SC - what to do with extra egg yolks

[Jeff Gedney]

Hullo, the list!

I thought perhaps the people of Lochac might have some interest in this.

Last weekend I found, on the 75% off remainder table at a local Barmy &
Ignoble, a copy of Colin Bannerman's "A Friend In The Kitchen: Old
Australian Cookery Books" (Copyright 1996 Colin Bannerman, pub. Kangaroo
Press, NSW, Australia, ISBN 0 86417 805 0), which deals with the
culinary evolution of Australia over the Federation period, roughly from
the colony's centennial in 1888, until the First World War, as
chronicled in cookbooks.

I've only skimmed through the thing, but it's a pretty fascinating read,
if you can handle Bannerman's constant snobbish sniping at the British
culinary traditions that have survived in Australia. He addresses some
interesting social issues concerning a colony founded largely by the
lower socio-economic classes trying to impose the cuisine of their old
homeland on a massively different climate, economy, and agricultural
structure. Yum. Mutton chops and eggs for breakfast,
steak-and-kidney-pudding for lunch in a climate that's often described
as semi-tropical, and then to vary things you have roast beef for
dinner. (Part of me asks, hey, what's wrong with that?)

The book deals, to a great extent, with the attempts of various culinary
reformers to quantify and identify the emerging Australian cuisine as a
separate entity, and to bring it more in line with the climate and the
economic structure of the country.

And, there are some kewl recipes.

A while back (probably when most of the continental US SCAdians were at
Pennsic), there were some interesting discussions on this list about
Australian food; Bannerman has a few rather offhand notes about some
recent developments which he finds interesting, but not really part of
what he is writing about, in the closing of the book:

"	The meat pie has a history much longer than that of white settlement
in Australia. The particular thing now known as the Australian meat pie
probably began as it has remained -- a commercial product. It has never
been a significant part of our household cookery tradition, and bears
little resemblance to the meat pies described in Federation recipes,
some of which were excellent.
"	The pavlova does not belong to Federation cookery; it came much later.
Lamingtons had their origin in the Federation period but, again, their
popularity came later. Queensland's 'Schauer Cookery Book' [1909] gave a
recipe for 'Lamington cake', a plain slab cake spread with chocolate
icing and sprinkled with coconut, presumably named after Lord Lamington,
appointed Governer of Queensland in 1896. Very similar recipes appeared
in New South Wales and Victoria about the same time. In 1916 a Western
Australian book gave, under the same name, the small squares with which
we are now familiar. It has been said that the chocolate and coconut
coating was intended to keep the delicate Victoria sponge from drying
out in the hot climate.
"	Australians whose roots on this continent go back to Federation might
expect to find some favourite or hated dishes from their individual
family traditions. Savoury mince, sweet curry, condensed milk salad
dressing, gramma pie, stewed rhubarb, and the dreaded choko are all
there. But while their origins may lie a hundred years ago, or more, the
dishes are not real Federation food. Their popularity came later; they
belong to the traditions of people still living. Good luck with your own
list."      

Well, _I_ thought it was interesting ... ;  )

So, two questions...is the "a" in "Lamington" pronunced as short or
long, and what is choko?

Adamantius 
- -- 
Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com