Tartiflette Potato Casserole From Savoy

I came across this dish quite by accident, but it is well worth fixing. The dish from the Savoy region of France (French: Savoie, pronounced as if, "sahv-wah"). It is a mountainous area, with historical connections to Italy and to Switzerland. The dish is really pretty simple to make. I have no idea what reblochon cheese tastes like, but I checked around and found others who used either Camembert or brie as substitutes. Reblochon is banned from import into the United States, because it is made from raw milk. This is not a low fat dish, but in order to cut some of the fat, you could use low fat sour cream and omit the butter. I sent a copy of the recipe to my doctor, but he didn't answer, because they had to keep him overnight in the hospital. Hm, wonder what that's about?

Ingredients:

2 1/2 pounds potatoes, in their jackets (skins)
2/3 pound slab bacon, cut into 1 inch x 1/2 inch strips 
1 large onion, chopped
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 pound reblochon cheese (substitute Camembert or Brie), cut into bite sized pieces, rind on
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 to 1/3 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons butter
butter or oil to grease dish

Simmer the potatoes in lightly salted water until fork/knife tender, but not mushy (about 15 to 20 minutes, but remember, the potatoes will be in the oven, so if they are a little firm, that's okay, and likely even better). Drain and let cool a bit, then peel and cut into 1/4 inch slices. In a skillet over medium heat, add the bacon strips. Cook until just starting to brown. Pour off all but about 1 1/2 tablespoons bacon fat. Add chopped onion, the salt and the pepper. Cook until onion begins to brown; this will take a few minutes. Add the wine and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the skillet. Cook until much of the liquid cooks off. Butter a baking dish and then cover the bottom with potato slices. Put the onion mixture over the layer of potatoes and spread it around to even it out. Place the remaining potato slices over the onion mixture, then spoon on the sour cream and spread it over the top potato layer. Now place the cheese pieces on top and spread some pieces of butter around on top also. Bake in a 350 F degree oven for 30 minutes, then turn the heat up to 450 F and bake for 15 more minutes. This should give the dish a little browning. 

With some asparagus ....

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WORD HISTORY:
Slow-While certainly a common word, the ultimate origin of "slow" is unknown, and tracking down its relatives is a task. It goes back to Old Germanic "slaiwaz/slæwaz," which meant, "dull;" thus also, "blunt;" thus also, "sluggish." Perhaps too, the secondary meaning of, "mentally sluggish, not alert or sharp." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "slaw" (long 'a'), meaning, "sluggish, lazy (obviously connected to "dull")." A verb form, "sláwian," meant, "to be sluggish;" thus, "slow." Another verb form, "asláwian," meant, "to become dull, sluggish." The adjective form then became "slow" circa 1200, and the meaning of, "sluggish, lateness;" thus, "being slow" moved to the fore, where it has been ever since. Some other forms in Germanic languages: Low German Saxon has "slee," meaning, "dull;" Danish "sløv," meaning, "blunt, dull;" Swedish "slö," meaning, "dull, sluggish, lazy;" Icelandic "sljór," meaning, "dimwitted, dull." German once had "sleo/sle," meaning, "dull, blunt, worn out." 

Sri Lankan Chicken Curry

"Sri Lanka" is an island country off the southeastern coast of India. It was long known as "Ceylon," the English rendering of Portuguese "Ceilão," the name used by the Portuguese from the 1500s, when Portugal first became involved with the island (the Portuguese "partially" ruled the island for nearly 200 years). Naturally there are many Indian influences on Sri Lankan food, but the Dutch also had an impact on Sri Lankan cooking, and, like the Portuguese, the Dutch were involved in Sri Lanka, and had some "partial" governance there for about 150 years (mid 1600s until nearly 1800). The British became involved in Ceylon from the 1790s, a relationship which also included governance, which ended in 1948. Ceylon tea is world famous, but believe it or not, it was the British who started the tea industry on the island. Today there are hundreds of thousands of Sri Lankans employed in some way in the tea industry. Ceylon gained independence in 1948, but it wasn't until 1972 that the nation's name was changed to "Sri Lanka," a term from Sanskrit and Sinhalese, both languages from Indo Aryan, a subdivision of the Indo Iranian branch of the Indo European language family. English is also an Indo European language, but from the Germanic branch.    
 
