The English Breakfast

If England has some kind of representative dish that is very good, its filling and especially helpful in a morning hangover, that plate would be the English Breakfast.


An English breakfast is a cooked hot meal which, for many English speakers around the world, represents the best breakfast in the world. There are many variations on the English breakfast, most of them are named for the regions they borrow from; a Scottish Breakfast, for example, carries traditional Scottish foods besides the original components of the English breakfast.
English breakfast can also be called a fry up, because almost everything is fried: tomatoes, onions, sausages...Two classic components of the English breakfast are bacon and eggs, but the food doesn't stop there.


A fry up may also include: hash browns, toast, sausage, black pudding, beans, grilled tomatoes, sauteed mushrooms, porridge, and kippers. It is also common to see an assortment of condiments, like jams and ketchup, and in some places, fresh fruit can be offered as well, for those who find the traditional components of the English breakfast too heavy.

Classically, a fry up is accompanied with many cups of strong black tea or coffee, and orange juice is also not uncommon, especially among more health-conscious consumers, who may try to temper the massive artery-clogging impact of the traditional English breakfast.


The invention of the English breakfast appears to be very recent. It seems to have emerged in the mid-1800s, and it was especially popular among the wealthy aristocracy, although farmers may have eaten similar meals before this point. In rich homes, the components of breakfast were often spread out on a buffet and people served themselves whatever they wanted, and the English breakfast was a display of wealth as much as it was an array of food, given the expense of meat.
Many English speaking nations offer some version of the English breakfast, with a focus on regional specialties. You may also hear the English breakfast called an “all day” breakfast, referring to the fact that it could fuel someone´s batteries for a day, and to the fact that many people like to eat an English breakfast over a period of several hours, rather than trying to eating it all in at once.


This plate, along with the Hot Irish, has been a good companion during my time serving at the Irish Pub I worked at, serving sometimes as energy reconstituent, sometimes as painkiller for hangovers. It was the one and only English dish I liked, besides the Chicken Curry, but I guess that is just a Hindu dish that the English have embraced as theirs to fill up the lack of variety and quality of their gastronomy. And I am not the only one who thinks this...

“To eat well in England you should have breakfast three times a day.”
W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965)

Transgenic Food

The earlier post I posted talked about how massive food production can harm this society´s health and economy. This one will talk about how it can improve it.

The staples submitted to genetics engineering (GMO´s) are those produced from a genetically modified organism to produce the desired characteristics using molecular genetic techniques such as gene cloning and protein engineering.

GM food is developed and commercialized because of its advantages for the farmers and the consumers of such food. They are cheaper and more resistant to crop plagues by insects of viruses.

Some of the staples that are genetically modified are corn, soy and pumpkin. Animals have been modified also, such as pigs, fish, sheep and even rats for laboratory investigation.

European Corn BorE

The resistance towards insects is achieved by introducing in the plants a gen that produces the toxin of the bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis (BT). This toxine is actually used as a conventional pesticide in agriculture and it is harmless for humans. It has been proven that GM crops that produce this toxin requires less amounts of pesticides where the risk of plague is higher. Here in Spain, the corn used in our fields is the Corn BT, genetically modified to resist the plague of the European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis, which destroys corn crops by burrowing into the stem, causing the plant to fall.

The viral resistance is obtained by the introduction of a gen of the virus that may cause infection to the plant, acting as a vaccine. This reduces the risk of crop extermination and guarantees their performance.

The theoretic discussions have involved a large number of possible risks, but the most important and possible problems are an allergic reaction, gen transference and outcrossing:

-Allergenicity. In order to prevent this to happen, the crops have never been genetically modified with genes that come from staples that cause allergic reactions in humans. Research has proven no risk in the GMO´s that are commercialized.

-Gen transferring. Experts were worried that the genes added to the crop could possibly transfer to the human cells or to the bacteria in our intestines, provoking a threat to human health. This can cause our cells or the bacteria to be inmune towards some antibiotics. Even though the possiblity is low, the use of genes that provoke that immunity is avoided.

-Outcrossing. This consists of the displacement of these genes in normal crops or in wild plants. This could have an indirect effect in the toxicity and security of the food.

There risks are there, but there is a possibility that future GMO´s for crops that will be more resistant towards droughts and have a igher nutritional value. Fish species could also be modified to increase their production and even their weight and size. Animals and plants could also be modified to produce a protein that are indispensable for medicines and vaccines.

There is a huge debate whether this is morally right or not, if it can harm humankind and/or destroy our environment, but for now, the GMO´s are proving their efficiency. Maybe someday this leads us to finish with the hunger in the world.

THE HISTORY OF THE CULINARY ART IN EUROPE UNTIL THE RENAISSANCE

• The Pre-Historical Period:

- The discovery of fire and the fermentation.

- The conservation of food and drinks, traditionally perishable in short-term.

