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I googled lampreys: Grotesque! The "worst" I've had was oxtail: Much bones and little meat... But it was food, all right...
Oh! That sounds horrible!
We have fresh "Russian salad" in the Balkans where I come from. Not having it here in Norway I got really curious finding it in a store in Spain. Shelf life was amazing. I was to really surprised by the fresh and good taste for something from a box/tin - not refrigerated.Ensaladilla rusa, “Russian salad”
Perhaps not too odd aside from 1) the mysterious name, 2) how something tinned in a can tastes SO wonderful, and 3) why a dish created by a Belgian chef for the Hermitage in Moscow became such a favorite in Spain. It’s basically a creamy tuna salad with vegetables in mayo. The simplicity and low cost are deceptive – the mouthfeel is rich and full of umami, like a fine Italian tonnato sauce. You might be able to find it in small grocers along the Camino Frances next to anchovies, pulpo, and other canned fish, but I’ve struck out on my last attempts. Too bad, I would happily eat it every day if I could.
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Ah, a classic of cocina povera and a classic trap for the greedy. You scoop out the largest looking lump in the communal stew-pot and find it’s laughing at you; as are the rest of your fellow diners.
In Scotland in the 1960s a friend of my mother ran a home for the elderly. She used to make soup every weekend using a sheep's head for the broth. A bit of a surprise for a small child to discover it staring up at him out of the big Belfast sink in the scullery. The old joke was that you should ask the butcher to leave the eyes in so it would see you through the week...
Funny you should mention that, Tincatinker. I was the only lady at the table and the men insisted I scoop the stew first. Let me tell you, there were at least 4-5 rabbit heads in there.
I sampled the imitation version. Yes, I would eat them again.
www.bbc.com
Its the flavour that makes Oxtail special ! First catch thy ox OR practice legging it at the Bull run in Pamplona when it is still attached to its owner
As in, brown sauce? I understand the disappointment. Even the sauce in chippers in Edinburgh was a vast improvement on that, in my student days 1000 years ago... ( salt and sauce? A very strange question to an almost Glaswegian. The vast distance between the two locations covers a range of epicurean differences).
reaction emoji - fully cognizant that 'disgusting' in my book might very well be 'delicious' in someone else's..
Have you ever come across karela (bitter gourd)? Popular in India. Looks like a cross between a cucumber and a hedgehog and tastes like paracetamol tabletsOh. Wait. I am forgetting. Tinned white asparagus. The only vegetable I've ever met that causes me to feel disgust.
Revolting!
As a child my son thought all veggies were 'disgusting'. In his book 'delicious' was McDonalds.
I agree! It's so disgusting I never even tried itTinned white asparagus. The only vegetable I've ever met that causes me to feel disgust.
; looks like it washed up on a beach.
It even looks revolting and reminds me of some baby catcus I once scavenged although flat. I was going to try to fry them like some Mexican recipes show, but I got unseen tiny prickles all over my hands and pockets.Have you ever come across karela (bitter gourd)? Popular in India. Looks like a cross between a cucumber and a hedgehog and tastes like paracetamol tablets
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On some of the southern Caminos and on Gran Canaria you often come across prickly pear (Opuntia). Very confusingly known as tuna in Spanish! The big spines are fairly obvious but it is the tiny glass-like ones that cause the real problems. I've been jabbed by them a couple of times. Extremely hard to remove them as they just snap off below the skin.It even looks revolting and reminds me of some baby catcus I once scavenged although flat. I was going to try to fry them like some Mexican recipes show, but I got unseen tiny prickles all over my hands and pockets.
Agree. Wholeheartedly.looks like it washed up on a beach.
We get it hete all the time. I love it.
I sampled the imitation version. Yes, I would eat them again.
Another one to try if you saved up on the way to Santiago or Fisterra, percebes. I did not try them, didn't save enough en route!
Why baby eels are one of Spain’s most expensive foods
Angulas are astronomically expensive, up to 1,000 euros per kilo, which is strange because they don’t taste of much at all.
Watch Goose Barnacles Being Harvested
Watch a video following four percebeiras, or goose barnacle hunters, as they risk their lives harvesting the delicious crustaceans along the Galician coast.www.finedininglovers.com
I grew up eating ox tail soup regularly in Germany
I also had ox tails when growing up in the US. Trick is to cook it low and slow so the meat falls off the bones. Had a Sunday lunch of ox tails in Pamplona at Meson de la Tortilla.