I know this recipe has an intimidating list of ingredients, but most are spices common in the cooking of the Indian subcontinent.* It's likely that curry leaves will be hard to find, unless you live in an area with people from southern Asia (like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand or Indonesia, all areas where curry leaves are commonly used). You can use the lime zest (peel) of one lime and a few basil leaves as a substitute, but it will not be exactly the same. If you have access to curry leaves, please give them a try.  

Ingredients:

2 1/2 to 3 pounds chicken pieces 
3 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter)** or vegetable oil
8 to 10 curry leaves (or zest of 1 lime and 4 basil leaves torn in half)
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or Indian chili powder)
3 chilies, whole, split open
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground fenugreek
2/3 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1/2 ground fennel seed
15 grape tomatoes, halved
1  2 to 3 inch cinnamon stick
2 tablespoons lemon zest
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2/3 cup coconut milk

In a large skillet (with a lid) or a sauce pan (with lid), heat the oil or ghee over medium heat. Add the curry leaves and cook for about two minutes,*** then add the onion, ginger and chilies. Cook until the onion begins to brown. Stir in the cayenne pepper, turmeric, garlic, ground cumin, coriander, paprika, fenugreek, salt, ground fennel, vinegar, cinnamon stick, grape tomatoes, lemon zest and lemon juice. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes, then add the chicken pieces and turn to coat them with the mixture. Cover and cook until the chicken is tender (between 45 to 60 minutes; if using basil leaves, add them at about the 35 minute mark of cooking). Remove lid and put heat on very low. Gradually add and mix in the coconut milk, being careful not to let the mixture boil. Serve with rice. 

* I did a two part series on spices of the Indian subcontinent, so if you're interested, these are the links:

http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2017/12/great-spices-and-herbs-of-india.html

http//pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2017/12/great-spices-and-herbs-of-india_10.html

**  "Clarified butter" (usually called "ghee" on the Indian Subcontinent) is butter with the milk solids removed; thus, the remaining butterfat can be heated to a higher temperature than regular butter without burning.

*** If using lime zest, add it with the onion, chilies and ginger. You can then add the basil leaves near the end of cooking (see instructions).

Served with rice and naan bread ... (Click on photo to enlarge)

WORD HISTORY: 
Poultry-This word, distantly related to "foal," an original English word from Germanic, goes back to Indo European "pawlh," which meant, "young or small animal." This gave Latin "pullus," which meant, "chick, young bird." This passed into Latin-based Old French as "poulet" (young bird, chicken) and this expanded to "pouleterie" (Norman dialect pouletrie?), meaning, "domestic birds raised for their eggs and meat." This was borrowed into English in the second half of the 1300s, and the meaning transferred over to the meat of the birds, as well.   

Rosemary Potatoes

Two new pictures added and some slight text editing 6-30-22 

"Rosemary Potatoes" are fairly common in Germany and Austria (in German they are "Rosmarinkartoffeln"), maybe too in the other German speaking areas of Europe. There are many variations in recipes, most of which call for the skins to be removed from the potatoes. I choose to leave the skins on and to coat the cut sides of the potato halves with breadcrumbs, and the potato halves are then fried until nicely browned. The seasonings are added later in the cooking process to prevent burning. I love both garlic and rosemary, so these potatoes are a favorite of mine.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds small red potatoes
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt (according to your taste)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons chopped rosemary
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
fine breadcrumbs (see in instructions below)

Put potatoes into a pan with sufficient water to cover them. Simmer potatoes until softened, but not mushy. Drain and let the potatoes dry and cool a bit. In the meantime, heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cut the potatoes in half and put them, cut side down, into a plate or bowl with bread crumbs. Put the potatoes into the heated oil in the skillet, breadcrumb side down. Let the breadcrumbs brown lightly, turn them over and then add dabs of butter to the skillet, let it melt. Scatter the garlic and chopped rosemary into the potatoes. Reduce heat slightly. Add the salt and pepper and let cook just a minute or so longer, stirring the garlic and rosemary around to prevent burning and to mix the rosemary and garlic flavors into the butter/oil to season it.

