Brits claim lasagna is English invention...

[zakur]

...Italians say "That's Impastable!"Impastability! Italians doubt Brits' lasagna claim (http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0808brit-lasagna08.html)

"I think it is definitely untrue, not nearly possible, because something that is invented by Italians cannot be invented by the English," Olimbo said. "It's a clear Italian tradition. Nobody goes to England and says, 'Oh, I would die for this lasagna!' "

Maybe not, but for Britain, a country that has been the butt of bland roast beef jokes forever, the land where tourists crack wise about baked beans crowding out eggs on the breakfast plate, if a tasty food can be claimed as its own, it's news worth devouring.

Nevermind that the claim might very well be half-baked. Or pure baloney.

Culinary experts in Britain said they discovered the origins of lasagna while researching medieval dishes in preparation for the Joust festival at Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire. They said a recipe for the dish was found in The Forme of Cury, a book cooked up by a group of chefs around 1390.

"We wanted to see if we could find something pre-1390 to link lasagna to Italy, and we haven't found anything, but Italians still won't accept it," said the aptly named Maurice Bacon, festival spokesman. "Italians say, 'It can't be English. It's always been Italian.'

[Tony]

Doesnt lasagna taste too good to be British?

[Giz]

Originally posted by zakur
..They said a recipe for the dish was found in The Forme of Cury, a book cooked up by a group of chefs around 1390.

Massala, our national dish, is also a Forme of Cury recipe.

The truth will out!

[Jon_in_london]

Originally posted by Giz


Massala, our national dish, is also a Forme of Cury recipe.

The truth will out!

Aaaargghh!!! the puns I cant cake it anymore!

[Giz]

Originally posted by Jon_in_london


Aaaargghh!!! the puns I cant cake it anymore!

You can't top that, mine was the icing on the cake!

[Segnosaur]

Brits claim lasagna is English invention...

Why? Can it be boiled?

[Segnosaur]

Originally posted by Giz


You can't top that, mine was the icing on the cake!

The next question is, are Icing and Cake british inventions too?

[Giz]

Originally posted by Segnosaur


The next question is, are Icing and Cake british inventions too?

Oh yeah, Cake was developed a long time ago. It's ancient traditions can be traced entymologically via the olde english word for mouth "cake-hole", still quaintly used in some east london dialects.

[WildCat]

Every lasagna recipe I've ever seen requires tomato sauce. Since tomatos were native to the New World and not introduced to Europe until the 1500's, how could the English have made lasagna in 1390? Certainly, it wouldn't be a lasagna any of us would recognize as such.

[WildCat]

And while we're discussing English cuisine, could one of you Brits please explain the need for Black Pudding? (http://www.geocities.com/NapaValley/9412/black_puddin2.html) :eek:

Edited to add that maybe this is what was substituted for tomato sauce in the 1390 lasagna recipe? ;)

[Ladewig]

Why? Can it be boiled?

A hit. A palpable hit.

[Nikk]

Originally posted by WildCat
Every lasagna recipe I've ever seen requires tomato sauce. Since tomatos were native to the New World and not introduced to Europe until the 1500's, how could the English have made lasagna in 1390? Certainly, it wouldn't be a lasagna any of us would recognize as such.

It should be noted that some researchers claim that fisherman from Bristol were visiting the Newfoundland Grand Banks as long ago as the 1200's.

It is possible that they brought back the little known newfoundland tomato and that it was used in the prototype lasagna dish. As it had to be boiled in seawater for 3 days before consumption it was eminently suited to english medieval cookery. Needless to say it was superceded by the more succulent south american tomato in due course.

[zakur]

What do the Brits on the board here think about this pasta claim? Penne for your thoughts.

Sorry...just being fusilli. :D

[Reginald]

Originally posted by WildCat
And while we're discussing English cuisine, could one of you Brits please explain the need for Black Pudding? (http://www.geocities.com/NapaValley/9412/black_puddin2.html) :eek:

Edited to add that maybe this is what was substituted for tomato sauce in the 1390 lasagna recipe? ;)

No I can't, its vile in concept and taste.

As for cakes...we can date that (not as in the fruit of the same name), King Alfred it is claimed burned cakes while worrying about Danes in 877 A.D.

True or not at least there is a small reference there.

There is no mention of icing these cakes, no candles, no cherry on the top, no silver balls. I guess they didn't bother with these seeing as the cakes were ruined.

:)

There is of course the much disputed reference as follows.... "And lo! For, having given to Moses the tablets, and seeing the weight brought forth upon his soul, the lord did offer him a rather dainty cup cake......."

[homunculus]

Wether lasagna was invented in England, I don't know.