2015 - lunchtime in Vilar de Mazarife. The little bar was filled with local workmen and pilgrims. When the waitress came for our order, I asked what the workmen were eating as they seemed to be enjoying it. She responded that we wouldn't like it and insisted we order something more "pilgrim". We did but we were curious and kept asking what the workmen were eating. Finally the waitress said she would give us a taste. By then all the locals knew what was going on, and they watched as a small bowl of brownish pieces appeared. My friend and I tasted cautiously and then we smiled. It was pigs tripe, and as we were both Chinese Americans, we were familiar with it and ate the whole bowl - much to the amazement of the locals!
Ditto on the hair. I think I even had some ear wax. And the hand, crunchy cartilage. Thereby becoming [literally] the only food I would NEVER eat again. I really will eat anything and everything else [again].In our hotel in Santiago I ordered some orejas de cerdo, a Spanish delicacy. I normally translate the menu, but not this time. The picture looked good enough. I was served up a plate of pigs ears. I tried a good few before I was put off by the hairy ears.
Um hmm …. while I was on camino, many times I was grateful that I didn’t - still don’t - eat meat.
I cheat here at home and go to a small deli that makes a very nice potato salad, and I add to it good tuna from Portugal or Spain (whatever I've been able to get from my local specialty store most recently), and some frozen carrots. Et voila!Ensaladilla rusa, “Russian salad”
Perhaps not too odd aside from 1) the mysterious name, 2) how something tinned in a can tastes SO wonderful, and 3) why a dish created by a Belgian chef for the Hermitage in Moscow became such a favorite in Spain. It’s basically a creamy tuna salad with vegetables in mayo. The simplicity and low cost are deceptive – the mouthfeel is rich and full of umami, like a fine Italian tonnato sauce. You might be able to find it in small grocers along the Camino Frances next to anchovies, pulpo, and other canned fish, but I’ve struck out on my last attempts. Too bad, I would happily eat it every day if I could.
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De acuerdo! Every couple of months or so I’ll get a hankering for some oxtail soup, especially in the colder months here on the Baja peninsula. My ex-suegra had a tasty recipe for it (from her home state of Guerrero, MX), which she was kind enough to pass on to her gringo son-in-law. I’m not sure where she got the main ingredient from, but I just go to the mercado and buy it ready for the pot. I’ll leave the running and roping to the more nimble and fleet afoot.Its the flavour that makes Oxtail special ! First catch thy ox OR practice legging it at the Bull run in Pamplona when it is still attached to its owner
Samarkand
Off topic, but if you walk in the spring, it has been rather common for me, although never on the pilgrim menu. At one country house, the hospitalera's father greeted us outside with a basket of fresh asparagus he had just cut from the garden. A few hours later was the best revuelto I have ever eaten.
Did you also try the pig cheeks?In our hotel in Santiago I ordered some orejas de cerdo, a Spanish delicacy. I normally translate the menu, but not this time. The picture looked good enough. I was served up a plate of pigs ears. I tried a good few before I was put off by the hairy ears.
There is very little we won't at least try. The Pig and Beef Cheeks are incredible. Someone mentioned Ox tail...don't understand not enjoying that. Percebes are wonderful. We're fortunate enough to have a town butcher that we can enjoy a lot of the same foods although not the same quality but organic in town. We are not crazy about the baby eels... But we tried them.
Anise makes its way into one of the most pleasant discoveries of my first Camino. Patxaran - a Basque liqueur made using sloes, aniseed, sugar and a few coffee beans. Occasionally a few extra tweaks like cinnamon or camomile. Very hard to find it here in the UK so in years when there is a good crop of sloes I make my own. A taste that instantly transports me back to Spain.
I've not had this yet, but my Beloved has had... with cheese and bread one night early on his first camino. Perhaps I will try it this year if I encounter it. Is it as heavy as it appears? could one cut it with plain soda and not cause offence?