WORD HISTORY:
Morning-This word goes back to Indo European "merek/merk," which had the notion, "to flicker, to sparkle." This gave its Old Germanic offspring, "murganaz," which meant, "morning," in the sense, "beginning of daylight, time around sunrise," but also, "tomorrow," from the idea of, "the next sunrise." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "morgen," with the same general meanings. The "g" sound died out in English, which left the contracted form, "morn." This was then given the "ing" suffix, but English is the only Germanic language to have added this suffix. "We awake and say, 'Good morning.' " Just to show the close relationship of English with German, the West Germanic cousin of English, here is the same sentence in standard German: "Wir erwaken und sagen, 'Guten Morgen.' " ("Say" once also had a "g," as its German cousin still does.) The other Germanic languages have: German "Morgen," Low German Saxon "Morgen," West Frisian "moarn," Dutch "morgen," Danish "morgen," Icelandic "morgunn," Norwegian "morgen," Swedish "morgon." 

What's In A Name: Ethan, Sophia, Sophie

Ethan-This male name goes back to transliterated Hebrew "Eitan," which meant "strong, firm." It was taken into Latin (about 500 AD?). Its popularity in English speaking countries has been limited until more recent decades, especially in the United States, Canada and Australia, but Scotland, England and Wales aren't far behind.

Sophia/Sophie-This female name goes back to transliterated Greek for "wisdom." The daughter of King James I of England was given the name "Sophia," but the child died in infancy. His  granddaughter was also named "Sophia" ("Sophie" in German), and she was born the "Princess of the Palatinate" in Germany, and she became the wife of the "Elector of Hanover." Later, her son became King George I of Great Britain and Ireland. "Catherine the Great," the famous tsarina, was actually born a German princess, Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbt." In more recent years, the name has increased in popularity in the United States and Canada, as well as in parts of the United Kingdom.  

I consulted the following, so for more information on any of the names see, 1) "A World Of Baby Names" by Teresa Norman, published by Perigee/Penguin Group, New York, 2003. 2) "A Greek-English Lexicon," by Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, Roderick McKenzie, and Eric Arthur Barber, published by Oxford/Clarendon Press, 1940. 3) Behindthename.com

WORD HISTORY:
Candor-This word, related to "candle," goes back to Indo European "kand," which had the meaning, "to glow, to shine brightly." This gave Latin "candere," meaning, "to shine brightly," but also, "to glow white." This produced the Latin noun, "candor," meaning, "brilliant whiteness;" and figuratively, "purity;" thus also, "honest in speech, open in mind." English borrowed the word in the early 1500s, initially with the "brilliant whiteness" meaning, but the "honest in speech, open in mind" meaning was taken about 100 years later.       

Venezuelan Arepas

Unlike Colombian arepas,* the Venezuelan arepas (pronounced as if, "ah-ray-pahs") are commonly used as a kind of sandwich, filled with any number of fillings, like cheese, black beans or Venezuelan shredded beef.** "Typically," they are made with white arepa flour,*** but I have the yellow arepa flour, so that's what I used. Some Venezuelans grill the arepas, which can give the arepas some blackened spots on them. Others use a griddle to fry the arepas, while still others fry them in a skillet, which is what I did. The cakes will crisp on the outside, but may not completely cook through, so I chose to finish them in the oven, which is also called for in some Venezuelan recipes I read, and they only need about 10 minutes in the oven.     

Ingredients:

2 cups white or yellow arepa flour
2 cups warm water
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon corn or canola oil
enough butter and oil (corn, canola or olive, but not extra virgin olive oil) mixture to make a little more than a coating on the bottom of the skillet (the oil helps to keep the butter from easily burning)
pats of butter for serving
filling of your choice 

Gradually stir the arepa flour into the warm water (with the salt added), mix well and let the dough sit for about 10 to 12 minutes. By that time, the dough should have a good consistency for shaping into rounded cakes about 4 to 5 inches in diameter and 1/2 inch thick. Over medium heat, melt the butter in the oil in a large skillet (cast iron is good, but not really necessary). Fry the cakes on both sides until they are golden brown, about 6 minutes on each side. The outside of the cakes will be crisp. Put the fried cakes onto a baking sheet and bake in the oven at 350 F for about 10 minutes. After the cakes cool slightly, you can slice the cakes in half (use a serrated knife), or you can slice through the cakes, but not clear through the cakes, leaving one side to act as a "hinge" (like a clam or an oyster). Add a small pat of butter and "close" the arepas to let the butter melt. Gently open the cakes and add some filling of your choice. 

