Topic 67 of 77: Ethinic Food of America
Fri, Jun 9, 2000 (19:09) |
Marcia (MarciaH)
Here is the place for your Native American recipes and comments as well as regional favorites.
25 responses total.
Topic 67 of 77 [food]: Ethinic Food of America
Response 1 of 25: Autumn (autumn) * Sun, Jun 11, 2000 (14:43) * 1 lines
Ahh! What a great topic, Marcia!
Topic 67 of 77 [food]: Ethinic Food of America
Response 2 of 25: Marcia (MarciaH) * Sun, Jun 11, 2000 (15:22) * 1 lines
Thanks for saying so. I'm waiting for Maggie to post the Navajo bread recipe. I'd like to try it.
Topic 67 of 77 [food]: Ethinic Food of America
Response 3 of 25: Marcia (MarciaH) * Sun, Jun 11, 2000 (15:26) * 1 lines
Oh, and I know I spelt this wrong - it was a very bad week but a good idea so I left it. I can see my mentor shaking his head in dismay. Two messed-up conference topics in HIS conferences the same week...Sorry!
Topic 67 of 77 [food]: Ethinic Food of America
Response 4 of 25: Maggie (sociolingo) * Mon, Jun 12, 2000 (04:17) * 15 lines
OK, sorry for the wait!! Here it is:
Navajo Fry Bread
sift together
4 1/2 cups flour (plain)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
Stir in
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup milk
Knead, and cut into circles 5 inches in diameter. Make a small hole in the centre of each. Fry in several inches of hot oil. dough will puff and bubble. turn when goldne brown. Drain and serve hot plain or with sauce or syrup.
Topic 67 of 77 [food]: Ethinic Food of America
Response 5 of 25: Marcia (MarciaH) * Mon, Jun 12, 2000 (20:36) * 1 lines
Does the turn out to be pliable enough to wrap into something resembling a tube into which you can stuff good things like they do with Mexican food?
Topic 67 of 77 [food]: Ethinic Food of America
Response 6 of 25: Maggie (sociolingo) * Tue, Jun 13, 2000 (05:23) * 3 lines
I guess you could, never thought of it. I think the hole is necessary because of how it puffs. You should'nt make them too thick either or they don't cook properly all through.
We lived on this as our main bread during a stay in a village in Cameroon.
Topic 67 of 77 [food]: Ethinic Food of America
Response 7 of 25: Marcia (MarciaH) * Tue, Oct 16, 2001 (23:47) * 4 lines
I wonder if there is truly ethnic food in America. Or is it like Chop Suey? People from other places have made what was available into their own cuisine.
I was thinking of Greek food, actually. I imagined everything wrapped in grape leaves, but they only do that after they prune the grape vines in the fall. Or a I mistaken about that too? I also did not realize how much rice was eaten in Europe. I make it and eat it with just about every meal. On the mainland of the USA, not as much rice is eaten.
Here (Hawaii) Taro leaves serve as our wrappers and they are available all year Is there any other cuisine which uses leaves? Cabbage leaves! Suddenly I am hungry for Greek Hungarian Hawaiian food.
Topic 67 of 77 [food]: Ethinic Food of America
Response 8 of 25: Marcia (MarciaH) * Mon, Dec 22, 2003 (19:14) * 1 lines
Gadzooks! I have had the much anticipated fried okra. Bleah!!! It was almost raw and rather nastily slippery. Is it supposed to be?
Topic 67 of 77 [food]: Ethinic Food of America
Response 9 of 25: Marcia (MarciaH) * Mon, Dec 22, 2003 (19:17) * 3 lines
What exactly makes food ethnic to America since we are all from elsewhere - including the "Native Americans."
Now, I need to know what Pone is and is it like grits?
Topic 67 of 77 [food]: Ethinic Food of America
Response 10 of 25: Autumn (autumn) * Tue, Dec 23, 2003 (12:26) * 3 lines
The few times I have had okra it is always slimy. Very unappetizing IMHO.
I've heard of corn pone, but have never actually seen/tasted this culinary legend.
Topic 67 of 77 [food]: Ethinic Food of America
Response 11 of 25: wer (wer) * Tue, Dec 23, 2003 (13:24) * 3 lines
Pone is cornbread, more or less, depending on your definition of cornbread.
And, no, fried okra shouldn't be slippery/slimy. It sounds like it may not have been fried long enough.
