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Post by lagatta on Jan 3, 2012 14:35:09 GMT
New Year's celebrations, whether Western New Year's, Chinese and Southeast Asian Lunar New Year's or the Iranian springtime version, all involve lucky or auspicious foods, as does Rosh Hashanah in early autumn. Here is an article from Epicurious on Lucky foods for the New Year: www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/holidays/newyearsday/luckyfoodsNot all the recipes appeal to me, certainly not making Hopping John into a salad. And I wouldn't like apples or other fruit in sauerkraut - I prefer savoury elements in that, and would save the fruit for braised RED cabbage. And odd that they mentioned the Mexican Epiphany cake, and not the different French ones... Oh well. There are of course foods that are unlucky or inauspicious at certain celebrations or dates. And foods can be lucky or unlucky, appropriate or inappropriate, at life course events such as births, weddings (divorces?), funerals...
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Post by Deleted on Jan 3, 2012 15:38:36 GMT
My Singaporean friends always told me that it was supposed to bring good luck to eat raw fish at (Chinese) new year. What was really strange about this is that most Singaporeans don't like raw fish very much (or at least they didn't -- perhaps the sushi invasion has swept over them now), but the price of the appropriate items would skyrocket at that time -- the rest of the year it's cheap.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 3, 2012 17:35:12 GMT
I know that here in NOLA the black eyed peas and greens New Years traditional dish elsewhere referred to as Hoppin' John (a salad of !! ) is taken so seriously. It's one of those dishes that everyone eats and knows no boundswith regard to class, race,or social status. I know of one young man who was working New Years day at a local cafe and was positively frantic that he would not be able to eat this before the day was out,so much so that I came home and brought him back a dish of ours. You would have thought I had given him a million dollars. Even the convenience stores here keep a stock of canned black eyed peas and collards,mustard greens on hand for New Years.
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Post by hwinpp on Jan 4, 2012 6:06:34 GMT
The Chinese believe that noodles must be eaten on auspicious days such as birthdays or New Year. The longer they are, the longer you will live. Never cut the noodles up for easier eating.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 4, 2012 6:41:53 GMT
I knew that about the Chinese eating noodles for birthdays, but not about having them on other special days.
The idea of a black eyed pea salad is kind of nice, just not the one in the article.
I've had apples in sauerkraut & it was good. The recipe in the link was fine right up until they gratuitously threw in the brown sugar. Brown sugar in sauerkraut and molasses on black eyed peas -- what are they thinking?
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Post by lagatta on Jan 6, 2013 15:40:47 GMT
Today is Epiphany, or La fête des Rois here. It is also the day la Befana brings children present in Italy.
Unlike Santa Claus/Father Christmas/St. Nicolas etc, she gets a mandarin orange, perhaps some regional treats and a glass of wine!
I'm trying to find the threads where we discuss Galette des rois, King Cake, Rosco de los Reyes etc...
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2013 16:13:10 GMT
I had a little piece of galette des rois at the nursing home - never a favourite of mine, but this one was not too dry. I do like the fact that they make their own at that place instead of outsourcing them.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2013 17:19:05 GMT
We always do the black eyed peas and greens here in NOLA on New Year's Day.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 6, 2013 17:25:35 GMT
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Post by nutraxfornerves on Jan 12, 2013 16:56:57 GMT
Thit cho, Vietnamese for "dog meat," can be both lucky and unlucky. It is a traditional "enhance your manly performance" food. However, if eaten in the first part of the lunar month, it can be unlucky, so it is usually eaten at the end of the month.
It's rather gamey in taste.
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Post by lagatta on Jan 12, 2013 22:52:20 GMT
It sure isn't lucky for the dog!
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Post by lagatta on Dec 29, 2014 1:17:16 GMT
I found jarred black-eyed peas from Portugal on sale at a Greek grocery I like, so I guess I have to make some kind of auspicious New Year's dish. Can the greens be of any kind? I also bought some smoked chicken legs at a Caribbean/African shop nearby (actually the couple of owners are South Asian: I believe they are Sri Lankan). I'm sure I can concoct something. Are the black-eyed peas traditionally eaten with rice as well as greens?
I enjoyed the King, Rois, Reyes cake thread. Though if I actually want something a bit sweet by then, I'll probably pick up a discounted panettone. It is very nice toasted, with butter, if it is a bit dry.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 29, 2014 14:24:38 GMT
Lagatta, the traditional greens served with black eyed peas here are usually a combination of collard, mustard greens. Cabbage is also acceptable by many. Served as a side dish to the black eyed peas which are served over rice.
