They Eat That? A Cultural Encyclopedia of Weird and Exotic Food from around the World PDF
Preview They Eat That? A Cultural Encyclopedia of Weird and Exotic Food from around the World
They Eat That? (c) 2012 ABC-Clio. All Rights Reserved. They Eat That? A CULTURAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF WEIRD AND EXOTIC FOOD FROM AROUND THE WORLD Jonathan Deutsch, Editor with Natalya Murakhver, Contributing Editor (c) 2012 ABC-Clio. All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2012 by Jonathan Deutsch and Natalya Murakhver All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data They eat that? : a cultural encyclopedia of weird and exotic food from around the world / Jonathan Deutsch, editor and Natalya Murakhver, contributing editor p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 978-0-313-38058-7 (hardback) — ISBN 978-0-313-38059-4 (ebook) 1. Food habits—Miscellanea—Encyclopedias. 2. Cooking—Miscellanea— Encyclopedias. I. Deutsch, Jonathan. II. Murakhver, Natalya. GT2850.T44 2012 394.1'2003— dc23 2011032630 ISBN: 978-0-313-38058-7 EISBN: 978-0-313-38059-4 16 15 14 13 12 1 2 3 4 5 This book is also available on the World Wide Web as an eBook. Visit www.abc-clio.com for details. ABC-CLIO, LLC 130 Cremona Drive, P.O. Box 1911 Santa Barbara, California 93116-1911 This book is printed on acid-free paper Manufactured in the United States of America The publisher has done its best to make sure the instructions and/or recipes in this book are correct. However, users should apply judgment and experience when preparing recipes, especially parents and teachers working with young people. The publisher accepts no responsibility for the outcome of any recipe included in this volume and assumes no liability for, and is released by readers from, any injury or damage resulting from the strict adherence to, or deviation from, the directions and/or recipes herein. The publisher is not responsible for any reader’s specific health or allergy needs that may require medical supervision, nor for any adverse reactions to the recipes contained in this book. All yields are approximations. (c) 2012 ABC-Clio. All Rights Reserved. Contents List of Entries, vii Preface , ix Introduction , xi Encyclopedia , 1–216 Selected Bibliography, 217 Index, 219 About the Editors, 231 Contributors, 233 v (c) 2012 ABC-Clio. All Rights Reserved. List of Entries Ackee, 1 Civet Coffee (Kopi Luwak), 50 Ankimo, 2 Crawfish, 54 Armadillo, 4 Dog Meat, 57 Aroids, 6 Duck Tongue, 59 Balut (Fertilized Egg), 11 Durian, 61 Bats, 12 Earth, 65 Bear, 14 Eels, 66 Bird’s Nest Soup, 17 Fish Bladder, 69 Bitter Melon, 20 Fish Eyes, 70 Black Chicken, 22 Foie Gras, 71 Blood, 25 Frog, 74 Bone Marrow, 27 Fugu, 76 Brains, 28 Fungi, 79 Brunswick Stew, 31 Goat, 83 Cactus, 33 Haggis, 87 Camel, 34 Hákarl, 91 Cannabis Soda, 36 Head Cheese, 92 Carob Syrup and Caramels, 38 Hormigas Culonas Casu Marzu, 40 (Big-Bottomed Ants), 94 Caterpillars, 41 Horse, 95 Cavy, 43 Huitlacoche, 98 Cephalopods, 44 Human, 100 Chicken Feet, 47 Iguana, 109 Chuños, 49 Insects, 110 vii (c) 2012 ABC-Clio. All Rights Reserved. viii | List of Entries Intestines, 118 Roe and Milts, 162 Isaw (and Other Philippine Salmiakki, 165 Street Food), 120 Scrapple, 166 Kangaroo, 123 Sea Cucumber, 167 Kokoretsi and Mayeritsa, 125 Seal Flippers, 169 Kombucha, 126 Seitan, 171 Kumis/Airag, 127 Sheep’s Eyeballs, 173 Lizard, 129 Shellac, 175 Locusts and Grasshoppers, 130 Silkworm, 175 Loofah (Luffa mill.), 131 Snake, 177 Lotus, 133 Stinky Cheese, 180 Lutefisk, 134 Stinky Tofu, 182 Mannish Water (Goat Head Soup, Ram Sweetbreads, 184 Goat Soup), 137 Testicles, 187 Mopane Worms, 139 1,000-Year Eggs and Other Chinese Natto, 141 Preserved Eggs, 188 Nettles, 142 Tripe, 192 Ortolan, 145 Tulip, 195 Penis, 147 Turtle, 197 Pigeon, 148 Urchin, 203 Pig’s Snout and Tail, 151 Urine, 204 Placenta, Human, 153 Vegemite and Marmite, 207 Poi, 155 Vieux Boulogne, 209 Rabbit and Hare, 157 Walrus Flipper, 211 Rat, 159 Witchetty Grubs, 212 Roadkill, 160 Yamaimo (Mountain Yam), 215 (c) 2012 ABC-Clio. All Rights Reserved. Preface E ating is the most intimate act one commits. Internalizing food as nourishment and pleasure is a great commonality across time and space. Yet it is striking how the content of what is considered palatable or draws disgust varies among people. This notion is what inspired us to develop T hey Eat That? , an homage to the myriad cuisines and dishes one encounters as one travels around the planet, and often, just across the street, as food shrinks the distance between populations. As adventurous food lovers ourselves, we challenged chefs and food writers, food studies students, and scholars to dish up their most bizarre or curious entrees; though to those who eat them, they may just be dinner. From 1,000-year-old eggs to camel to casu marzu, this collection tries not to shock readers (though some entries may be particularly shocking), but rather hook them by introducing fascinating food habits that may be in one’s own backyard or on the other side of the world. Some, like the entry on insects, take an item found everywhere and consider how it is consumed as food by various people, from chocolate-covered