- The use of cooking utensils (flat stones, leather goatskins…), increasing the methods of cooking and reducing the burning of food.

- The apparition of salt, fat, flour and cereals (cakes).

• Greco-Roman Period -2000/470:

- The organization of food and the cooking by mythological criteria.

- Meals ritual dimensions: Dionysian festivals (great use of wine and sexual excess).

-  Food presentation: food are chopped or pureed, but the staple is unknown.

-  Practice of diluting the wine with multiple products such as sea water, lime, resin…

- Preference for fish, shellfish and vegetables. Salted, sweet and spicy cooking.

- Pottery on the fire, it allows the apparition of two fundamental culinary techniques: soups and gruels.

- New products: beer, bread, cakes, olive oil, wine, cheese, pudding, omelet (sweet and drooling), the garum (fish sauce).

• Middle Ages 470/1350 :

- French service consisting of 3 to 6 courses, each with a starter, main course and dessert.

- There are no plates, but the use of a thick piece of bread (the chopper), no glasses but chalices, and no forks. Instead of the knives, there were daggers or dredgers.

- The guests eat with their fingers and towel off using the tablecloth.

- The Apparition of braised cooking: meat is boiled before being roasted, which was a technical and hygienic advantage. The meat is softer, compensating its low maturation and avoiding aromatic denaturizing due to a significant microbial growth.

-  The sauces are spicy and acidic (verjuice grape) associated with egg yolks and soaked bread.

- The use of sugar and honey. No use of fat because it sets too much the volatile aromas.

- Spices have 3 functions:

* Social distinction.

* Camouflage dishes.

* Prolipheratic.

- Extensive use of game meat, swans, peacocks…

•  The Renaissance xv-xvi

- The discovery of America by Christopher Columbus and the arrival of new products. The use of products coming from the New World such as tomatoes, corn, potatoes, coffee, artichokes, peppers, beans, chocolate… 

- Significant Italian influence on the culinary art due to the marriage of Catherine of Medici with the future Henry II and Marie of Medici’s marriage with Henry IV. Italian influence: the apparition of the two-pronged fork, the usage of the individual plate (ceramic of Faenza), and the chalice is replaced by crystal glasses of Murano. This refined the table manners; hand washing is systematic…

-  The discovery of the Italian pasta, jellies, marzipan, ginger bread and nougat.

- Apparition of pin machines in the kitchen.

AS GOOD AS GOLD

It seems we need to constantly try new things, and we have been inventing new kind of food day by day to its purpose, even if they are non-sense. So, edible gold is the latest gourmet sensation to enjoy a dish.

Don’t be afraid, it is not the first time you have this chemical element in a meal. Gold is a very common food additive, specifically colour E-175 which gives it a golden touch. It can be found in some products like sweets, chewing-gums, cakes or dehydrated soup.

Nowadays, people who can afford edible gold are more creative and go to fashionable restaurants to enjoy a shiny delicatessen.

The most frequent use of gold in edible form is in chocolatiers. Some chocolate makers produce chocolates flecked with gold leaf. There is also a liqueur called Danziger Goldwasser which is made with particles of gold. Moreover, some premium food producers have even successfully use gold to cook.

Edible gold is almost pure gold, but mixed with silver, which is edible too, so it is completely digestive. Generally speaking, there is no danger in ingesting Edible Gold, it simply passes through the intestinal system and it will pass out of the body after 24 hours without causing any harm or reaction to the body. However, in larger quantities gold does become toxic and harmful to human health.

The Europeans have a very old tradition in using Edible Gold on Food. Italian Dukes used to decorate their risotto with Edible Gold leaves in the XVI century. Alchemists of the XV century used gold medicinally. The Elizabethans created magnificent banquets by adding Edible Gold Dust on fruits such as oranges, grapes, pomegranate... And apparently on the 80’s gold was a very common delicatessen in Japan

So… gold fever is on! You can find edible gold in any gourmet supply store in three different ways: sheets, flakes, or sprinkles. It is a great alternative to impress your friends because the quantity of gold is so small and the price is not unreasonable (yet gold makes a meal appear to be extravagant and give restaurants an excuse to charge exorbitant prices)

There are so many recipes that can be prepared with gold. Some beverages like Champagne with edible gold consist on a bottle of Champagne and 100 mg of Connoisseur Edible Gold flakes. You can find edible gold in some dishes such as sushi covered with gold flakes or turkey filled with meat, butter and gold sprinkles. And, of course, desserts are usually decorated with gold flakes or sprinkles, mostly those which are made of chocolate.

But, there’re some interesting delicatessen made of gold, such as Champagne and gold lollypop or Gold Pills. Imagine you are in an exclusive club hanging out with a few rappers and VIPs, and a waitress gives you a pill and a glass of water, you open it, and have it… and that’s the way you swallow 538€ (that’s the prize of ONE pill!!)