Commercial patxaran is usually about 25-30% alcohol by volume. Most often served over ice which dilutes it further anyway. I don't see any reason why you shouldn't have it served any way you like. If younger Basques can drink something as bizarre as kalimotxo by the pint then I think that anything goes!
I had the baby eels in Muxia in an egg scramble and liked them. Possibly mine were the fake ones; I don't remember if it had the black eyes.
Most of the gulas in spain are created from fish meat, a la the "crab legs" often found in US supermarket chiller cases. Sometimes the vendors brag about the high quality of the fish they make their gulas from!
Glochids. Sometimes pouring peroxide over the area helps.
Here in the UK a very traditional dish is "Toad in the Hole". No amphibians are harmed in the making of it. At least not if you make the conventional version. There is also a well known dessert called "Spotted Dick" which sounds like an unfortunate medical condition but usually turns out to be quite pleasant.
My early experience with asparagus was of the tinned variety. When I was young that was all that was available. It was memorable for all the wrong reasons.Squeamish vegetarian here.
So all these posts really make me wish there were a
Not eating meat is a reasionably good protection from surprises like ears tongues, eyes, and teeth - so I can't say I've ever been presented with any strange foods in Spain. Unless you count truckloads of iceberg lettuce. Oh. Wait. I am forgetting. Tinned white asparagus. The only vegetable I've ever met that causes me to feel disgust.
An acquaintance travels to China frequently on business and travels with a local who acts as interpreter, guide and ensures that he follows the correct cultural protocol. They have become good friends. He relies on his Chinese friend when dining with clients, who will give him a subtle signal when served something he might find 'unusual'. At a banquet, his friend was engaged in conversation while Fred ate what looked innocuous. The wide-eyed look he gave Fred told him that he probably are something he wasn't expecting. His friend confirmed after that someone didn't need to take their dog for a walk
Ooh, such a generalization to lead off an otherwise interesting piece of writing, and one with which I generally agree. I don’t know where you hail from Parambulating Griffin, but there are many of us North Americans (from Canada, the United States of America and the United States of México) whose diet is not based on “boxed, packaged and sanitized food”, hugemongous slabs of beef and pork, a dearth of fruits and veggies and few ways to prepare and consume them .
. I think I have some fried and salted crickets or grasshoppers somewhere. How ‘bout some pigs’ feet in escabeche and a cold Pacífico
? And for dessert? A sweet treat that actually originated in Mesoamérica…chocolate.
Had to google that, and honestly? I'd try it at least once. But the wikipedia page had the following:If younger Basques can drink something as bizarre as kalimotxo by the pint then I think that anything goes!
I must just be unlucky. I've walked 7 caminos in the spring - in March, April, and May. On the Camino Francés and less traveled ways. I can count the number of times I've seen fresh asparagus on less than half the fingers of one hand. And no - I rarely eat from rhe pilgrim menu. YMMV is the bottom line.
That may be the answer. Go where it's being grown!
I'm totally with you about sanitized and factory farmed food, @Perambulating Griffin , but at least in my case your hypothesis falls flat. I'm from the US and grew up around all sorts of 'unusual' foods - my parents and friends definitely ate nose to tail. Raw sea urchin right out of the ocean, anyone? Sweetbreads? But from a very young age not (ever) me.
Vegans, perhaps. But I'd eat that in a split second. It looks delicious.
Going with drinks, three things, all wonderful.
I had the baby eels in Muxia in an egg scramble and liked them. Possibly mine were the fake ones; I don't remember if it had the black eyes.
edmondscooking.co.nz
Ooh, such a generalization to lead off an otherwise interesting piece of writing, and one with which I generally agree. I don’t know where you hail from Parambulating Griffin, but there are many of us North Americans (from Canada, the United States of America and the United States of México) whose diet is not based on “boxed, packaged and sanitized food”, hugemongous slabs of beef and pork, a dearth of fruits and veggies and few ways to prepare and consume them .