ants to roasted grasshoppers to the shellac used in making jelly beans. Others, like Vieux Bologne, a particularly potent cheese, are specific foods from particular regions. The list of entries came through surveying our colleagues on food studies list- servs: “What are some foods that a typical U.S. or Canadian student would find weird?” was the framing question. Those responses that were mentioned multi- ple times, or those of particular interest, became entries in this volume. These re- sponses ranged from everyday foods that we might take for granted (for example, bone marrow, found inside bones, steaks, and chops), unusual cultural preparations like hákarl (fermented shark), foods common worldwide but with somewhat of a gross-out factor to many (eel), and some foods that most would not consider foods (urine, earth). The wonderful thing about the study of food (or the frustrating thing, depending on your perspective) is that it never ends. There will always be a food of which you have never heard, and just when you feel you have mastery of a topic, more and ix (c) 2012 ABC-Clio. All Rights Reserved. x | Preface more new products are introduced to the market. The study of food is a commitment to a lifetime of learning. Similarly, this volume is not intended to be comprehensive but rather reflective of the diversity and complexity of the foods we eat. This book could easily be 10 times larger and still omit important foods. We aim to establish the cultural identity of each entry. Who eats it and how? Foods have individual meanings, and this was our opportunity to examine them. What is this dish’s significance? Is it a food with health associations? What is the historical significance—how did it come to be? When is the dish generally eaten— is it an everyday item or a ceremonial food? Our hope is that you use these teaser entries to become fascinated by the study of food and culture and keep exploring. To that end, each entry has suggestions for further reading. F or those who want to taste these foods, we have included adapted or original recipes where possible. Many of the ingredients may be challenging to find (and certainly not at your local grocery store) but we hope you will not let that deter you! There are a few ways to use this book—it can be read cover-to-cover; it can serve as a reference for projects and papers; it is great to browse for ideas; and you can even challenge yourself to expand your palate by trying a new food every week (though please skip the human entry if you are taking this approach). Finally, the strength of this volume is in its contributors, people thinking, writ- ing, and eating food all over the world, who took time to share their passion for these foods of their own culture or the cultures they love. Our deepest appreciation for their hard work. Bon appetit and let the journey begin! (c) 2012 ABC-Clio. All Rights Reserved. Introduction W hen I teach cooking and food studies courses, I often have students meet one another on the first day of class by conducting a food interview. There is only one rule that students have to observe: every question of the interview must be about food. So a question like, “Where do you live?” would be out of bounds, but “What are your favorite foods?” “What did you have for breakfast today?” or “If you were stranded on a desert island and could only have one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?” are all fair game. The answers are illuminating. Students connect with each other instantly and meaningfully in a way not possible with standard introduction questions like “Where did you go to high school?” or “What’s your major?” Food is a potent medium that opens up so many other issues. Starting with food, students launch into stories about their ethnic heritage, their childhood and family dynamics, gen- der roles and division of labor at home, their neighborhood structure and urban planning, their schedules at school and work, their deep-seated likes and dislikes, health conditions, allergies, nutrition concerns and weight loss goals, finances, bud- gets and career goals, and so much more. The French gastronome Brillat-Savarin quipped, in 1825, “Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are” (often misquoted as “You are what you eat”). He understood the social and cultural power of food well. By far the most fascinating question that comes up in this exercise, though, is, “What are some things you do not eat?” If asking about what we eat can reveal something about ourselves, asking what we do not eat and why we avoid it intro- duces even more deeply held opinions, passions, ideas, and emotions. Religion, cul- ture, nutrition, upbringing, childhood memory, sensory perception, morals, taboo, status, and more are wrapped up in these simple responses to what one would not eat. Who knew that a grasshopper, fermented beans, or a barbecued rib could be so fraught! Further fascinating is that, inevitably, food that is the grossest thing imaginable for one student (perhaps pork for a Muslim student), is the desert is- land food for another. xi (c) 2012 ABC-Clio. All Rights Reserved.
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