Some neighbors of ours have been hosting an annual Grits and grillades brunch on New Years Day. (she is British, he is Canadian). Someone always brings along the black eyed peas, greens traditional dish. As an aside, this years invitation had a footnote that read: "Please, no stilettos, our natural wood floors took a beating last year." I was not among the guilty, I can assure you).
Yes, Twelfth Night is soon upon us. I'm going to give a go at baking a brioche type of King cake from a recipe I recently ran across.
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Post by lagatta on Dec 29, 2014 15:49:05 GMT
I'm wondering if I can find mustard greens here. Would that be in a Caribbean shop? Or a Chinese shop? I can find collards. Grits are hard to find here; I have a friend who is originally from Birmingham, Alabama who might know, though she hasn't been back there since her mother died.
As you might imagine, people attending parties here arrive in winter boots and leave them at the door; they wear slippers (from ugly to elegant ones) indoors. Stiletto heels have actually severely damaged some historic parquets when they were a must in the mid 20th century.
What else goes in the peas? Onion and some ham or bacon bits?
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Post by htmb on Dec 29, 2014 18:13:27 GMT
My mother always made blackeyed peas with ham hocks or fat back. I use a little bit leaner ham.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 29, 2014 18:53:02 GMT
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Post by htmb on Dec 29, 2014 19:07:59 GMT
The best shrimp I believe I've ever had was in Brittany. They were as large as langoustines, and were sweet and flavorful. Served with shells and heads.
We always had blackeyed peas, white rice, onion, and collard greens on New Year's Day when I was a kid, but because I don't care for cooked greens I didn't eat any. My luck seemed no different than that of the greens-eaters in the family.
I love all types of beans and would just as soon cook them with to just tender with a little olive oil, salt, pepper and chopped onion. I add a la bit of butter to my serving at mealtime. If I get around to it I'll make some for New Years Day; maybe not.
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Post by lagatta on Dec 29, 2014 20:54:17 GMT
I love langoustines too, but they are very expensive, and I'm a bit skint this year.
Since my black-eyed peas are already cooked (but jarred, not canned/tinned, usually better)I'll just be heating them up, think with the smoked chicken I bought, onions, sage, carrots chopped fine (along with the onions)olive oil and a bit of wine).
I did find mustard greens; I like mustardy things so hope I'll like them.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 29, 2014 21:31:01 GMT
We usually use ham hocks to season the peas with , and yes, most certainly onion. One year my husband mistakenly used tasso which is very tasty but also very salty. The batch was for all practical purposes ruined. I felt so bad for him.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 29, 2014 23:53:14 GMT
The traditional greens dish served with the black eyed peas is a combination of mustard, collard, turnip, maybe some spinach or kale and some throw in bok choy or the like. In a big heavy pot fry 1/2 lb.bacon 3 cups chopped onions salt and pepper 2 tlbs minced green onions 2 cloves minced garlic 1 12 ounce bottle of beer (a lager or pilsner will do) 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar 1 tlb. molasses 1 tlb. soy sauce 6 lbs. mixed greens cleaned and stemmed
Fry the bacon until crispy Cut up the bacon and place it in the pot with the fat Add onions and cook until wilted season with salt, pepper and hot sauce Add green onions and garlic, cook 2 or so minutes Stir in beer, molasses, rice vinegar and soy sauce Add the greens, about a third at a time, pressing the greens down as they start to wilt Cook greens uncovered over low heat for about an hour and 15 minutes
Remove the greens with a slotted spoon, mound them on a platter and pour cooking liquid over the top and serve
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Post by tod2 on Jan 7, 2015 9:33:42 GMT
Casimira - I can get black-eyed peas in a tin (also loads of Portuguese items at this store) and would like to try your recipe. The only hitch would be the molasses. Can you give me a make or photograph the label for me? I've never used it before.
Those lango's are the real deal Kerouac. Can't get them here unless especially requested and then they only give you the tails....far too small. At one time we could buy frozen langoustine meat. Sigh...those were the days. But I shouldn't complain as I have three boxes of enormous prawns in my freezer - and found a pack of four crayfish tails I had overlooked in the door compartment of the freezer!
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Post by Deleted on Jan 7, 2015 15:32:21 GMT
Tod, I'm having difficulty creating a link for what you ask. I do know that it is referred to as TREACLE in the UK if that's of any help.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 7, 2015 16:11:48 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 7, 2015 17:19:06 GMT
Thank you Lizzy, you are a dear.
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Post by tod2 on Jan 8, 2015 7:22:32 GMT
Casimira and Lizzy - Thank You! I think one of our Health Food shops are bound to have it after seeing it on the link.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2015 22:17:21 GMT
Although it was not ever used in my family, I learned molasses and treacle to be equally acceptable words. I may have been living on a linguistic border.
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