Topic 67 of 77 [food]: Ethinic Food of America
Response 12 of 25: wer (wer) * Tue, Dec 23, 2003 (13:34) * 1 lines
I'll get back to what makes food ethnic in America when my thoughts are more coherent.
Topic 67 of 77 [food]: Ethinic Food of America
Response 13 of 25: Marcia (MarciaH) * Tue, Dec 23, 2003 (21:59) * 5 lines
Thanks! I am sure this stuff was quickly deep-fried but the locals were devouring it. The chicken is best. I'll be generous and let them have the okra.(It is good well cooked in vegetable soups, though!)
If pone is corn bread it is similar to hush puppies? I know they are deep fried rather than baked like the bread. I guess that is the only difference. Both are better with a little sugar added. It is pretty bleak otherwise, as is (are?) grits.
Topic 67 of 77 [food]: Ethinic Food of America
Response 14 of 25: Marcia (MarciaH) * Tue, Dec 23, 2003 (22:02) * 1 lines
Can you tell me why they make hominy so it tastes like they added lye (lime) to the mix? It is horrible that way.
Topic 67 of 77 [food]: Ethinic Food of America
Response 15 of 25: wer (wer) * Sat, Jan 10, 2004 (12:37) * 3 lines
That's what makes hominy hominy (or posole). And hominy is ground to make grits.
The dried corn is soaked in lime. Don't know why it was originally done that way, but it has since been learned that processing it that way makes a vitamin or a protein (sorry, doing this from memory so I don't remember all the details) available for utilization that otherwise wouldn't be processed, thus avoiding some defeciency.
Topic 67 of 77 [food]: Ethinic Food of America
Response 16 of 25: Marcia (MarciaH) * Fri, Jan 23, 2004 (19:12) * 3 lines
Thanks for edifying this trying-to-be Southern lady. I thought perhaps it was instead of parching to keep ddried corn from germinating. No one has said why, so you are in good company. Does ANYONE like the taste of hominy? My dinner companion insisted it was good, but he smokes so much I think he cannot taste much at all.
Really, wer, thanks for telling me. I still wonder why they do it. I think I will stick to the fresh stuff and oatmeal.
Topic 67 of 77 [food]: Ethinic Food of America
Response 17 of 25: Marcia (MarciaH) * Fri, Jan 23, 2004 (19:13) * 1 lines
posole?! Now I need to hunt up a new word. Perhaps the source of it may shed more light on chemicals in food way before we thought they were in there!
Topic 67 of 77 [food]: Ethinic Food of America
Response 18 of 25: Marcia (MarciaH) * Fri, Jan 23, 2004 (19:14) * 1 lines
Speaking of ethnic food, I wonder if the Amerindians invented hominy or if it came from "the old country."
Topic 67 of 77 [food]: Ethinic Food of America
Response 19 of 25: wer (wer) * Fri, Jan 23, 2004 (21:08) * 1 lines
hominy [Algonquian], hulled corn with the germ removed and served either ground or whole. The pioneers in North America prepared it by soaking the kernels in weak wood lye until the hulls floated to the top. Hominy is boiled until tender and served as a vegetable. Hominy grits (hominy ground into small grains) are boiled and served as a vegetable or as a cereal, or they may be shaped into patties and fried; they are especially popular in the S United States. Samp is a type of coarse hominy.
Topic 67 of 77 [food]: Ethinic Food of America
Response 20 of 25: wer (wer) * Fri, Jan 23, 2004 (21:09) * 8 lines
I also found this...
Hominy is dried corn (maize) kernels, reconstituted by soaking in lye-water. Its chief uses are as animal feed and the source of grits and in various recipes or as a side dish.
Some recipes using hominy include menudo, a tripe and hominy stew; hominy bread, hominy chili, casseroles and fried dishes.
Topic 67 of 77 [food]: Ethinic Food of America
Response 21 of 25: wer (wer) * Fri, Jan 23, 2004 (21:13) * 9 lines
And this on posole, which around here is what the corn is called also, thus posole is hominy, just with a different ethnic origin...
Pozole (also spelled posole) is a Mexican soup. The soup is made with a special type of corn which has been slaked (soaked) in a solution of lime (cal). The traditional corn that is used is called maiz blanco or "cacahuazintle" [kaw-kaw-WAH-SEEN-til]. This is a very large-kerneled white corn grown in Mexico.
The soaking softens the corn and additionally makes the product more digestible and thus more nutritious.
