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What holidays did your ancestors bring to

C

Cook Chatty Cathy

New member
the shores of America?

I was writting a reply to Gazpacho on another thread about how Americans celebrate many fun activities that our founding father's from various nations handed down to us.....
For instance my ancestors were Irish....St. Patrick's Day
and French......Mardi Gras

Now to turn that into a foodie fun fact I would like to share my favorite Irish Food that we all love in my family is...........Corned Beef, potatoes, cabbage and carrots, and Irish Whiskey m-m-m-m!

Our favorite French food would have to be French Toast!

Can you list your favorite food or meal that came to America via your ancestors?
 
Hmmm, French Toast seems to be more English rooted. The first written mention of the dish comes from the court of Henry V of England (1413–1422). :D

I was thinking perhaps the Hamburger, but goes back to at least the Egyptians and Genghis Khan (1167-1227) apparently was the first to create the "patty". No sense bringing up the Hot Dog, aka Frankfurter. Is nothing strictly American. :D

Ahh, I have one....Chop Suey. Totally and completely American and invented here in 1896. Ahh Ohh, China won't allow that. They have recently stated that it originated in their Toisan region of China. This may lead to war.
 
Honestly my ancestors have been in the country since the mid 1600's and I am considered a mongrel. A bit of everything. Bring it all to the party and I'll enjoy it. The St. Patrick part likes split pea or potato soup. They probably aren't all that Irish but they fit in really nice and since the whiskey is out I sure could use some in my coffee.
 
Dad's people come from Sweden... maybe that's where my draw to Alaska and the chilly north-country, and my love for salmon, caribou and fresh berries comes from!

Don't know where Mom's folks came from, before Arkansas and Mississippi that is...
 
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My ancestry is eclectic.... to say the least...on my Dad's side of the family our ancesters were Vikings,,,my Grandfather was half French and his wife (my Grandmother )was a Full Blooded Cherokee.On my Mom's side we are German and Irish.
We have members of the family who have Black hair and dark complexions and Redheads and Blonds. Out of Seven kids I was the only redhead...two brothers are dark and black hair and two brothers blond and two sister blond...my oldest brother is very into Geneology and had DNA testing done.
 
I have never been much into the family tree thing. I have always been kind of afraid to shake my family tree..never know what may fall out lol. I can tell you who my grandparents are on either side but that is about as far back as I go. Mom and Dad always said we have a lot of native american a little irish and some black dutch in our back ground.
 
I’m in the same boat I’m a true and true Heinz 57 American. A product of the melting pot. On my Mom’s side in English and native American on my Dad’s side is Alsatian (from the time when Germany owned it), English and Native American. I’m sure there is some other stuff in there it’s hard to tell. One day we will just call ourselves Americans.
 
On my Dads side it's all German. They came from the area around Hamburg and there are few records left pre WW II. On Moms side it's Scottish and Irish. Hamilton and MacNeil of Barra on the scottish side and Butler on the Irish side.
 
Homemade sauce, pasta, bread, tiramisu, cappucino, homemade cheeses, wine, baccala, homemade sausage, frittatta, pancetta, mortadella, proscuitto, anchovies, biscotti, olive oil, olives, balsamic vinegar, pomodoro tomatoes torrone, annisette, truffles, pepperoni, soppressata, salami, pepperoncini, risotto, and of course - St. Joseph's Day.
(and concrete shoes! LOL)
 
Every household in Italy - even between sisters, mothers and daughters, grandmothers and mothers, best friends, cousins - has their own "authentic" and "the only right recipe" for everything. they spend more time arguing than anything.

Actually - they are all good. so someone's pinch is a bit bigger, or her sauce cooks a half hour longer or shorter - who cares.

Although - these "family fueds" and competitions do keep them young and it keep their blood pumping.

Never waste in their homes. Never anything stale. Always fresh and good. They knew how to "recycle". They ate all the eggs they want and any foods they wanted and lived forever and were strong and able-bodied till the end.

One of these days I am going to tape myself making pastas and pasta dishes - you can see how some of oldies-but-goodies do things the old country way.
 
