Traditional British Foods

Traditional British Foods - Part 3

Peter Bradford

Part 1 of this article is here and Part 2 is here

Vegetables

Two basic families of vegetables dominate our culinary history. Leek (Onion) family, and Cabbage Family. Their dominance can be seen in numerous references.

Leek family

In Anglo Saxon times a vegetable garden was called a “Leek-garth"
A gardener was the Leek-keeper. Leyton, Leighton etc. - common town names/ mean “leek-town”.

Advantages of Leeks:

Easy to grow. A relative wild leek - hence climatically suited.
Hardy. - frost and storm resistant.
Pungent Flavour. Relished as a perk to 'plain food.

"Leek" was also a general word for the Onion family, and because these were the dominant vegetables in many places, “Leek” also became the general word for “garden vegetable”.

“LEAC”

GAR-LEAC - Garlic
YNNE-LEAC - Onion
PUR-LEAC - Garden Leek (Pot Leek)
CROP -LEAC - Chives.

In order of importance: LEEKS (up to 6 kinds), ONlONS, GARLIC, other veg.

In 1333, the manor kitchen garden for Glastonbury Abbey grew in this order: Beans, Leeks, Onions, Garlic, Hemp, Flax, Madder, Herbs. Leeks were cooked with everything, to add flavour. Standard labourers' soup (probably every day) was Peas or Beans with Leeks. PORRAY (from Latin - Porrum) Leek, was a thick pottage of green stuff.

Leeks had other uses - juice and seed for toothpaste. Also medicinally Leeks used for colds and fevers (a lifting, releasing, energy).

ONIONS Known as “CEPS", like Leeks they went into everything - soups, pottage, etc. often with Leeks. Also used as painkiller for stings and skin used as a dye.

GARLIC Very popular in medieval times. The Abbots kitchen alone at Clastonbury Abbey used 2,000 cloves in l333. Almost every savoury dish included Garlic. Garlic sauce etc.

Cabbage Family

KALE (COLE) With Leeks, the other great Britsh staple vegetable. The word Kale in Scotland used to mean “Dinner”. “Kale Yard” was a Garden. “Kale Yard Keeper” was the Gardener. As with Leeks, Kale was also used as a general name for the Cabbage family. COLE was the open leafed Kale as we know it. WORTS was the other name for the Cabbage family. This was a Pottage vegetable until Cl5th. Later individually cooked or as salad.

Classic Pottage

Peas or Beans Cabbages Seeds ( Barley, Linseed, Knotgrass) Wild Herbs (Nettles, Mallows, Docks, Plantain)

Broccoli C16th, and Brussels Sprouts C19th, were later introductions.

RAPE widely grown for green leaves and seeds for Oil. (Colza, Canola)

TURNIPS “Neeps” of Scotland. Traditional types were small-rooted and mainly grown for their green tops. “Pars-neeps” Large and sweet, not for pottage. A valuable dessert ,sweet'. Cooked alone or with apples in Fritters.

Swede (type of Turnip) came from Sweden in late C18th.

CARROTS The orange coloured, conical shaped Carrot is an Cl8th invention. Earlier white or purple forms were never that important. Really a modern staple.

SALADS . Mainly hedgerow crops and common garden weeds (chickweed, bittercress etc.)

SMALLAGE - Wild Celery

SCARIOLE - Wild Lettuce, also Chicory, Endive, Cress. Unlike today, Lettuce was a minor crop.

ROMAN INTRODUCTIONS Vegetables - Several garden varieties of Cabbage, Beet, Lettuce, Endive, Carrots, Parsnips, Turnips, Radish, Cucumbers, + Grapes and Almonds. Herbs - Dill, Fennel, Miint, Thyme, Sage, Marjoram, Parsley, Rosemary. Seasonings - Mustard, Pepper (white and black seed ) , Ginger.

NEW WORLD TNTRODUCTIONS (C17th-18th) Introduction and acceptance in several cases took until mid C19th All nightshades - Potatoes, Tomatoes, Aubergines, Peppers. Pumpkins, Sunflowers, Kidney Beans, Maize Corn, Watercress ( ? )

GEOGRAPHICAL USE Considerably fewer vegetables in North and West. In Scotland, mostly Kales and Wales, Leeks.

