drawn butter), are recalled with casual vibes and feelings of relaxation, not of white tablecloths and fine wines. It was about sitting outside at wooden picnic benches with friends and a cold beer, watching the boats come in and out of the harbor, chowing down on delicious food. On March 2, 2013 by casey With 0 Comments - Classics , Culture , Regional When it comes to a cheap, quick meal, most people think of fast food. However, not only does fast food have generally little to no nutritional value, but it is also seriously lacking in culture. Now, it is easy to argue that everything has some sort of culture, but I’m talking about a meaningful history, and an idea represented through consumption that eaters want to be a part of. The po boy, on the other hand, combines history and culture with an inexpensive sandwich option.

As with many culturally important and region-specific sandwiches, there are lots of stories about how the po boy was created. Generally, though, this sandwich’s early beginnings are agreed upon. During a streetcar strike in 1929 , the Martin brothers, Bennie and Clovis, both former streetcar workers, vowed to feed every man involved. They partnered with John Gendusa to create a larger, yet inexpensive sandwich. Gendusa’s bread was bigger than the usual sandwich bread, and came to define the New Orleans-style French bread. The Martins served spare bits of roast beef and gravy on this bread, and after supplying enough of them to the “poor boys” that came to eat, the name stuck to the sandwich. Today, roast beef is still one of the most popular and common po boys, along with the fried seafood varieties, available thanks to New Orleans’s location. Po boys are served “dressed” with shredded lettuce, tomato, pickles and mayo. They are also generally the cheapest sandwich on any menu, from restaurants to delis to convenience stores. This creates and interesting situation.

The po boy was born out of the need for inexpensive food, so it is almost comforting to see that it has not left this part of its identity behind in the growing foodie culture of America. On the other hand, this position does not encourage much quality control. After all, very few people will complain if the cheapest sandwich doesn’t quite live up to their expectations. To counteract this laziness and to uphold and honor the po boy’s history, some establishments take great pride in their sandwiches and make a point of it, too. Furthermore, the New Orleans Po Boy Preservation Festival was created to keep the sandwich and its place in the city’s culture alive. Sadly, the po boy pictured in this post is not from one of the places that puts emphasis on creating an exceptional sandwich. I discovered this sandwich in a po boy joint that supposedly had the best in the neighborhood. Unfortunately, this was apparently not a neighborhood that has remarkably high food standards, instead continuing the po boy’s history as a meal for those who might otherwise be unable to afford one. I got the classic roast beef, dressed. Though the sandwich was tasty, it was good in the way that cheap food is. It was very obvious that customers frequenting this establishment were not foodies.

And while the sandwich itself was not spectacular, I definitely had a po boy experience reminiscent of its early days. The Muffuletta On September 1, 2012 by casey With 0 Comments - Regional When I found out the bus was going to New Orleans, I was over the moon as the city is home to a very special sandwich: the muffuletta. Not only does the muffuletta originate in New Orleans, but its creation is also specific to one grocery store, which is still open. In the early 1900s, Central Grocery was a market that catered to the Sicilian farmers that worked nearby. In traditional Sicilian fashion, the farmers would buy meats, cheese, and bread, and eat it all separately. Now considering that the farmers weren’t having nice, sit-down lunches, but instead attempted balance all of these ingredients on their laps, the meal was a bit perilous. Luckily, the owner of Central Grocery, Salvatore Lupo, noticed these lunchtime difficulties, and figured out that the whole meal could be combined into one, easy to eat sandwich.

This sandwich, a phenomenal composition of capicola, salami, pepperoni, ham, swiss, provolone, and marinated olive salad, gets its name from the round muffuletta loaf that its served on. And though the bread plays a defining role, it is actually the olive salad that truly makes a muffuletta. In fact, this is so much a part of the muffuletta that Central Grocery sells it by the jar, for your own sandwich making adventures. As a person who loves food more than almost anything, and who will try pretty much everything, there is nothing better than finding great local foods. If there is a defining food of a culture, I want to be eating it. When eating with a local, I generally use the “I’ll have what she’s having” approach. This gives me the opportunity to branch out and try new and exciting things, in addition to getting to truly experience the culture. The muffuletta is one of these foods, an embodiment of New Orleans culture. It is also an interesting example because much of this culture is heavily influenced by its French history. This sandwich, on the other hand, is a key part of the New Orleans food culture, but finds its roots in Sicilian tradition.

