German Shrimp Cocktail: Husumer Krabbencocktail

Husum is a German city way up in the north of Germany, not terribly far from the border with Denmark. It is a coastal city on the North Sea in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein and it is a part of the region of North Frisia, called "Nordfriesland" in German, "Noordfreesland" in Low German (which has a strong presence in the area, and in northern Germany, in general), and "Nordfraschlönj" in North Frisian.* By the way, the nearby Danes call it "Nordfrisland." Husum and much of the German North Sea area economy is geared to tourism, as the connection to the sea has a strong pull. It was from this "general area" along the North Sea, that elements of several Germanic tribes left and sailed to Britain, where they founded what would come to be called "England," named after the Angles, and where their Germanic dialects melded into "English." Naturally, seafood is a big part of the cuisine of northern Germany, with both the North Sea and the Baltic Sea providing a variety of "Meeresfrüchte" (literally, "fruit of the sea;" thus, "seafood"). By the way, the word "Cocktail" (German nouns are capitalized) is a word borrowed by German from English, circa 1900.

Ingredients (about 4 servings):

1/2 pound cooked, peeled medium or small shrimp/shrimps** (in Husum they use small shrimp) 
1/2 cup mayonnaise (reduced fat type is fine)
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon ketchup
juice of half a lemon
12 pimiento stuffed olives cut in half
1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt (I'm including this, but I actually don't feel it even needs any salt, so it's optional)
chopped parsley for serving (you can also add a lemon wedge for each serving) 

In a bowl, add the chopped apple and sprinkle the lemon juice over it and mix to coat to prevent the apple from turning brown. In a cup (I used a measuring cup), mix together the mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce and ketchup, briefly set this aside. To the apple, add the halved olives, the shrimp(s) and the ground black pepper (and salt, if using). Now gradually add the mayonnaise mixture, mixing it into the shrimp and apple as you add it. Give the dish a little time in the refrigerator before serving, then sprinkle a little chopped parsley on top of each serving. Good with some crackers or crispy wafers. 


* There isn't a "standard" North Frisian language, but rather a number of dialects; thus, there are several renderings of "North Frisia" in these dialects, but I chose "Nordfraschlönj" for a very simple reason... it was FIRST on the list! North Frisian itself is a dialect of Frisian. 

** In the U.S., the plural "shrimps" is seldom heard, as "shrimp" is overwhelmingly used as both singular and plural.

WORD HISTORY:
Maiden/Maid-"Maiden" goes back to Indo European "maghu," which meant, "young person, unmarried person" (it seems not to have been gender specific). This gave its Old Germanic offspring "magaþi" (=magathi), a feminine form; thus, "young woman, virgin, unmarried woman." This gave Old English "mægþ" (þ=th), meaning, "woman, girl, wife," and the diminutive form, "mægden," meaning, "young unmarried woman, girl."  The "g" sound later disappeared, and the word became "maiden." Beginning in the second half of the 1100s, the "en" was dropped in some cases, leaving "maid," but it kept the  meaning of "maiden." "Maid" was used at times as part of a name or as a sort of title, as in the famous "Maid Marian," a character developed in the 1600s from the English folklore and legendary Robin Hood stories. "Maid," however, was "seemingly" historical in its usage dating to the 1100s and 1200s, the general time frame often given for Robin Hood. By the mid 1300s (?), "maid" had altered in its primary meaning to, "female servant to a noble woman," then this broadened to "female servant who performed household duties." Forms in other Germanic languages: German has "Magd" (maid, maidservant), "Mädchen" (once also spelled "Mägdchen," meaning mainly "girl"), "Mädel" ("girl, lass"), "Maid" (pronounced as if, "might," meaning, "young woman, maiden"), Low German has "Määk" (girl), apparently Frisian doesn't use a form of the word in modern times, but it had "mageth," Dutch has "maagd" (virgin, maiden, maid), "meid" (girl, lass, maid), "meisje" (pronounced similar to "may-zha," meaning, "girl, maiden"). I didn't spend a lot of time on this, but it "seems" the North Germanic languages did not develop the feminine form, or at least did not carry it forward. "Maiden" also developed adjectival use to mean, "previously undone;" thus also, "first time," as in "maiden voyage" or "maiden trip."  