* For my article on Colombian arepas, this is the link:  http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2018/03/colombian-arepas.html

** For the shredded beef or black beans, here is the link to my article with those recipes: http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2017/05/venezuelan-creole-pavilion.html

*** Arepa flour, which comes in yellow or white, is made from ground, precooked corn meal, and from my readings, people from Venezuela and Colombia adamantly insist there is NO substitute for it. You can find arepa flour in many Latino markets or in some supermarkets (check the Latino food section), and it is available online, but if you have masa harina or polenta/cornmeal, you can use it, but it will not be quite as genuine. Arepa flour is precooked, a bit starchier (because of the way it is processed), and it is finely ground, more so than the aforementioned products, and the cakes come out with a crunchy outside, but a soft and smooth inside.

I deliberately overfilled this arepa for this photo. This is filled with Venezuelan shredded beef. The red pieces are red bell pepper. You can see the browned top of the arepa. 

WORD HISTORY: 
Condor-This word for large types of vultures from the Andes Mountains of South America and from the western United States, primarily California, goes back to Quechua^ "kuntur," the name for the large bird. This was taken by Spanish as "cóndor," and this was borrowed by English (through North American colonists) in the early years of the 1600s.

^ Quechua, pronounced as if, "ketch-oo-wah" (some also say, "ketch-wah"), is a language family in South America best known as the language of the Incas.   

Memories: Am Hauptbahnhof Frankfurt

"Am Hauptbahnhof Frankfurt" means, "at the main train station Frankfurt," and it is located in the heart of Frankfurt. The sign with the big blue "U" in the photo below is for the "U-Bahn;" that is, the "Untergrundbahn" (underground railway, subway). *

The "Dippegucker Restaurant Am Bahnhof" was a longtime favorite of mine. They had "Hannen Alt Bier" as one of their beers on tap, and that in and of itself was enough to make me a good customer. I was sad to learn that it closed a few years ago, although I believe their second restaurant in Frankfurt, near the Eschenheimer Turm,** is still open. I have so many good memories of this restaurant right across from the main train station, by Münchener Straße. It tended to be a busy place, and the area around the train station had much hustle and bustle, as rail travel in Germany, and in Europe in general, is very popular and economical. One of the waiters at the Dippegucker was from France (Paris, I believe?), but unfortunately I now cannot recall his name. Then there were two delightful waitresses, as well as a couple of guys with the kitchen staff. They came to know me, and when I returned to Germany one time, after maybe a two year absence, they all said how they had missed me (hey, I've got some people fooled, so shhhhh, don't tell). I would guess in May or June of 1989, just months from the "Wall" coming down, of which there was absolutely no inkling, at that time, I was leaving the next day, and the whole staff came out and had drinks (shots) with me and wished me a safe trip home. It may have been Jägermeister, which was popular back then, but I just forget, except that it was free. Hey, I told you I missed the place! They were near to closing time, so they were not neglecting customers. If any of those people happen to read this, I think they may remember this and I hope all is well with you!

 

This is the KoreaHaus Restaurant (below), which was also located across from the Hauptbahnhof, but at TaunusStraße. I may be wrong, but I think it was called the "Pan Asia Restaurant" in the earlier 1980s? I'm not sure when I took this picture, but perhaps in the late 1980s. Very good food and super nice people. One time many years ago, I had come down with a cold and two of the staff made such a fuss over me, I was tempted to tell them I had a cold the next time too. Haha, just joking! Ahhchoo! Online sources say the restaurant is permanently closed.

The top of the Hauptbahnhof in Frankfurt can be seen over the streetcar with the Jägermeister ad. 

  
  

* German is famous for stringing words together into super words, and "Untergrundbahn" is a good example. Its three parts all have relatives in English: "under," "ground" and "bane." The first two mean exactly the same as their German relatives, but the third needs explanation, which is in this link, as I did the word history for the compound "Autobahn" in this article: http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2011/07/german-question-part-one-hundred-twenty_28.html 

** The "Eschenheimer Turm" is a castle-like tower that was built as part of the protective wall around Frankfurt in the Middle Ages. 