Now, I’m a big fan of the “italian sub.” I love the combination of meats, and the fact that while it is a pretty common sandwich, many establishments manage to make it their own . And though the muffuletta could easily fit into this category due to its origins and ingredients, it really is in a class of its own. Yes, it has components that you won’t find in any other italian sub, and its own bread, but what truly sets the muffuletta apart is its place in New Orleans culture, as well as in the sandwich culture in America. Search online for the best muffuletta in New Orleans, and you’ll find heated battles between die-hard fans. Everyone has their favorite muffuletta joint, and there are quite a few places around New Orleans that specialize in this unique sandwich. Furthermore, the muffuletta left the Crescent City and can now be found in sandwich shops all over the country. And let me tell you, this sandwich is amazing. The bread is soft, but dense enough to soak up most of the oil from the olive salad. The addition of swiss takes away a bit of the sharpness of the provolone, creating a cheesy, but balanced platform on which the meats can shine.

And the olive salad…brilliant. Made from the classic giardiniera (pickled celery, cauliflower, and carrot) with the added bonus of olives, oregano, garlic, and lots of olive oil, it’s tangy and savory with a bit of a bite, matching it perfectly with every other ingredient in this sandwich. Essentially, what I’m trying to say is that if you find yourself in New Orleans, you must try a muffuletta. You’ll get a great taste of New Orleans culture. At the risk of offending any muffuletta-heads, I highly recommend going to Central Grocery. After all, it is where the sandwich was originally created, and they still make excellent sandwiches today. The Club Sandwich On May 21, 2012 by casey With 1 Comments - Classics The club sandwich. Be it diner, deli, or cafe, chances are there’s a club sandwich on the menu. Though the classic club is characterized by three layers of bread with sliced chicken, bacon, tomato, lettuce, and mayo, cut into triangles and held together by toothpicks, there are now an endless number of variations.

Just as the sandwich category is held together by a few specific guidelines, so is the club sandwich: as long as it has at least three layers of bread and has a need for toothpick security, you’re good. This allows for a lot of creativity in the fillings, and a lot of great sandwiches. Supposedly, the club sandwich made its debut at the Saratoga Gentlemen’s Club (get it?) at the end of the 19th century. What is generally agreed upon is that it mimicked the double decker train cars that came into use in America around that time. The sandwich pictured on its side is the Mickey Mouse Club from Peggy Sue’s that Corey ordered (turns out, he’s a big fan of club sandwiches). This one had oven baked turkey, ham, bacon, tomato, lettuce, and american cheese. Since I’ve already blogged about Peggy Sue’s , I won’t say any more, but I wanted to give an example of a club variation. The second sandwich, from Sweet Marley’s in Fredericksburg, TX, was great and interesting for a couple of reasons. First, the shop itself: Sweet Marley’s began when Marley was born.

Marley has an extremely rare disease, called Rhizomelic Chondrodysplasia Punctata, or RCDP. There are currently less than 100 children living with the disorder, and most of them won’t make it past their second birthday. Marley has broken every rule of RCDP, and is now two and a half years old. Marley’s parents use the shop to pay for most of Marley’s medical bills, and also donate a percentage to other children with the disease. What’s great is that most mornings, you can find Marley having breakfast in the cafe, and can see what an amazing little girl she is. But on to the sandwich… The Texas Club at Sweet Marley’s is quite a sandwich: three slices of texas toast, black forest ham, roasted turkey, cheddar, pepper jack, bacon, spring mix, tomato, and jalapeno mayo. Now, I’ve had a good number of club variations, but this one was awesome. For me, aside from the buttery texas toast and the sweetness of the ham, it was the pepper jack and jalapeno mayo that did it. The contrast between savory and a little bit of spice was exactly what I wanted from this sandwich.

So as you can see, the club sandwich is pretty pervasive throughout the sandwich world, and could even have its own blog, considering all of the tweaks and personalizations you can do to it. Keep an eye out for more clubs in the future. Peggy Sue’s and The Patty Melt On April 30, 2012 by casey With 0 Comments - Classics , Restaurants Peggy Sue’s is hard to miss. Leading up to the diner on I-15 are more signs than you can count. We took this as a sign and decided to get lunch. Now, Peggy Sue’s is a tourist trap. There are just no two buts about it. Stocked to the brim with old movie memorabilia (the owners used to work in the industry as well as at Knott’s Berry Farm), a 5 and dime store, and a diner-saur park, this diner is most definitely a place to stop if you need to stretch your legs. Now, apparently I had neglected to mention to the Love, the Bus boys that I was taking my blog on the road…or for that matter, that I write a sandwich blog to begin with.