Sweeteners

Less prejudice than today in serving and mixing vegetables with fruits.

Apple/Onion Pie.
Leek / Apple
Celery/ Apple
Parsnips mainly used for dessert with spice.
Apples and Nuts as savoury - Sour apples, Walnut pickles etc.

Main sweetener was Honey and fermenting of grains. Honey used to dampen the sharpness of Vinegar. Sugar, although imported since early times was never fully available to people (too expensive) until C19th. Even then used moderately.

SEASONINGS

Vine-gar, Apple-gar,and Ale-gar important since early times as preservative. Could be mild or strong varieties.

VERJUICE - was early medieval invention using the grapes that never ripened in our cold, damp climate and fermenting them to a sharp taste. Crab apples could also be used. A widely used, mild, sour seasoning (Lemons were never widely available until C19th). Added to pottages, pickles, jams, sauces, salads, and just about any dish that needed a sharp taste or preserving. On the introduction of citrus imports, these virtually disappeared from use. Worthy of resurrection ?

Fruits

APPLES

Have always been the main fruit - see old place names: Appleby, Avalon. Up to 80 varieties known by Cl7th, several hundred by C19th.
Costards (c.f. costermongers) were popular, large medieval variety.
Crab and cider apples often grown as part of vegetable garden hedge.

Not only eaten as Apple Pie and Baked Apples, they were pickled and spiced, added to pancakes and puddings, and also sauces and chutneys for fish, game and meat.

OTHER TREE FRUIT

Pears, Cherries, Plums (6 related fruits - Damsons. Bullaces, Gages etc) are traditional as are Quinces and Medlars. Mulberries only came in late Cl6th.
Apricots, Peaches and Figs have never been hardy enough to be widely grown.

SOFT FRUIT

Strawberries, Raspberries and Gooseberries have long been cultivated.
Many other fruits used from wild source - blackberry, sloe, service, elderberry etc.

Nuts

Two traditional types:

Large Nuts - Walnuts
Small Nuts - Hazels and Cobbs
Almonds were never reliable enough in our climate to be widely used.
Walnuts have always been valued - nuts used for pickles and sauces, also for the oil, and the timber. Leaves for insecticide.
Romans introduced high yielding Hazel cultivars to supersede use of natives.

Drinks

ALE and BEER

Grain is sprouted to develop enzymes.
Enzymes turn starch into fermentable sugars.
Heated to prevent further fermentation.
Sugars left to ferment.

Ale is straight malted drink.
Beer has added hops or other herbs.
Celtic Beer is honey sweetened.
Barley is the common fermenting grain in South, Oats in the North and West. (Oatmeal stout etc.)
Ale was the common traditional drink for everyone in Britain. Made Strong, or Middlings, or Small Beer (weak - for children and poor [also recovery from sickness]). [Mash processed three times].
Aleberry - Ale+Oatmeal.
Bragot - Ale + Honey and Pepper.
Caudle - Ale + Honey and Egg.
Posset - Ale+Milk.
Herbs and Hedgerow Fruit were often added for flavour and variety.
C14th Flemish brewers brought Beer {hopped ale) to London. Hops gave pleasing bitter taste but more importantly were a preservative.

CIDER

Unknown in Celtic and Saxon England. Introduced by the Romans from France.
Main areas - Welsh Border counties and South West.

MEAD

Honey wine [fermented]. Ancient origin, mainly aristocratic drink, later a celebratory drink.

TEA and COFFEE

Remember these only arrived in Cl8th and were not widely used until C20th.
Traditionally people made hedgerow herb teas and roasted root coffees.

Meal times and fasts

Recorded medieval mealtimes.

Breakfast - Dawn - Bread and Ale
Dinner - 9am - Bread and Ale + Cheese or Fish/Meat
Supper - 4pm (5pm in summer) - Bread and vegetable pottage and Ale.
(This is the only record on country meal times I have found. It may not be typical.)

FASTING DAY

This meant no meat. A typical meal would have been - pottage with Leeks, and salted eels, boiled and grilled.

BREAD AND WATER DIET

This meant a full rich grain, bean and vegetable diet. Just no food from animals.

In addition to this research Peter Bradford co-authored an important book on another neglected area of our island past "Cooking with Sea Vegetables".

You can find out more about Peter here.