WORD HISTORY:
Shed-English has more than one word of this spelling, but this is the verb meaning, "to part with, to give up something, to give off something (often skin, shell, horns or hair), to get rid of something." It goes back to Indo European "skei(t)," which had the notion, "to cut, to cut off, to separate (from)." This gave its Old Germanic offspring, "skaithanan," which meant, "to divide, to separate." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "sceadan," meaning, "to separate;'' thus also, "to distinguish (between, from);" thus, "to decide" (that is, "to separate and distinguish one idea from another") and "to give up something or to give off." This later became "scheden," then "sheden," before the modern version. Relatives in the other Germanic languages: German has "scheiden," meaning, "separate (including 'divorce'), divide, distinguish (between, from), to leave/move away;" Low German Saxon "scheden," meaning, "separate, divide;" Dutch "scheiden," meaning, "separate, divide, divorce, part from or disconnect;" West Frisian "ôfskiede," meaning, "separate, divide, part (with, from) and also, "skiede," meaning "divorce." Danish, Icelandic, Norwegian and Swedish do not use forms of the word.

Apple Dumplings Of Another Kind

This is not the traditional recipe for apple dumplings, which are cored apples, seasoned with spices and butter and then wrapped up in dough and baked. These dumplings are more of what many people think of AS dumplings, being a dough cooked in boiling water. Apples are generally mild tasting, so using a lot of spices can really overwhelm their flavor. I used some apple juice as the basis for a sauce, or sort of icing, as the topping for the dumplings. I just used a small pinch of cinnamon to dust each serving. The basic recipe for the dumplings themselves comes from Germany, with my adjustments, and the Germans often serve them with a red wine based sauce.

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons sugar
grated peel of one lemon
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup milk
1 large apple finely chopped (I chose not to peel the apple, but you most certainly can do so)
1/2 cup apple juice or apple cider
2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar (depending upon desired thickness)
cinnamon for dusting

Beat together the butter and sugar. Mix in the lemon peel and eggs. Mix the baking powder into the flour, add the milk and mix with the lemon peel/egg to form a dough. Mix in the finely chopped apple. Drop tablespoon size amounts of dough into a pot of lightly salted simmering water. The dumplings will float after a short time, but let them cook for a total of about 5 minutes thereafter, using a long spoon to make sure none of the dumplings stick to the bottom of the pan, and to make sure the dumplings are turned a couple of times during the cooking time. Remove dumplings with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. For the icing/sauce: mix 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar into the apple juice. Mix in more sugar depending upon how thick you want the sauce. Spoon some sauce over each serving of dumplings and dust very lightly with cinnamon.

WORD HISTORY:
Thirst-This word, distantly related to "terra" (ground, land), a word of Latin derivation borrowed by English, goes back to Indo European "ters," which had the notion, "to dry, to become dry." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "þurstu" ^ (equals modern, "thurstu"), meaning, "dryness in the throat;" thus, "thirst." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "þurst" (="thurst"), which then became "thurst," before the modern version. The verb form in Old English was "þyrstan" ("to thirst"), and it also had the figurative meaning, "to strongly desire," a meaning that has continued to this day. Relatives in the other Germanic languages (nouns): German has "Durst," Low German Saxon "Dörst," ^^ West Frisian "toarst," Dutch "dorst,'' Danish "tørst," Icelandic "þorsti" (not to be confused with their word for "thirsty," which is, "þyrstur"), Norwegian "tørst," Swedish "törst."

^ The 'þ' is called a "thorn," an old letter/symbol in the English alphabet, as well as some other alphabets in Germanic languages, as it came from the old Germanic runes, the letters/symbols used by the Germanic tribes for their writings. It is still used by Icelandic (see above in words related to "thirst"). It is written as "th" in modern English. 

^^ Once spelled exactly as its English cousin, "thurst," in the Middle Ages.

The Normans & The English Language

When the Normans* invaded England, the process of incorporating hundreds of Norman French words into English started. Many, but certainly not all, of our more complex terms come from Norman French (some were also borrowed later from "continental" French), but nearly all of our most commonly used words are still from Old English; that is, Anglo-Saxon. It has been said "by some," that when Winston Churchill gave his famous defiant speech against the Nazis in 1940, he deliberately used "almost" all words derived from Old English in the part about, "We shall fight on the beaches," etc. Anyway, the French dialect carried to England by the Normans is commonly referred to as "Anglo-Norman," rather than as "French."