So, they were rather excited when I started snapping pictures (some of their sandwiches will also be featured in due time). For this first meal, I decided to get a patty melt. I am a big fan of patty melts. For me, they are the ultimate diner and truck stop sandwich. A few years ago I was driving from Santa Cruz to LA with a friend and we stopped at a truck stop for lunch. I ordered a patty melt, and it was most definitely one of the most flavorful, cheesy, meaty, greasily awesome sandwiches I’ve ever had. Ever since then, patty melts have been my go to sandwich at any greasy spoon spot. What better sandwich to start the road trip off with? Supposedly, the patty melt appeared around the 1940s as a new incarnation of the cheeseburger. And really, the patty melt takes pretty much everything great about a cheeseburger, removes all the healthy stuff (do you really need lettuce and tomato?), and adds caramelized onions and buttered rye bread, all fried up.

Though traditionally served with swiss cheese, Peggy Sue’s decides to do a combo with american cheese as well…which, of course, only makes it more fatty and delicious. An interesting aspect of the patty melt is that unlike other sandwiches, it is served without any condiments. I like to dip my patty melts in ketchup, but I do think that this sandwich can stand alone just fine. Patty melts can also be made open faced with the use of a broiler. Furthermore, patty melts are not the only melts out there. I’ve featured a tuna melt before, though not in the context of melts, and crab melts are also popular. Are there any other melts that you like? Let me know and I’ll go search one out! On March 11, 2011 by casey With 1 Comments - Culture , Food Trucks In the blossoming world of gourmet food trucks, the Nom Nom Truck is one of the most famous. After a great showing on the Food Network’s The Great Food Truck Race , the Nom Nom Truck now has a super dedicated, almost obsessive, fan base. What’s so interesting about the Nom Nom Truck is that they serve banh mi, which are vietnamese sandwiches.

Traditionally, banh mi is made with ingredients that most Americans would cringe at: pâté and headcheese. And yet, the Nom Nom Truck has a following that defies all cultural logic. You can get a traditional banh mi from Nom Nom…it’s called “the deli special.” But the more popular options are the grilled pork (pictured), the lemongrass chicken, or the tofu. In addition to the meat, each banh mi has cilantro, jalepeños, mayo, a tangy relish of carrots and daikon radish called do chua, and, my favorite, cucumbers. Banh mi is a great sandwich to look at in terms of culture for two reasons. First of all, banh mi originates in the French colonialism of Vietnam. The sandwich demonstrates how the co-mingling of cultures creates new, hybrid ideas. In banh mi, the French contribution can be seen in the baguette and the pâté, combined with classic Vietnamese ingredients like the daikon radish.

Nn fact, food is one of the best ways to track the movement of culture: by identifying food traits unique to a culture and finding them in other places, you will often find other cultural constructs have moved as well. Banh mi is also interesting in terms of popular culture. It seems to have become the new, hip thing in the food world, with fans of all types. The best way I can illustrate this is through an episode of The Great Food Truck Race. The trucks found themselves in a small town in the South. It seemed as though the Nom Nom Truck’s winning streak had come to an end; everyone expected the burger truck to win. The Nom Nom Truck pulled out a huge victory, even in a place where most of the people had never heard of banh mi. For whatever reason, this Vietnamese sandwich appeals to everyone. The New York Times has done an article about banh mi , and in it, lists the top ten banh mi spots in the country (coincidentally, a commenter adds Num Pang to the list). When the Nom Nom Truck shows up at a gathering of food trucks, a line forms immediately, and the other trucks lose business fast.

Whether it’s the sandwich in and of itself, or the prestige of the Nom Nom Truck or both, right now, banh mi is a force to be reckoned with. On December 10, 2010 by casey With 2 Comments - Classics , Culture For those of you who have been following along, you may remember my friend Molly from her delicious meatloaf-style burgers . On my trip back to Connecticut, Molly once again busted out her serious cooking chops and whipped up an amazing Eggs Benedict breakfast for us. Now, even I think Eggs Benedict pushes the sandwich envelope a little bit, mostly because there is no easy way to eat this dish, and using your hands is out of the question (at least in civilized company). This issue disqualifies Eggs Benedict from the category based on lack of convenience. On the other hand, the ingredients and composition fit in perfectly with the concept of the open-face sandwich: bread on bottom, meat, condiment, plus additional fixings layered in the order of any breakfast sandwich, minus the bread on top.