German Apple Cake: Apfelkuchen

There are lots of recipes for what are termed "Apfelkuchen" (apple cakes) in the German cultural areas of Europe. Some tilt more to what Americans would call "pies," as they have a dough base and an apple filling, sometimes topped with another layer of dough, like the typical apple pie in the United States, or they might have strips of dough crisscrossed like lattice work (usually called "Apfel Gitterkuchen" in German). Sometimes the dough is a short dough ("Mürbeteig" in German), or it might be made from yeast ("Hefeteig"), or it might be a cake batter ("Kuchenteig"), like my recipe here. Sometimes the apples are quartered (or sometimes halved) and then each quarter has the apples sliced, but not all the way through, which creates a kind of fan, and then these apple quarters are placed on top of a cake batter, where they "sink" into the batter. This is usually called "Versunkener Apfelkuchen;" that is, "Sunken Apple Cake," although I can't imagine how they came up with that name. Hmm, give me some time and maybe I'll figure it out. Anyhow, this is my own recipe, although it is very much "based" upon the often used ingredients for German batter apple cakes.    

Serve topped with raisins and chopped hazelnuts and some optional whipped cream. You can certainly add the raisins and chopped nuts to the batter, but I put these on top of the finished cake or on each serving. Not everyone likes raisins and others may have nut allergies. 

Ingredients:

3 to 4 medium apples, peeled, cored 
1 1/3 cups flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 heaping teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk (I use canned milk, also called evaporated milk)
raisins and chopped nuts for strewing on top (hazelnuts, cashews, pecans are all good candidates)

Heat oven to 350 F. Use oil, shortening or butter to grease a baking pan or dish (you can use a cake pan or a deep pie pan or dish or a spring form cake pan). In a mixing bowl or other type of bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, vanilla extract, lemon juice and lemon peel; then beat in the eggs, one at a time, until totally incorporated then give the developing batter some high mixer speed for about 45 to 60 seconds; then mix in the milk, followed by the flour, baking powder and cinnamon, and once mixed, again turn the mixer to high speed for about one minute. Cut the peeled and cored apples into quarters, then cut the quarters into slices about the thickness used for fried potatoes. Add a handful of apple slices to the batter and stir them into the batter. Pour the batter into the greased baking pan. Place the remaining apple slices over the top and give them a little push just to anchor them in the batter, not to cover them (the cake will puff up around the apple slices as it bakes). Bake 60 to 70 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

WORD HISTORY:
Like-This word is related to  "each" and "ilk," both words from the Germanic roots of English. There are adjective, verb and noun uses of this word, all coming from the same source, but this history will be for the verb, with the others to follow in future articles. The origin of "like" seems to go back to Indo European "leig/leyg,"^ which meant "form, likeness." This gave Old Germanic "lika(n)," with the meanings, "to be similar or the same in form/shape;" thus also by extension, "suitable, suited to, fitting." This produced the Old Germanic verb "likjanan," meaning "to please (thus also "to like," but used impersonally as in, "The flowers are pleasing to me;" thus meaning, "I like the flowers"), with this meaning seemingly coming from "something that is suitable is pleasing." This gave Old English "lician," meaning, "to be pleasing, to be sufficient (sufficiency gives satisfaction and pleasure);" thus with the extended notion of "to like" ("to find something or someone pleasing"), and further, "to feel pleased toward or suited toward;" thus, "to be in agreement or conformity with." This then became "liken," before the modern form, with the primary meaning being, "to feel pleased toward someone or something;" thus, "to have fondness for." Note: There was also a prefixed verb form in Old Germanic, "galikonan," which meant, "to look or be alike, to make even;" thus also, "to equalize, to make smooth." It gave Old English "gelician," meaning "to be like, to make alike," with the extended meaning, "to please." This verb form seemingly merged with its close relative "lician," which has come clear down to us today as "(to) like." Relatives in the other Germanic languages: German has "gleichen" (to be the same or similar to, to equal), Low German has both "lieken" and "glieken" (both mean to be like or similar, to equal), West Frisian "lykje" (to be or look similar), Dutch "gelijken" (to look or seem the same or similar) and "lijken," with the same meaning, Norwegian "like" (pronounced like "leeka," meaning "to find someone or something pleasing"), Swedish "lika" (antiquated, but means "to make the same or similar"), Icelandic "lika" (have fondness for). I didn't find a verb form in Danish, but I didn't spend much time on it.  

^ There are some forms outside the Germanic languages, which give reinforcement to an Indo European origin: Latvian has "ligt," meaning "agreement" and Lithuanian has the adjective "lygus," meaning "equal" and the noun "lygti," meaning "equation." Latvian and Lithuanian are Baltic languages, now more often than not seen as paired with the Slavic languages as Balto-Slavic.

