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Three Families, Two Hogs |
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TasunkaWitko
Admin Group Joined: 25 January 2010 Location: Chinook, MT Status: Offline Points: 9356 |
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Posted: 31 October 2017 at 13:35 |
I recently read (for probably the ninth or tenth time) Poland, by James Michener. It's a great novel, and one that I will probably read three or four more times before I die. For those with any interest in the history of the region, I highly recommend it.
One reason (among many) that I enjoy Michener's books so much is that his research goes deep and covers a wide span; this has amazing results in that - even though a book will be fiction - it is written so well that the story could almost flawlessly fit right in with the history of the country or region involved. Because of this, Michener's research and subsequent stories often include detailed references to the cuisine and foodways of a given region at a given time in history. This book includes several such accounts, but one in particular stuck me as significant to the point where I felt compelled to share it. In order to do so effectively, I need to give you just a bit of background. It's not necessary to get into too much detail, but some explanation is required for context. In the 1600s, when this excerpt takes place, Poland had a relatively unique form of government. Kings were almost always foreigners elected by a group of established landowners that were called magnates. They were not nobility, per say; but for all practical purposes, they had similar power and influence. They would have land holdings that were very sizable, often stretching into Ukraine, Lithuania and other far-flung areas. Further down the hierarchy, the magnates had vassals within the gentry that could be called petty knights or henchmen. These men often had good land - including villages - through the grace of the magnates, to whom they would owe allegiance. They also had very good, very honorable names and reputations, with an accompanying culture of chivalry. At the same time, however, they were usually quite poor, with few resources and almost no money of their own; a petty knight with more than 4 horses was doing very well for himself. Toward the bottom, of course, were the peasants; essentially, they were slaves of the higher classes, tied to the land, as ever, with very few rights and almost nothing to look forward to, except a festival or holiday, now and then. This is not to say that they were mistreated or abused, because they usually were not; however, the higher classes held the attitude that they knew what was best for the peasants, and rarely - if ever - consulted the peasants on anything that could (and usually did) have significant impact on their own lives. In this portion of the story, a magnate named Cyprjan of Gorka is preparing for the wedding of his daughter to the son of another magnate. This wedding will take place in the village of Bukowo, which is in the fief of a knight named Lukasz Bukowski, who is a vassal of Cyprijan. Let's see how the preparations are going:
More to come; but that's enough to digest, for now.... |
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TasunkaWitko
Admin Group Joined: 25 January 2010 Location: Chinook, MT Status: Offline Points: 9356 |
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Okay, so the hogs have been butchered, and the various portions delivered - but exactly what cuts were those, and what became of them? More importantly, how did the resources and experiences of each recipient affect the way that the various cuts were prepared, and what were the methods used?
Let's take a look at what the Magnate's wife, Zofia, did with her portion; then, we can perhaps answer some of these questions:
We'll see if we can sort this one out, and then move on to the household of the petty knight, Lukasz Bukowski.... |
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Tom Kurth
Chef's Apprentice Joined: 10 May 2015 Location: Alma, MO Status: Offline Points: 251 |
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Many years gone now that I read book after book by Michener. (My favorites were "Centennial", "Chesapeake", and "Caravans" if I remember that title right.) Pardon the intrusion of politics here, but what I most remember from "Poland" is the development of the Polish Senate, the Syme, I think it was called. Each of the nobles held veto power so only the occasional unanimous law could ever pass. Reminds me entirely too much of today's Washington where compromise is as rarely seen as that meat in the peasant's hovel!
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Best,
Tom Escape to Missouri |
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TasunkaWitko
Admin Group Joined: 25 January 2010 Location: Chinook, MT Status: Offline Points: 9356 |
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I remember that well; it was called "The Golden Freedom" or liberum veto; unfortunately, it negated a lot of good work that the Sejm would accomplish, then and in the future, and set Poland up for unimaginable heartache as the centuries passed.