I’ve lived in México, the northernmost part of the historical and cultural area known as Mesoamerica, for close to thirty years. When I first moved there, just south of Mexico City, I dove head first into the pool of local culinary traditions, and it is one big pool, brah, and I’m still swimming in it. I have never shied away from trying the, oh, let’s call them “exotic” foods. Por lo contrario; a hot bowl of menudo with all the “fixins”? Perfect on that cold winter morning out en el rancho or for that hangover on New Year’s Day; freshly caught iguana en salsa verde, with a side of arroz y frijoles de olla? ¡Por favor! Tacos de cabeza y lengua (beef cheeks and tongue), de pastor con piña asada (sliced spit grilled pork with pineapple) or carne asada con tripa bien crujiente (grilled beef with crunchy tripe pieces)? Bring me one of each to start! Now I live a stone’s throw from the Mar de Cortés, so I haven’t even started on the delicias from the sea or our abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables. But, enough. I’ve gone and made myself hungry
I look forward to trying some of those foods you mentioned and many more when I get on my camino. I promise not to shy away from the different, the strange and the weird. Besides, weird is good. Buen camino, brah
How can you not like oxtail??!! Sure, lots of bones, and fat and meat. Grew up on it.
I agree with much of your enthusiasm, eating being one of our two primary physical pleasures in life, though Spain too has its share of processed food..
So, according to the recipe, the next day you slice it up for lunch. How do you eat it? With a fork? With bread, or on a sandwich? Do you use any condiments? And your preferred beverage with the pig trotters?
Hmm. I’m not a big fan of anchoas, but there’s something about that combo that sez I gotta try it, so on to the list it goes. Thank you for the heads up.
A favourite of mine too.Ensaladilla rusa, “Russian salad”
Perhaps not too odd aside from 1) the mysterious name, 2) how something tinned in a can tastes SO wonderful, and 3) why a dish created by a Belgian chef for the Hermitage in Moscow became such a favorite in Spain. It’s basically a creamy tuna salad with vegetables in mayo. The simplicity and low cost are deceptive – the mouthfeel is rich and full of umami, like a fine Italian tonnato sauce. You might be able to find it in small grocers along the Camino Frances next to anchovies, pulpo, and other canned fish, but I’ve struck out on my last attempts. Too bad, I would happily eat it every day if I could.
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spanishsabores.com
Thanks very much for the info. I can find the anchoas and the very bitter chocolate here in MX, and the cream cheese, of course, but may have to search some for the sweeter tomato jam.
I had to give a ponder to where the hostility about particular kinds of “sausage” meats would come from and that ruled out most of the EU and the North Atlantic Islands. Hostility to seafood… would also rule out most places except — maaaaaayyyyybe — very most Central Europe. The only places in the world in which people are en masse revolted by eating what is available rather than what came in a tidy processed box are places where “choice” is determined by the ubiquity of processed foods and factory farming. It narrows things quite a lot.
Well, I live in N. Am., but am Irish, lived in Dublin fairly recently, and ate coddle plenty, both out at restaurants and at home. Frankly, as a junior professional when I was living there, I could not afford beef at all, rarely the whole cuts of pork or lamb, and had roast lamb only when visiting family. I grant that it’s an economic thing, but not at all out-moded. My friends all ate it fairly regularly as well, usually on Thursdays as a matter of tradition, and some of those friends are barely into their 40’s now.
Well, it's a shame there are so many airmiles on them, but this is what I saw when shopping this morning...
Possibly, yes. I can think of 2 colleagues who liked to rib each other quite a bit about this Whilst I would enjoy my coddle and they would have a friendly feud about being from here or there. The irony at the time was that the only affordable bedsit I could find was neither here nor there in particular, being in Cabinteely.Witthout meaning any offence, nor getting remotely political, perhaps a bit of a north(Dub)south divide on it too, like many things..
Peru?! Besides the distance, It's autumn in Peru. How the heck do they force asparagus to do that?
I think you have a point here.
Ensaladilla rusa, “Russian salad”
Perhaps not too odd aside from 1) the mysterious name, 2) how something tinned in a can tastes SO wonderful, and 3) why a dish created by a Belgian chef for the Hermitage in Moscow became such a favorite in Spain. It’s basically a creamy tuna salad with vegetables in mayo. The simplicity and low cost are deceptive – the mouthfeel is rich and full of umami, like a fine Italian tonnato sauce. You might be able to find it in small grocers along the Camino Frances next to anchovies, pulpo, and other canned fish, but I’ve struck out on my last attempts. Too bad, I would happily eat it every day if I could.
