Kayak 47 - They Ate What

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Y MYsterY

They Ate What?

From curry to pizza, from jerk chicken to tabbouleh, Canadians are lucky to have so much choice in what we eat, thanks to the people from all nations who brought their foods here. But in the past, there wasn’t much to choose from. And some of it was pretty icky-sounding. Which of these foods really existed — some of them are still eaten in some parts of the country — and which did we make up?

Kohlbrot

Imagine a hearty rye bread. Now imagine it with bits of cooked cabbage added. Settlers from Germany, Poland, Russia and Ukraine all made variations of this strong-tasting loaf.

Cod Tongues

This is exactly what it sounds like: the tongues from cod fish rolled in flour or cornmeal and fried, often in pork fat, until crispy.

Crêtes de Coq French chefs of long ago would use the bright red comb from a rooster’s head to make a

fancy garnish on a dish they felt needed some colour. It was edible, but very chewy.

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Kayak #47 mar 2014

Black Pudding

Also known as boudin noir, blutwurst and blood pudding, you’re probably getting some idea why this sausage isn’t so popular now.

The ingredients are salt, pepper, onions, oatmeal and, um, pig’s blood.

Turnip Fudge

Yes, it’s an odd-sounding combination, but your grandparents may remember it. The sweet treat was usually made in the winter when fruit was scarce by mixing boiled, mashed turnip with lots of maple sugar, cream and butter.

Pickled Watermelon Rind That’s right — the bit we throw in the compost now was used to make pickles not long ago. The cook added a syrup of salt, sugar, vinegar and spices to chunks of the peeled rinds.

Irish Moss Blanc Mange Illustrations by Anthony Brennan

This dessert made with milk and vanilla sounds more bland than weird . . . until you hear that Irish moss is a kind of seaweed used to thicken the pudding, which was popular in Atlantic Canada.

Kayak #47 mar 2014

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