My Own German Coleslaw

Cabbage is a popular part of the cuisine of the German cultural areas of Europe, and indeed for other European cultures too. Cabbage is a hearty plant, generally cheap, and that has kept it on many home menus during good times and bad. "Coleslaw" is a term English took from Dutch "koolsla" (cabbage salad), and the "cole" part is a pretty common Germanic form derived from Latin "caulis" many, many centuries ago, and that Germanic borrowing gave English "cawel," a word for cabbage and related plants, like kale (kale is simply another spelling of cawel). Before the word cabbage was borrowed from French (which had it from Latin), English had borrowed another Latin word, "brassica," which was also used for cabbage. German uses the word "Krautsalat" for "cabbage salad;" that is, "coleslaw" in English. The standard German word for cabbage is "Kohl," the close relative of English "cole," which in English was once spelled "col," and before that as, "cawel." As noted above, the "slaw" part is from Dutch, and it was a contracted form of "salad," another word of Latin derivation.
  
This is my own recipe, not completely following along the typical German line for such a cabbage salad.

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups green cabbage, shredded or chopped
2 1/2 cups red cabbage, shredded or chopped
1/2 cup carrot, peeled and chopped
1 medium apple, cored, then chopped (I leave the peel on) 
4 or 5 slices bacon, fried, drained on paper towels, and chopped 
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 to 1/2 cup honey
(optional) 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar or more honey
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons regular olive oil (or sunflower seed oil)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Put the the green and red cabbage, the carrot, the apple and the bacon into a large bowl; mix everything by hand. In a bowl or a large cup or a blender (I use a large measuring cup), add the honey, the vinegar, the mayonnaise, the sour cream, the oil, the salt and the pepper. Whisk, blend or use a stick blender to mix everything together well until smooth. Taste to see if you prefer the dressing to be sweeter; in which case, add the sugar or more honey and mix well again. Add about half of the dressing to the cabbage mixture and begin mixing it all together (I mix it with my hands). Add the remainder of the dressing and mix it all in well (the apple pieces must be coated or they will turn brown). Taste the slaw and mix in any additional salt and/or pepper to your preference. Refrigerate the slaw for a minimum of 2 hours, by which time the main components will give off some liquid to the salad.      

WORD HISTORY:
Couth (Uncouth)-"Couth" is closely related to the verb "can" and to the adjective "cunning," both words from the Germanic roots of English. It is a little more distantly related to "know," another word from the Germanic roots of English. "Couth" goes back to Indo European "gnoh," which had the notion of "to have knowledge." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "kunnanan," with the same general meaning, and the participle/adjective form "kunþaz" (known). The Germanic verb gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "cunnan," which meant, "to know, to be able to do something (by having knowledge of), to be familiar with." The first and third person singular present form of "cunnan" was "cann." The Germanic past participle/adjective form gave Old English "cuþ" (="cuth"), which was used adjectivally and meaning, "known, famous, familiar." The participle form "cuth" then became "couthe," then "coude," then about 1500 an "l" was inserted,^ giving us the modern "could." Back to the adjective "cuþ," which became "cuth," then "couth." It's negative form was "uncuþ" (uncuth), meaning, "unknown, strange, unfriendly." This then became "uncouth," with the meaning emphasizing "behavior beyond known standards, ill mannered, crude, rough." This then influenced adjectival "couth" in its emphasized meaning to, "polite, well mannered, refined" (from the notion of "behavior by known and familiar standards"). "Couth" has fallen out of common usage, but "uncouth" is still used. There are MANY relatives in the other Germanic languages, some of which are: German has the adjective "kundig" (knowledgeable, knowing, and German once also had "kund," meaning, "known, obvious," and like its English cousin, German had "unkundi," the equivalent to "uncouth"), Low German "künnig" (knowledgeable, knowing), Dutch has the now old style "kond" (known), Icelandic "kunnur" (known), Danish "kyndig" (knowledgeable), Swedish "kunnig" (knowledgeable), Norwegian "kunnskapsrik" (knowledgeable).

^ The "l" was seemingly added to the word following the pattern of "should" and "would," although the parent words of both of these (shall and will) have "l" in the spellings. Of course, to make this even more confusing, the "l" is not pronounced in ANY of these words; at least, not in modern English.     

Butternut Squash, Apple & Pear Curry

You can easily make this on the stove top or in a slow cooker. If you like some "kick," you can add some fresh chili pepper or cayenne pepper. To thicken the curry, I use some cornstarch and water. "Cornstarch" is the North American term, but in England and other parts of Britain and many former British colonies, the term used is "cornflour."