I love Italian food but I'm so limited on my knowledge.
I got on recipezzar the other day and they had a whole section dedicated to Italian dishes and I was like OMG I have never heard of most of these. I downloaded a bunch to try. I need to find a good cookbook that just covers hearty Italian dishes. Jon loves Italian food and hiding veggies in tomato sauce is one of the only ways I can get him to eat them.
 
jglass said:
I love Italian food but I'm so limited on my knowledge.
I got on recipezzar the other day and they had a whole section dedicated to Italian dishes and I was like OMG I have never heard of most of these. I downloaded a bunch to try. I need to find a good cookbook that just covers hearty Italian dishes. Jon loves Italian food and hiding veggies in tomato sauce is one of the only ways I can get him to eat them.
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Janie go give me a PM with your mailing address and I will send you an Italian cookbook that I just purchased, I am not really into it that much! Sorry I did not keep your address from last time:( I think you will love it. Not any photos though, but it is chock full of recipes that I just know you & Jon will love!
 
chubbyalaskagriz said:
mama- what "famous" Italian cooks do you like- if any?

Do you like Lidia? Marcella Hazan? Lorenza DeMedici?
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Yes - Lidia is good, Lorenza is good, Mario Batali has done some good recipes on TV, Gaida - I don't like, MaryAnn Esposito is good, the boys (Carrubba's) are good (John and Damian).

There are tons of Italian cookbooks out there - too bad they stink. And I don't go for the morons that are going to write an Italian cookbook, and "tweak" the recipes their way to make them "original".

that is not Italian.......not in my book

I'll stick to my homemade - eye-balling ways - yes I do measure for baking most things - and to be honest with you -

my favorite Italian cookbook is a Tuscan book that lists all the ingredients that are in the recipe but absolutely NO measurements

the sad part - if you want a good Italian cookbook - buy an OLD OLD OLD OLD ONE - these new ones are not worth wiping your hinie with!
 
I agree with Mama as far as Italian food is concerned. To cook Italian food it's basically done to taste and personal preferences. Look at pizza places. It seems that every pizza place has a different tasting pizza and sauce. Everyone makes a different meatball. Just like meatloaf, lol.
I like a fresh tasting sauce with garlic, oregano and basil and hot pepper flakes but my wife prefers her sauce to be less spicy. She would rather dump her sauce from a jar but I can't stand the stuff. Seeing all the different jarred sauces in the store says someone likes it. The last thing I would want is a recipe that produces a sauce Like Ragu or Prego. To make a lasagna or a chicken parm and to end up with a bad sauce would be heart breaking.
I would say to get the idea for a recipe and make it your own. Use the spices, cheeses, cuts of meat ect. that you and your family enjoy. If you want to experiment with sauces that you have never made before then taste, taste and taste again. Usually one knows how much garlic or such they can get away with and everyone else will tolerate and enjoy.

My favorite Italian dish that I love to make is what I think is called a baked Ziti Siciliano. It's a baked Ziti with a layer of egg plant Parmesan between the layers of Ziti and Ricotta.

I'm a big fan of MaryAnn Esposito.
 
holiday: la Vigilia (Christmas Eve)

Hands down, always and still the most revered holiday celebration in my family. We start discussions in August!
 
RE: mama's "MaryAnn Esposito is good" and Cathy's "I'm a big fan of MaryAnn Esposito."


Mary Ann appeals to me too 'cause she's not all glammed-up and just keeps it real.

I do like my Sophia Loren cookbook, though. Whodda thunk one could be a beautiful actress AND a good cook all at once?

Saw a fun piece in a Saveur magazine last year or the year before that was a guy's reflection back on his mama's delicious "homemade" ragu sauce. They were from the old country and she was a working mom. She simmered a big pot of sauce but always started w/ store-bought jars of Ragu that she doctored-up with fresh 'maters, herbs, etc., then she would hide the empty jars in the trash cans out behind the garage before company came over! This guy claimed his mama couldn't hide the jars in the trash in the house 'cause the nosey company would find them! I got a chuckle outta that tale...
 
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