As far as the cuts of meat go, my best guess is that the "large roasts" were the fresh, uncured hams, while the other cuts that were pounded flat and rolled must have been loins. It seems to me that each loin was butterflied, pounded, stuffed and tied. I'm not 100% certain of these guesses, but that makes sense, to me. Michener notes that the large pieces of fat were trimmed and saved for larding; however, I am guessing that in Zofia's kitchen, there also must have been copious amounts of other trimmings and bones resulting from the preparation of these dishes. Were these conserved for stock or a sauce, perhaps? Or were they dispersed to the kitchen staff; an unexpected and happy windfall for their own consumption? I do not know, but I would guess the former, as there must have been a constant supply of leftovers for the kitchen staff to enjoy, as well as the odd morsel here and there for surreptitious sampling. The French manner of the cooking of the large roasts reflects a cosmopolitan flair, and I would be very interested in trying this as I happen to have at least one fresh ham. Likewise, the intense, loving Polish patriotism is represented well where the treatment of the rolled loin is concerned, and I have seen some Polish recipes that were on the same theme. I imagine that this would be excellent to duplicate, as well; and I just happen to have at least one nice loin that would fit the bill.... I myself intend to try both of these dishes, and I think the challenge of re-creating these recipes would be fun. When it comes to seasoning, I am guessing that salt and pepper were a given - and not worth mentioning - but my suspicion is that it shouldn't be too hard to use Michener's account in order come up with something very plausible. I might allow myself one deviation, however: no one in our family is fond of caraway, so I might stud the roasts with cloves, instead. Then again, if I want to call myself a food historian, perhaps I should use the caraway, after all? Is anyone else game to try this? |
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TasunkaWitko
Admin Group Joined: 25 January 2010 Location: Chinook, MT Status: Offline Points: 9356 |
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Well - moving along, let us see what transpired at the home of the petty knight, Lukasz:
I've made pierogi before, and it can be a daunting task! This passage gives me a few ideas to try, the next time I make them. |
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TasunkaWitko
Admin Group Joined: 25 January 2010 Location: Chinook, MT Status: Offline Points: 9356 |
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As mentioned above, I've made pierogi before, and enjoyed them very much. The ones I made were filled with mashed potato and cheese, and were very good. The recipe was am excellent one, coming from MeatHunter's wife, who is half-Russian and half-Polish:
http://foodsoftheworld.activeboards.net/potatoandcheesefilled-pierogies_topic1946.html Looking at the descriptions above, it seems to me that the basic concept is similar. I also like the description of the pierogi cutter and press; these, in modern form, are available at places such as Amazon. They range from very inexpensive: http://a.co/a53Th0Y To more elaborate (yet essentially the same): http://a.co/3hgobvW Worthy of note is that the modern tools combine the function of cutter and crimper. The sauerkraut and mushroom pierogi, along with the ones using pork spices and cabbage, are ones that I would really like to try. I'd probably use the recipe for the dough that was shared in MeatHunter's wife (link above). The excerpt mentions that the pork is cooked before being chopped; I am guessing that the forequarters are de-boned and the meat trimmed and cut to manageable pieces, which are then simmered until it falls off the bone, but do not know for sure. If so, the stock and small trimmings would almost certainly be reduced and seasoned, then utilized for other purposes. The trimmed fat, almost certainly, would be rendered to lard. For seasoning the pierogi, I would improvise as far as the spices go: salt, pepper, marjoram...maybe a couple of others, but I would do my best to keep from over-doing it. Boiled, then tossed in the onion/butter mixture used by MeatHunter's wife, then fried, would be my preference. |
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HistoricFoodie
Admin Group Joined: 21 February 2012 Location: Kentucky Status: Offline Points: 4940 |
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One of the first things to strike me was mention of the cutter/crimper. The Russian--Polish--Lithuanian housewives I knew, growing up, did it all by hand. They cut the rounds with a drinking glass, and crimped them with a fork. A quick search reveals about a dozen different pierogi molds/cutters. Who'd a thunk it? My problem, as I've noted in the past, is that I'm dough-rolling challenged. So will never master pie-making. At least with dumplings of this kind I can use my pasta roller. As to fillings, the sauerkraut/mushroom is a new one to me. In the past I've had them stuffed with meats, kasha, potatoes, and cabbage; alone or in combination.