But korma definitely was, and balti (actually invented not far from where I live in Warwickshire, in the West Midlands).

In fact what Americans think of as an "Indian takeaway" is really a distinctly British one...

Paul.

[peptoabysmal]

I thought everyone knew lasagna was a Chinese invention!

[Ove]

I thought everyone knew lasagna was a Chinese invention!

Well spagetthi certainly is. Marco Polo brought spagetthi with him back to Italy from Chine.:D

And off course the Pizza was brought to Europe with the vikings. It's true... I saw a Hagar the Horrible strip where he discovered the new world. He was met by some indians and the first thing they offered him was a takeaway pizza.

:dl:

[Dragon]

Originally posted by WildCat
And while we're discussing English cuisine, could one of you Brits please explain the need for Black Pudding? (http://www.geocities.com/NapaValley/9412/black_puddin2.html) :eek:

...

Recipe sounds awful and it's laden with fat - but it is absolutely delicious.
In fact, black pudding is a Celtic dish - with versions all over Europe (as suggested in your link) :- boudin noir in France, blotwürst in Germany and morcilla in Spain. British black pudding has won awards in France, I believe. :p

[peptoabysmal]

Originally posted by Reginald


No I can't, its vile in concept and taste.

As for cakes...we can date that (not as in the fruit of the same name), King Alfred it is claimed burned cakes while worrying about Danes in 877 A.D.

True or not at least there is a small reference there.

There is no mention of icing these cakes, no candles, no cherry on the top, no silver balls. I guess they didn't bother with these seeing as the cakes were ruined.

:)

There is of course the much disputed reference as follows.... "And lo! For, having given to Moses the tablets, and seeing the weight brought forth upon his soul, the lord did offer him a rather dainty cup cake......."

I guess the candles you can't blow out would have been in bad taste to give ol' Alfie.

[UnrepentantSinner]

richardm pointed this out (http://host.randi.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=22852&perpage=40&highlight=lasagna&pagenumber=3) back in July. I still remain skeptical. How do we know that this supposed copy of Forme of Cury won't be found to have been written on Dukes of Hazzard stationary like the now infamous Elvis Diaries?

[Ove]

Recipe sounds awful and it's laden with fat - but it is absolutely delicious.
In fact, black pudding is a Celtic dish - with versions all over Europe (as suggested in your link) :- boudin noir in France, blotwürst in Germany and morcilla in Spain.

And "Blodpølse" in Danish and i second the opinion. It tastes delicious. How do you cook it? WE slice it, fry the slices and eat them sprinkled with sugar (or syrup).:arrow:

[richardm]

Originally posted by Ove


And "Blodpølse" in Danish and i second the opinion. It tastes delicious. How do you cook it? WE slice it, fry the slices and eat them sprinkled with sugar (or syrup).:arrow:

Cooked the same way - but without the addition of the sugar.

[Flo]

Originally posted by Ove


And "Blodpølse" in Danish and i second the opinion. It tastes delicious. How do you cook it? WE slice it, fry the slices and eat them sprinkled with sugar (or syrup).:arrow:


My mom cuts boudin lengthwise, fries it in butter and adds a sliced apple. Serve when the apple is soft. Miam !

Has anyone tried "boudin antillais" ? small balls of black pudding, lots of spice, especially hot chili. Goes down wonderfully with iced " 'ti-punch" .

[Ove]

My mom cuts boudin lengthwise, fries it in butter and adds a sliced apple. Serve when the apple is soft. Miam !

Sounds yummi, thanks for the tip.:clap: :clap:

[Tricky]

It is quite obvious that the tomato is the cause of violence (http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/Midwest/09/02/cornfield.killing.ap/index.html) in our society today. (Well, okay, black pudding can be a weapon too, if you recall the Goodies and the martial art of "icky thump".)
According to the sheriff's department, after the car was struck with tomatoes, the driver stopped, got out and threatened to shoot whoever threw them.
...
About 25 minutes later, the car traveled past the cornfield two more times. On a third pass, the driver stopped and challenged the group to throw more tomatoes, then fired three to five rounds into the cornfield, striking Keim multiple times.

[Dragon]

Originally posted by Ove


And "Blodpølse" in Danish and i second the opinion. It tastes delicious. How do you cook it? WE slice it, fry the slices and eat them sprinkled with sugar (or syrup).:arrow:

As richardm said - no sugar.
Black pudding is also part of a "Full English Breakfast" together with sausage, bacon, fried egg, fried bread, baked beans, mushrooms, tomatoes and perhaps chips or fried potatoes.
This meal has the great redeeming quality of being totally incompatible with any know diet.