I think the aspects of Eggs Benedict that qualify it are more important than those that don’t, and so in my eyes (and mouth and stomach) that makes it enough of a sandwich to put it in this blog. The more important question is, what makes Molly’s Eggs Benedict so utterly awesome? Let’s start at the bottom: instead of using the classic English muffin as a base, Molly made biscuits from scratch, which were everything a biscuit should be: fluffy, yet dense, buttery, and just plain delicious. The Canadian bacon was pretty generic, but, let’s be honest, fry anything in butter and it will be tasty. Poached eggs are tricky (also my favorite preparation of eggs), and, in my opinion, are generally overcooked. As you can see from the second photo above, Molly poached the eggs PERFECTLY and is therefore my egg hero. Top it all off with a tangy, thick, homemade hollandaise, and I dare you to tell me this breakfast wasn’t awesome. Eggs Benedict is a classic breakfast dish, made more famous by the fact that there are so many variations available, such as Eggs Florentine, Artichoke Benedict, Smoked Salmon Benedict, and dozens others.

There are a few origin stories of this delicious egg meal, all involving someone named Benedict asking for this combination of ingredients. Today, Eggs Benedict can be found on almost all breakfast menus, and back when the New York Times wrote about it in 1967, it was noted that “Eggs Benedict is conceivably the most sophisticated dish ever created in America.” Even though Eggs Benedict is often one of the most expensive breakfast items on a menu these days, I’m not sure that most people would agree with this statement any more. So while this dish is very questionably a sandwich, and has obviously moved down a few spots on the elegant foods list, it still has a history that places it solidly in American food culture. On November 19, 2010 by casey With 1 Comments - Culture , Regional , Restaurants For my birthday, my parents took me to STREET , a restaurant in Hollywood that serves street food from all over the world tapas-style. This was a perfect choice for my birthday dinner, as I consider a great meal to be one in which I get to enjoy many different foods, and not just one big entree.

Furthermore, I love trying new things, especially great local foods, which are most often embodied in the form of street food. STREET is the creation of Susan Feniger, most well known for Border Grill in Santa Monica, and keeps much of the same feel of great food in a casual California setting. Most of the seating is outside, keeping to the street concept, and there is enough variety that everyone will be happy (even the pickiest of eaters like my father). My mom had been to the restaurant before, and was adamant that the kaya toast be a part of our meal. It was one of the first items that we were served (I think we ended up ordering most of the menu), and wasn’t what I was expecting at all. From the description (toast, coconut jam, egg, dark soy, white pepper), I was expecting more of a breakfast sandwich, but this was better than it ever could have been in breakfast form. The coconut jam, though definitely sweet, was never overpowering, and well balanced by the distinctive flavors of the soy and white pepper. The toast itself was buttery and perfectly golden, the best kind of toast, in my opinion, to dip in egg.

The egg was great, and all together, this dish was totally unexpectedly delicious. Kaya toast, which takes its name after the jam used in the dish, is very popular in its native countries of Malaysia and Singapore. Taken at face value, it may not seem like the kind of food you would find in these places, but kaya toast is actually the product of British influence. Kaya, or coconut egg jam, is a traditional food, while the toast can be attributed to the British diet that infiltrated the culture through colonialism. As the two cultures mingled, the jams and preserves that the British ate on their toast were replaced by the local kaya. Soon, kaya toast became a staple food. Today, there is even a franchise of restaurants that has become famous for its kaya toast. In fact, Ya Kun Kaya Toast ‘s slogan is “The toast that binds…Kinship, Friendship, Partnership.” Not only is this reminiscent of the combination of the two distinct cultures that created kaya toast, but also highlights that food plays an important role in all cultures.

I must say that I was skeptical of the kaya toast at first, but I ate the last bite while regretfully wishing there was more on the plate and that I hadn’t had to share it in the first place. Next time I eat at STREET, and there will definitely be a next time, I will be just as adamant as my mom in my recommendation. On September 17, 2010 by casey With 0 Comments - Classics , Regional , Restaurants The French Dip sandwich. This delicious iconic American sandwich is usually served on a French roll with a side of au jus for dipping, but Philippe’s , one of two restaurants that claim to have originated the French Dip, dips the entire sandwich just prior to serving. This unique style comes from the story of the sandwich’s creation: one day in 1918, ten years after the restaurant opened, Philippe himself was making a sandwich when he accidentally dropped the roll into a roasting pan filled with still-hot juices from the oven.

The customer took the sandwich anyway, and the next day, brought back friends who all requested the “dipped sandwich.” Philippe’s serves its dip sandwich with either beef, pork, ham, lamb, or turkey, and you can get it single-dipped, double-dipped, or wet. I got a single dipped, beef with American cheese, and was blown away. The whole thing just melted in your mouth: between the super tender beef, the melty cheese, and the firm but juice-soaked bread, the Philippe’s French Dip started a party in my mouth. The other restaurant that lays claim to the invention of the French Dip is Cole’s Pacific Electric Buffet…which will have to be checked out on another sandwich adventure…

Question: Which hard ring-shaped bread product takes its name from the Old German for 'bracelet'?
Answer: BAGEL