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I am not totally sure how did the "Spanish" ensalada rusa got tuna in it but as a former USSR citizen I can assure you that it is nowhere to be found in any "Slavic" (Russian, Ukrainian, Byelorussian) kitchen.
Commercial patxaran is usually about 25-30% alcohol by volume. Most often served over ice which dilutes it further anyway. I don't see any reason why you shouldn't have it served any way you like. If younger Basques can drink something as bizarre as kalimotxo by the pint then I think that anything goes!
It sure did - Raja IS skate
Yeah, the Balkan version also has no tuna in it - it's ham or chicken. I am not sure about the box I ate in Spain - what was in it
It just gave me some nostalgic vibes.
“Raya” perhaps? Among other things, I believe “raja” means “butt crack”.It sure did - Raja IS skate
“Angulas” are the real baby eels and VERY expensive, a delicacy. Most of what is found on a regular menu looks similar and the name is similar, too, just missing the first syllable. “Gulas” are imitation baby del made from the white fish pollock, just like surimi/crab stick (imitation crab meat). I’m still not a fan but at least there are not a bunch of little eyes looking up at me. I’ve seen them served on bread as tapas in and around León.
“Raya” perhaps? Among other things, I believe “raja” means “butt crack”.
Oxtail soup was a staple in Australia when I was young. I think it was one of those things from the Depression or WW2. It's actually not bad. It will probably become trendy, like many other things eg lamb shanks, beef cheeks, Osso bucco, brisket etc.
In South Carolina it's simply called tea (to distinguish it from hot tea) and most restaurants do free refills and even give you some in a "to go" cup for free at the end of the meal.
I'd imagine that most of not all cuts marketed as ox tail would be from beef cattle.
Depends, some people would use their hands, others a fork or a twig off a lemon tree. The traditional picture is to sit and eat/drink under the shade of a giant lemon tree with puha (a type of water cress), boiled kumara (sweet potato) and a 2.26ltr (half imperial gallon) container of warmish beer on a hot Sunday afternoon with friends.
Following with this if you see "chuleton de buey 20€", ox T-bone steak 20 €. It is not buey for sure. It is vaca (cow).
(photo). In the US mine is always served filleted and no worry about choking on a tiny bone. I'm sure higher end restaurants serve fish without bones. My yummy alternative choice often times was calamari/chiperones, especially the little ones. They could be ordered fried or in various sauces.
New Zealand sounds better and better all the time.
Not necessarily. Many high end recipes call for the whole fish to be used.
Not uncommon. Boning a fish in one fell swoop is a skill that is easier than you might imagine.
www.stlmag.com
I'm not a beer drinker, but my OH puts an ice cube in his beer if it gets warmish before he finishes; especially nice if the glass has been chilled beforehand. In the summer I switch from red wine to chilled white and ask for ice cubes on the side, but I've "birdwalked" away from the strange food topic.
I assume some fish are easier to de-bone than others. If I asked a waiter to do that for me in a mediocre restaurant at the table, I'd be sure to add on a heftier tip, unless he mangled the fish like I'd be certain to do. I'll check out that video for "next time".Not uncommon. Boning a fish in one fell swoop is a skill that is easier than you might imagine.
Here you go:
There are YouTube tuorials, too...Ask George: How hard is it to debone a whole, cooked fish at the table and should I even attempt it?
Every Friday, dining editor George Mahe answers a culinary query.
(I rememver as a teenager being mortified when my mother asked a waiter to debone her fish. And shocked when he did, without blinking an eye. That was too long ago for words but I wonder...in a good restaurant, do people still do this for surprused diners?)
Maybe I'll be a "do it yourselfer".
Spain has very little beef. Most red cow meat is veal, aka "ternera." There's not enough grazing here to raise beef cattle, so the only cows who grow to adulthood are milk cows and the rare breeding bull, or "toros bravos" kept alive for the bullring. When you get "carne de res," burger meat, or whatever passes as oxen, it is most likely the meat of a milk cow that outlived her milk-giving days and was sent off for slaughter.
I have a niece who gave up eating chicken in the US for similar reasons.
My wife gave up on pork after watching some videos that showed butchering a pig and she realized that they DO look like humans inside. I jokingly refer to that fact that "she converted to an Orthodox Judaism"
What?
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