But gifts made of edible gold are very popular too, like a heart-shape strawberry lollypop with gold sprinkles as a romantic present or cigarettes made of gold sheets. Gifts like these will make your social status shine, but your economy will be seriously damaged, because they’re worth their weight in gold.

The Corruption of Food

There is a incompatibility between a system based on private ownership monopolies and the production of sustainable, healthy food.
Eating habits have changed more in the last 50 years than in the previous 10,000.This tells us how mass food production has impacted on consumption. The quality of the food has decreased consistently due to the bulking processes of the raw material, creating health problems to the consumers in the long run, just for more profit. Some of the facts and figures are chilling.

Such is the monopolisation of the meat industry, that the top five US meatpacking companies in the 1970s owned 20 percent of the local market. Today, these same companies own 80 percent, with regulatory agencies virtually controlled by these giant companies. In 1972, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) worked in approximately 50,000 food safety inspections a year. These stats had dropped to only 9,164 in 2006 for obvious reasons: it´s not profitable to have all of the food quality controlled.

Corn production is heavily subsidised in the US: about 30 percent of the main country is used for corn cultivation purposes. Corn is included in countless foods items, specially in fast foods, which makes it much cheaper than fresh products.

Corn is nowadays a major element for beef cattle, but this has increased E.coli infections in the U.S., and this type of E.coli can evolve in the animals into E.coli 757, with deadly results. In example, this led to the death of a two-year-old girl who had eaten E.coli 757 contaminated beef. The company that sold the infected meat did not withdraw it from supermarkets until 16 days after the child’s death. They have yet to apologize to the child’s family.

Moreover, fast food is filled with calories from refined sugar and fats (especially, the artery-clogging saturated fats, which are reheated to high temperatures for frying purposes).
It is also high in sodium, coming from common salt and other additives. Furthermore, fast food is low in dietary fiber and vital micro-nutrients such as vitamins and minerals.

The Consequences

Eating fast food and being physically inactive only adds to the problem of obesity. Not many people know that obesity is a major risk factor for a large number of deadly diseases like hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease, and even many types of cancers.

Recent scientific studies have proved that high-calorie foods rich in fats, refined sugar and salt can reconfigure hormones in the human body in such a way that they make you crave for such foods and always leave you asking for more.

In other words, fast food is somewhat addictive; you turn dependent on it, consuming it in an uncontrolled way even though you know that it is unhealthy. The more you consume, the more difficult it is for you include healthy foods in your diet.

Why do they let this happen?

One word explains it all: PROFIT. Only McDonald´s, the biggest fast food company, profits around 22 billion dollars a year, enough to bribe every government in the world so the food quality is not checked that often. These companies feed us with food that damages our system in the long run, but gives us enough time to be a good client for many years. What can we do about it? Eat healthy.

French language in Spanish gastronomy

A Gallicism can be:
a mode of speech peculiar to the French;
a French idiom;
in general, a French mode or custom.
loanwords, words or phrases borrowed from French.

Lexical borrowing between languages is normal and necessary. However, there is a field in the Spanish language where Gallicisms abound: the gastronomic vocabulary. Indeed, terms relating to ingredients, dishes, culinary techniques, verbs or professions reveal a quite intriguing French invasion. How did this happen and why??

First of all, Spain had to introduce in this part of its lexical French terms when they designated something that did not exist in Spanish gastronomy.
The 18th century represents the beginning of the french influence, with the reign of Felipe V, establishing the Bourbon dynasty which had repercussion on almost everything, including gastronomy. The French model quickly extended to Castilla and Cataluna due to the prestige of French cuisine which was often seen at the time as a sign of modernity. The new Bourbon dynasty imposes French cooks in the Court and little by little the borrowings and Gallicisms were anchored in the Spanish language.

Creativity, elegance and distinction are often said to be the main assets of the French cuisine. In this way, the use of Gallicisms in the Spanish culinary language adds without doubt something quite snob and posh to the names of the recipes or on the menus of renowned restaurants.

Those borrowings are not always written in the French way; they are often translated or adapted to the Spanish language.

Here are a few example that you could find:
Béarnaise/bearnesa
A la bordelaise/ a la bordelasa
A la bourguignonne/ a la borgonona
A la parisienne/ a la parisién
A la provençale/ a la provenzal

Another field crammed with borrowings is the one concerning hostelry staff and the mise en place.
You can hear for example:
Chef
Commis/comis
Marmiton
Maître, segundo maître
Rotisseur
Sommelier/sumiller
Buffet/buffet, bufé

Cheeses and alcohol field:

Armagnac: armanac
Champagne: champan
Cognac: conac
Brie
Camembert
Cantal
Roquefort
Emmental
Fondue

Meat and Fish field :
Blanquette : blanqueta
Brochette: brocheta
Bouillabaisse: bullabesa
Cassoulet: casolet
Entrecôte: entrecot
Fruits de mer: frutos de mar
Médaillon: medallon
Papillote
paté