The victory of William, Duke of Normandy, over the English brought about a natural change to the ruling structure of England, as William, then as king and known as King William I, ruled with Norman officials, as English nobles were removed from such positions; that is, those English nobles who were not killed. The site of William's major victory over the English near Hastings, in southeastern England, was given a Norman French name, "Battle," a word which became part of the English language, but which also showed how English was under pressure from words imported by the Normans. William ordered the building of an abbey at the battlefield location as a memorial to the dead there, and to comply with the Pope's admonishment for the Normans having killed so many people to complete their takeover of England. This takeover went on for a few years and the Normans literally laid waste to large areas of England. Many English people were slain, while others died from disease or starvation as a result of the destruction of their farms and towns. The abbey was not completed until after William had died, but it is still in existence. While set more than a century later, the book and the movie "Ivanhoe" does convey the very contentious relationship between the  the Norman rulers and their English subjects.** Some of this animosity is also shown in the film, "Becket," which covers the historical feud between the Christian church, represented in England by Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and King Henry II, the great grandson of William the Conqueror.***   

The Normans brought something else to England... the castle (Norman French: "castel"). In order to administer the country, the Normans built numerous castles to also provide some sense of safety from the still hostile English population. "Castle" was another word imported into the English language and it also was used to describe fortified towns. Words having to do with Norman nobles and rule came into English: "baron," "duke" and "govern." Likewise, some words of a military nature also were taken into English from the Normans: "archer" (although the English synonym "bowman" survives to this day), "soldier" (from Norman French "soudeour/soudier," although its spelling with the "l" was directly influenced by Latin), "army" (French: armée).

As part of their rule in England, the legal system showed the tremendous influence of Norman French upon the English language, with such basic words as "justice" and "judge" being borrowed into English, but there were many more, although some of the words may have been borrowed more directly from Latin, with reinforcement from Norman French, as Latin was also used in legal proceedings in England by the Normans. The word "legal" itself was borrowed by English (Old French "légal"). 

Last, but not least, there was the Norman influence on words about food. English retained many of its words for kinds of animals, but the Normans brought their own terms for the animals when used for food: modern English forms of the words: "cow, pig/swine, deer, calf, chicken, sheep," and the Norman terms for the food products: "beef, pork, venison, veal, poultry, mutton." 

*The Normans were originally North Germanic speakers, being what most folks commonly refer to as Vikings. They sailed up the rivers along the Atlantic coast, raiding inland, even near Paris. The Frankish (see note at end of this paragraph) king, in an effort to stop the raids, gave these folks land in the northwestern part of his kingdom. The people called the raiders "Northmen," as they came from Scandinavia, and the term stuck, although it was contracted into "Normans," and the area given to them by the king came to be called "Normandy." They quickly adapted to the local (majority) population, as their children and grandchildren grew up speaking the local dialect of "French," which was somewhat different from the French dialect of the Paris region. NOTE: The Franks were a large Germanic tribe, probably formed by the inclusion of many smaller Germanic tribes. The main elements of the Franks conquered much of Gaul, eventually giving their own name to the territory, “France,” and to the people and language, “French.” Interestingly in German, the word for France is “Frankreich;” that is, “empire of the Franks.” Gaul (named after the Celtic people, “the Gauls”) had been a Roman province for centuries by the time the Franks arrived, and the population spoke various dialects of Latin. Ever so gradually over a few centuries, the conquerors became the conquered, so to speak, as the Frankish language essentially was absorbed into the existing and more widespread Latin dialects. Frankish, however, did give many words to the “new” French language before it disappeared as a truly separate language in that area.

** This is the link to my article about "Ivanhoe:" http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2017/02/ivanhoe-robert-taylor-in-title-role.html  

*** "Ivanhoe" is set in the time of King Richard I, the son of Henry II. 

**** French is a Latin-based language, with a number of Germanic influences, including some vocabulary, primarily from its namesake language, Frankish, a Germanic language that was absorbed into the Latin dialects of the area we now call France (named after the Franks) in the time leading up to the Norman Invasion. A good number of German dialects today trace their heritage back to Frankish, including the dialect of Lorraine (Lothringisch), Luxembourg (Lëtzebuergesch), the Nuremberg area (the area is called "Franken" and the dialect is "Fränkisch") and several others. Not only these dialects, but the Dutch language comes from Frankish.

