[Sca-cooks] dulse?

[Gretchen Beck]

--On Thursday, January 08, 2009 6:44 PM -0500 "Phil Troy / G. Tacitus
Adamantius" <adamantius1 at verizon.net> wrote:

> 
> On Jan 8, 2009, at 6:07 PM, Kathleen A Roberts wrote:
> 
> 
> I could swear, though, that someplace I have a recipe that starts with
> the dulse-ey equivalent of, "First steal two chickens", as in, first
> collect some dulse off some rocks at the seashore, etc.
> 
> By the way, can anybody document that there actually is a printed recipe
> that begins that way (the stolen chicken reference), and that it isn't
> just some sort of xenophobic/racist urban legend promulgated by some
> culture other than the one being spoken of?

This is the closest I could find. From An Historical Account of Peterhead,
from the Earliest Period to the Present Time: Comprehending an Account of
Its Trade, Shipping, Commerce, and Manufactures, Mineral Wells, Baths, &c.
with an Appendix, Containing a Copy of the Original Charter of Erection,
Together with All the Bye-laws and ...
By James Arbuthnot
Published by Printed by D. Chalmers, 1815

p 37
Dulse, or Dilse

This fucus is found in considerable quantities all along our coast and of
different colours, and sizes, in the leaf. The short purple-leaved dilse is
esteemed the best; the large gillard, or green-leaved dilse, appear to
contain fully as much saccharine matter as the other, but they are not so
tender...The best short dilse comes from Boddom and Longhaven: the less
they are exposed to the rays of the sun, they taste the better. They are
generally eaten here fresh: some people roast them, and they eat tollerably
well. The plan used in roasting dilse is as follows:--They are put into a
plate, and the lower ends of a pair of tongs are heated in the fire until
they assume a red appearance; they are then squeezed with this until they
are properly done, which is known by their assuming a dark olive green
appearance.

The New and Complete American Encyclopedia: Or, Universal Dictionary of
Arts and Sciences; on an Improved Plan: in which the Respective Sciences
are Arranged Into Complete Systems, and the Arts Digested Into Distinct
Treatises; Also the Detached Parts of Knowledge Alphabetically Arranged and
...
Published by John Low, 1807, notes

The palmatus, the palmated or sweet fucus, commonly called dulse or dilse,
groaws plentifully on the sea coasts...The inhabitants, both of Scotland
and England take pleasure in eating this plant; and women of weak habits
often recover an appetite by eating it raw...They sometimes eat it raw, but
esteem it most when added to ragouts, oglios, etc, to which it gives a red
colour; and, dissolving, renders them thick and gelatinous. Th the Isle of
Skye, it is sometimes used in fevers to promote a sweat, being boiled in
water with butter...the dried leaves infused in water exhale the scent of
violets.

The pinnatifidus, the jagged fucus, or pepper dilse, is frequest on sea
rocks which are covered by the tides..This species has a hot taste in the
mouth, and is therefore called pepper ilse, in Britian. It is often eaten
as a salad, like the preceeding

Columbian Cyclopedia
Published by Garretson, Cox & Company, 1897, notes

...It is eaten raw or roasted, and with vinegar. IN Iceland, it is
sometimes boiled in milk. It is an important plant to the Icelanders, and
after being washed and dried, is stored in casks, to be eaten with
fish...The name Dulse is given in the sw of England to another sea-weed,
Iridaea edulis,...whih has an undivided obovate or wedge shaped, flat,
expanded frond, very succulent, tapering to a short stalk and of a dull
purple color. It is eaten either raw or pinched between hot irons -- Pepper
Dulse...another of ...has a pungent taste, and is used as a condiment when
other sea weeds are eaten.

toodles, margaret