Sunday, December 22, 2013
Christmas Dinner by Vangelis Pavlidis
ΒΑΓΓΕΛΗΣ ΠΑΥΛΙΔΗΣ
Yesterday I was writing about Christmas
and King Arthur with his knights and I was tempted to go a bit further, so as
to keep our mood in the spirit of the season. As for me, such trips to
other times and places are always a source of pleasure, especially if food is
also involved.
At the center of every feast it has
always been a table, with lots of food and, naturally, drink of some sort or
other. In the beginning -the times of Arthur, say- there were no special
meals for the holidays. Gradually, some foods prevailed mainly because
they happened to be in season. In the Middle Ages, but also later when
the only means of preserving food was salt, people mainly depended on what was
growing in the area at any given time. In western Europe and England
boars head became a tradition, symbolizing the end of the all important hunting
season. The tradition became so strong that those who could not afford a
boars head would make a cake that looked like it. The head was served
with much pomp, with music and special songs. A central place on the
feast table was reserved for a meat pie, that had to include cinnamon, nutmeg,
allspice and clove, representing the gifts of the Magi to baby Jesus.
Duck, goose, swan and all kinds of fowl were also very popular, served
with a variety of sauces. Also game, beef, pork, prepared in various
ways. Turkey was added much later, when in 1520 made its way to Europe from
America. It was not until twenty years later that it would be placed on
an English table. In recent years it has even come to Greece- a long way
from home…
I give you an English recipe of the 15th century. I chose it because it is
not far from our contemporary tastes and not so hard to make. Enjoy!
PORK WITH SAUCE OF WINE, EGG, PEPPER
3.5 lbs. pork, shoulder or leg, 1
cup red dry wine, 4 egg yolks, raw, Freshly ground black pepper, to
taste, Nutmeg, ground, 4-5 cloves, Pinch of
saffron, Salt, 4 egg yolks, hard boiled
Preheat oven at 350 F. Place meat
in a pan and roast for about 1 1/2 hour, or until done. Remove from oven
and let cool for about 15’. In a small pot heat together wine, spices and
raw egg yolks. When it begins to boil lower heat and cook for about 10’
stirring occasionally. Place meat in a platter and pour sauce over it.
Crumble boiled egg yolks with your hand and sprinkle over meat. It will
serve 6-8, depending on the appetite.
IN THE PICTURE: Hunter with
boar’s head. From “Les Trés Riches Heures du Seigneur de Tha”, 15th century manuscript in the National
Library of Tha.
GET MY BOOK "VAMPIR"
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VANGELIS PAVLIDIS
www.pavlidiscartoons.com
ΒΑΓΓΕΛΗΣ ΠΑΥΛΙΔΗΣ
pavlidiscartoons.com/blog
VANGELIS PAVLIDIS
www.pavlidiscartoons.com
ΒΑΓΓΕΛΗΣ ΠΑΥΛΙΔΗΣ
pavlidiscartoons.com/blog