WORD HISTORY:
Manor-This word, related to "mansion" (a Latin-derived word borrowed from French), goes back to Indo European "men," which had the meaning, "to stay," also in the sense, "dwell." This gave Latin "manere," meaning, "to stay, to dwell." This passed into Latin-based Old French as "maneir," which then became "manoir," and both forms retained the Latin meaning. "Manoir" also became a noun meaning, "dwelling place, home," but also later, "main home of a lord or noble on his property holdings." This was carried to England by the Normans in their dialect as "maner," and it was borrowed into English in the second half of the 1200s. 

The Former Confederacy & Modern American Politics, Part Twenty-Five

The Republican election victory of 1994 was propelled to some extent by what the GOP called, "The Contract With America," a statement of ideas the Republicans promised to vote on in the House of Representatives, if voters made them the majority party in the House. The ideas all had varying degrees of majority support in polls conducted by Republican congressional leaders, primarily Newt Gingrich of Georgia and Dick Armey of Texas. Some of the major proposals were: to require a balanced federal budget, unless approved by a two-thirds vote of both houses of Congress; major reform to welfare programs; anti-crime legislation to provide money to states and local communities for law enforcement and to provide for the building of prisons; proposals to give tax credits for children, to reform parts of the legal system and to cut the number of committees in the House of Representatives.

The new Republican controlled House of Representatives elected Newt Gingrich of Georgia as Speaker of the House. Gingrich had been born in Pennsylvania and even lived in Europe for a time, before his family moved to Georgia when he was in high school. Dick Armey of Texas was chosen by Republicans as their majority leader in the House. Like Gingrich, Armey was not an original Southerner, as he had been born and raised in North Dakota, and he eventually moved to Texas when he was in his mid 20s. Tom Delay of Texas was elected as the House Majority Whip. Delay was born in Texas, but he spent a number of his childhood years in Venezuela, where his father was employed in the oil industry. He returned to Texas for much of his teenage education and beyond.  

So now came the election of 1996, as Bill Clinton ran for reelection. *

* For some of the lead-up to the election, here is the link to another article I did covering that general time period. I will do a more detailed view of the election and the former Confederate states'  involvement in my next article in this series: http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2012/11/its-about-coalitions-not-purity-part_28.html 

WORD HISTORY:
Core-This word is related to "cardio," a prefix form borrowed by English from Latin, which had borrowed it from Greek. It goes back to Indo European "ker(d)," which meant, "heart." This gave its Old Italic offspring "kor(d)," which then passed to Latin as "cor." This passed to Latin-based Old French as "coeur" (Norman dialect "cuer?"), which continued the meaning, "heart," but also "center, middle," often used of some fruits and vegetables, especially apples. English borrowed the word circa 1400.

Colombian Arepas

"Arepas," pronounced as if, "ah-ray-pahs," are a type of corn flour cake common in Colombia and Venezuela. Each country has its own style of arepa, and the people of each country defend their country's arepa as the best. This article will deal with the Colombian style of arepas, and I will do the Venezuelan version soon. In Colombia, arepas are commonly, but not exclusively, eaten at breakfast, and they are also sold by street vendors. The major problem with making authentic arepas, from either Colombia or Venezuela, is its main ingredient, arepa flour. This flour, which comes in yellow or white, is made from ground, precooked corn meal, and from my readings, people from Venezuela and Colombia adamantly insist there is NO substitute for it. I actually read some heated replies to people who dared suggest that masa harina (the flour used to make tortillas), or American cornmeal (used to make mush, as well as cornbread), could be used in the making of arepas. WHEW! This type of response is not uncommon about "ethnic" or "national" recipes, and it is certainly not limited to Colombians and Venezuelans. Let's not forget how some Americans in the Northeast can argue over milk/cream-based New England clam chowder and tomato-based Manhattan clam chowder, so even regional differences in recipes can provoke a surly exchange, but I really think Bostonians and New Yorkers just like to torment each other. Likewise, there is a debate, centered in Texas, over whether "real" chili has beans. 