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But we hae meat and we can eat
And sae the Lord be thanket |
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HistoricFoodie
Admin Group Joined: 21 February 2012 Location: Kentucky Status: Offline Points: 4940 |
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If anyone is going to try some of these dishes, a note on the word "kasha" is perhaps in order. Technically, kasha is roasted buckwheat groats. My Mom always made it by mixing the groats with a beaten egg, then dry roasting in a skillet until the egg was absorbed, and the groats browned. Basic cooking was done with water. Michener seems to be using "kasha" to describe both the raw groats and the roasted ones. So it's something to be aware of when experimenting with these dishes.
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But we hae meat and we can eat
And sae the Lord be thanket |
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Margi Cintrano
Master Chef Joined: 03 February 2012 Location: Spain Status: Offline Points: 6357 |
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Fascinating post, Brook .. The last book I had read by the author was "Iberia", which was 21 years ago when I relocated to Spain from Italy where I lived for 5 years .. I shall take a look in the Library .. If not, I shall call my local English Bookstore, and order it .. Thank you for your amazing book review .. and input and feedback .. Exemplary penning as always. |
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Volamos a Mediterraneo, un paraiso que conquista su gente u su cocina.
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HistoricFoodie
Admin Group Joined: 21 February 2012 Location: Kentucky Status: Offline Points: 4940 |
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Appreciate the thought, Margi. But it's misdirected. This actually is Ron's thread; I merely made a few comments on his post.
Credit where credit is due, n'est ce pas! |
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But we hae meat and we can eat
And sae the Lord be thanket |
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Margi Cintrano
Master Chef Joined: 03 February 2012 Location: Spain Status: Offline Points: 6357 |
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My apologies Ron. I made a gaff and thought it was Brook´s Post .. None the less, the post merits excellence .. Have a lovely day ..
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Volamos a Mediterraneo, un paraiso que conquista su gente u su cocina.
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TasunkaWitko
Admin Group Joined: 25 January 2010 Location: Chinook, MT Status: Offline Points: 9356 |
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Good morning, Brook and MArgi, and thanks for offering some thoughts on this.
Margi - no worries! I am glad that you enjoyed reading. The book is very much worth having, as an introduction to a unique and important part of European history. The culinary references are my favourite part; however, the chapter on Poland during World War 2 is also very riveting. Brook - When I made my pierogi, I did use a pasta roller. For cutting, I used a drinking glass with a mouth approximately 4 inches wide, then used a fork to crimp them. This was easy to do, and I am not sure if a cutter/crimper tool would have been any more efficient; however, I am guessing that for such a treasured national dish, such implements would become part of the culture in the middle and upper classes? As to the first installment (the magnate), any thoughts on the cuts or the recipe? |
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TasunkaWitko
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We have seen how the magnate's wife (Zofia) and the squire's wife (Danusia) put their pork to work; but what about the peasant's wife? In some ways, her task is greatest of all, for she must take cuts that are of the lowest and most humble origin and stretch those cuts as far as humanly possible, using a frugality and creativity that is no longer imaginable in this day and age, at least in some places.
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Margi Cintrano
Master Chef Joined: 03 February 2012 Location: Spain Status: Offline Points: 6357 |
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Ron, Firstly thank you for the extraordinarily well written background .. Fascinating read .. Pierogi, a pasta roller is an excellent idea .. Similiar to a thick ravioli type dumpling .. and crimping edges to hold the ingredient stuffing .. Yes, the whole hog or pig or any other animal were used alot more in the days of yester year .. And in rural regions these are still used through out Europe .. Very common in Iberia, Italia and France too. Kielbasa smoked home made sausage must be amazing .. Good luck with this Project ..
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Volamos a Mediterraneo, un paraiso que conquista su gente u su cocina.
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TasunkaWitko
Admin Group Joined: 25 January 2010 Location: Chinook, MT Status: Offline Points: 9356 |
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Reading all of this has definitely inspired me to try a few things, Margi; I definitely would like to prepare some of the foods mentioned in the magnate's portion of the story. I have at least one nice, Montana-raised pork loin in the freezer...maybe two. I also have a fresh, uncured ham - on the leg bone - that I intended to use for some sort of charcuterie project. I might instead use it for this.
With that, I'll add this coda to the narrative:
I will post updates as I am able to (hopefully) try some of these ideas, and I would very much like to hear thoughts from anyone who has any feedback or discussion ideas. If anyone tries any of these, please do post about it! Ron |
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