Topic 67 of 77 [food]: Ethinic Food of America
Response 22 of 25: wer (wer) * Fri, Jan 23, 2004 (21:21) * 10 lines
And in the interest of overkill...
Hominy: Definition: One of the first food gifts the American Indians gave to the colonists, hominy is dried white or yellow corn kernels from which the hull and germ have been removed. This process is done either mechanically or chemically by soaking the corn in slaked lime or lye. Hominy is sold canned, ready-to-eat or dried (which must be reconstituted before using). It's commonly served as a side dish or as part of a casserole. When dried hominy is broken or very coarsely ground it's called samp. When ground, it's called hominy grits--or simply grits--and usually comes in three grinds--fine, medium and coarse. Hominy grits are generally simmered with water or milk until very thick. The mixture can be served in this mushlike form or chilled, cut into squares and fried. In the South, grits are served as a side dish for breakfast or dinner.
Posole: Definition: [poh-SOH-leh] A thick, hearty soup usually eaten as a main course. It consists of pork (sometimes chicken) meat and broth, hominy, onion, garlic, dried chiles and cilantro. It's usually served with chopped lettuce, radishes, onions, cheese and cilantro, which diners can add to the soup as they please. Posole originated in Jalisco, in the middle of Mexico's Pacific Coast region, and is traditionally served at Christmastime.
Corn: Definition: Throughout Europe, "corn" has always been the generic name for any of the cereal grains; Europeans call corn maize, a derivative of the early American Indian word mahiz. In fact, before settlers came to the New World Europeans had never seen this food--called Indian corn by colonists. What a wonderfully versatile and useful gift the Indians gave the world. Everything on the corn plant can be used: the husks for tamales, the silk for medicinal tea, the kernels for food and the stalks for fodder. Corn is not only a popular food, but the foundation of many by-products including bourbon, corn flour, cornmeal, corn oil, cornstarch, corn syrup, corn whiskey and laundry starch. The multicolored Indian corn--used today mainly for decoration--has red, blue, brown and purple kernels. Horticulturists developed the two most popular varieties today--white (Country Gentleman) and yellow (Golden Bantam) corn. Yellow corn has larger, fuller-flavored kernels; white corn kernels are smaller and sweeter. The
hybrid butter and sugar corn produces ears of yellow and white kernels. The peak season for fresh corn is May through September. As soon as it's picked, the corn's sugar immediately begins its gradual conversion to starch which, in turn, lessens the corn's natural sweetness. Therefore, it's important to buy corn as soon after it's picked as possible. Look for ears with bright green, snugly fitting husks and golden brown silk. The kernels should be plump and milky, and come all the way to the ear's tip; the rows should be tightly spaced. Fresh corn should be cooked and served the day it's purchased, but it can be refrigerated up to a day. Strip off the husks and silk just before cooking. Corn can also be purchased canned or frozen. Tiny baby corn, particularly popular with Thai and Chinese cooks, can be purchased in cans or jars. Unfortunately, its flavor bears little resemblance to the fresh (or even frozen) vegetable. hominy is specially processed kernels of corn.
--Copyright (c) 1995 by Barron's Educational Series, from The New Food Lover's Companion, Second Edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst
Topic 67 of 77 [food]: Ethinic Food of America
Response 23 of 25: Marcia (MarciaH) * Tue, Feb 10, 2004 (20:39) * 1 lines
This is fantastic!!! I KNEW you would turn on the information if you found same. I am delighted. Wow! We are eating Mayan food, perhaps. Aztec? Hmmm. Archaeology on the plate! Interesting. BTW, I love long answers, and I really appreciate your taking the time to do so. Now, I know why I am not so fond of grits either. Greens is (are?) goodbut they need a touch of vinegar and a liberal dosing with pea-sized cream cheese "nuggets". I also like the lima beans here, but why do they cook stringbeans 24/7/365?
Topic 67 of 77 [food]: Ethinic Food of America
Response 24 of 25: Marcia (MarciaH) * Tue, Feb 10, 2004 (20:53) * 3 lines
That soup sounds like that we called in Hawaii, Portuguese bean soup. Good!!!
I still get kidded for eating fried chicken with knife and fork. Oh well...
Topic 67 of 77 [food]: Ethinic Food of America
Response 25 of 25: Marcia (MarciaH) * Tue, Feb 10, 2004 (20:55) * 1 lines
BTW, I had the ooportunity of watching the Food Channel for a few years and found it amazinly riveting. Now, I not only know what a chiffonade is, I know how to make one!!!
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