The thing is, Americans long ago learned to "bend the rules" a bit when it came to dishes from their original homelands. As immigrants came to the U.S., they could not always find every single ingredient for some of their beloved recipes from home, so they did what they needed to do... they IMPROVISED! Of course today, especially in more recent times, the world has shrunk, as products are flown from distant lands to other countries in a matter of hours, making more "authentic" recipes possible. And don't forget, "authentic" is in the eye of the beholder, as I noted above with "chili" and with "clam chowder." Myself, I enjoy trying to duplicate recipes from around the world, and regular readers know I've been traveling the globe without ever leaving the kitchen, although I did once have Hong Kong flu and I wasn't anywhere near Hong Kong, damn! While it's great to cook and enjoy foods as authentic as possible, I also like to try new things or variations to old recipes, and if that includes substitutions of ingredients, so be it. Believe me, the world will not end because of such silly things.

So what should you do to make this recipe? You can find arepa flour in many Latino markets or in some supermarkets (check the Latino food section), and it is available online, but if you have masa harina or polenta/cornmeal, you can use it, but it will not be quite as genuine. Arepa flour is precooked and a bit starchier (because of the way it is processed) than the aforementioned products, and the cakes come out with a crunchy outside, but a soft and smooth inside. Just a guess here, but maybe if you mix a little regular flour (just a couple of tablespoons per cup) with the cornmeal it will help a little? That's just a guess, because I used real arepa flour, which is not really very expensive.    

Just remember when making this, you are not making a batter, but rather a "dough;" you know, as in the song lyrics, "dough a deer, a female deer." Ah wait, that's the wrong "doe," I mean, "dough." 

Ingredients:

2 cups arepa flour, yellow or white
2 teaspoons salt (the cheese and butter have salt)
3 1/2 to 4 cups warm water (see instructions below)
1 cup shredded mozzarella or provolone cheese
2 tablespoons butter, softened (room temperature)
oil for frying (use a neutral oil, not one like extra virgin olive oil, which has flavor and will then flavor the cakes)

Add the flour to 3 1/2 cups warm water in a bowl. Add the salt and mix, making sure there are no lumps. Let it sit until the water is fully absorbed, about 10 to 15 minutes. If the mix is too dry, add a tablespoon or two of warm water at a time, until there is no dry flour, but it should not be runny or "loose." * Add the shredded cheese and the softened butter, mix well by hand. You can roll out the dough into about 1/4 inch thickness and use a cookie cutter or glass to cut out rounds of arepas, or you can form them by hand. If you have a griddle, you can lightly oil it and fry several arepas at a time; or, you can use a skillet with a little oil, to fry the cakes. Medium heat is a good setting and fry the cakes until they are browned on both sides. Serve with a little more shredded cheese on top. In Colombia they are often served at breakfast with a fried egg on the side or placed right on top, but other toppings or side dishes are not uncommon. 

* The first time I made arepas, I added too much water, which I corrected by adding a little more arepa flour and by letting the mix sit a little longer. 

I had these arepas for lunch, along with a few anchovy stuffed olives from Spain; one of my weaknesses.

WORD HISTORY:
Animal-This word goes back to Indo European "ane/ene," which had the meaning, "to breathe." This gave its Latin offspring the noun, "anima," which meant, "breath, wind, air," and by extension from "breath," "soul or spirit, life." This produced Latin "animalis" (adjective meaning, "living"), the neuter form of which produced the noun, "animal(e)," meaning, "living being, breathing being." English borrowed the word around 1300, with likely reinforcement from French, a Latin-based language, which had the same form. Gradually "animal" ousted the native English word (of Germanic derivation) "deer," which had long been the general word for "animal" (the closely related German word "Tier," is still the general word for "animal" in German), and "beast," a word borrowed by English and of Latin derivation, which was often already replacing "deer" in the general sense. With "deer" so long established in English, it did not die out, but rather it continued to develop the more specific meaning for the type of animal of its meaning in modern times, which had begun prior to the borrowing of "animal." "Beast" expanded in meaning beyond its general use for "animal," to most often carry a negative meaning for both humans and animals of an especially cruel nature. The general use of "animal" did not take place until the 1600s.