Ingredients:

3 to 4 cups butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed (1 medium to large butternut squash)
1 1/2 cups chopped apple (you can leave the peel on, if you'd like)
1 1/2 cups chopped pear (should be firm, not soft, and you can leave the peel on, if you'd like)
2 inch piece ginger, peeled and chopped or sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped or minced
1/3 cup chopped green onions (including most of the green)
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2/3 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
(optional) 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper and/or 1 fresh red or green chili pepper, chopped
2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water, mixed very well 
1 can coconut milk (about 13.5 to 14 ounces, depending upon brand)
serve with rice

Put all ingredients, except the cornstarch/water mixture and the coconut milk, into a slow cooker or a heavy bottomed pan. If using a slow cooker, set on "high" for one hour, then turn to low and let the curry cook for another three hours, or until the squash, in particular, is just about tender. You don't want the squash, apple and pear pieces falling apart mushy though, and the dish will cook a little more, so the squash will be completely tender by then. If cooking on the stove top, set the heat to low and cover the pan from the beginning; otherwise, the liquid will evaporate, but just check the curry occasionally, stir it a bit, then replace the lid. When the squash is tender, stir in the cornstarch mixture and allow the curry to thicken, then stir in the coconut milk and let the curry heat up completely again. Serve with rice.

WORD HISTORY:
Rural-This word is related through Indo European to "room," a word from the Germanic roots of English. "Rural" goes back to Indo European "reu/rew/row," with the basic notion of "open space." This gave Latin the noun "rus," meaning, "open land, countryside, farm land." Its genitive form was "ruris," which produced the Latin adjective "ruralis" and meaning, "of, or relating to, the countryside." This passed into Latin-based Old French as "rural," with the same meaning. English borrowed the word in the first quarter of the 1400s.

North German Shrimp Cocktail: Husumer Krabbencocktail

Husum is a German city way up in the north of Germany, not terribly far from the border with Denmark. It is a coastal city on the North Sea in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein and it is a part of the region of North Frisia, called "Nordfriesland" in German, "Noordfreesland" in Low German (which has a strong presence in the area, and in northern Germany, in general), and "Nordfraschlönj" in North Frisian.* By the way, the nearby Danes call it "Nordfrisland." Husum and much of the German North Sea area economy is geared to tourism, as the connection to the sea has a strong pull. It was from this "general area" along the North Sea, that elements of several Germanic tribes left and sailed to Britain, where they founded what would come to be called "England," named after the Angles, and where their Germanic dialects melded into "English." Naturally, seafood is a big part of the cuisine of northern Germany, with both the North Sea and the Baltic Sea providing a variety of "Meeresfrüchte" (literally, "fruit of the sea;" thus, "seafood"). By the way, the word "Cocktail" (German nouns are capitalized) is a word borrowed by German from English, circa 1900.  

Ingredients (about 4 servings):

1/2 pound cooked, peeled medium or small shrimp/shrimps** (in Husum they use small shrimp) 
1/2 cup mayonnaise (reduced fat type is fine)
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon ketchup
juice of half a lemon
12 pimiento stuffed olives cut in half
1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt (I'm including this, but I actually don't feel it even needs any salt, so it's optional)
chopped parsley for serving (you can also add a lemon wedge for each serving)

In a bowl, add the chopped apple and sprinkle the lemon juice over it and mix to coat to prevent the apple from turning brown. In a cup (I used a measuring cup), mix together the mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce and ketchup, briefly set this aside. To the apple, add the halved olives, the shrimp(s) and the ground black pepper (and salt, if using). Now gradually add the mayonnaise mixture, mixing it into the shrimp and apple as you add it. Give the dish a little time in the refrigerator before serving, then sprinkle a little chopped parsley on top of each serving. Good with some crackers or crispy wafers. 

* There isn't a "standard" North Frisian language, but rather a number of dialects; thus, there are several renderings of "North Frisia" in these dialects, but I chose "Nordfraschlönj" for a very simple reason... it was FIRST on the list! North Frisian itself is a dialect of Frisian. 

** In the U.S., the plural "shrimps" is seldom heard, as "shrimp" is overwhelmingly used as both singular and plural.

WORD HISTORY:
Maiden/Maid-"Maiden" goes back to Indo European "maghu," which meant, "young person, unmarried person" (it seems not to have been gender specific). This gave its Old Germanic offspring "magaþi" (=magathi), a feminine form; thus, "young woman, virgin, unmarried woman." This gave Old English "mægþ" (þ=th), meaning, "woman, girl, wife," and the diminutive form, "mægden," meaning, "young unmarried woman, girl."  The "g" sound later disappeared, and the word became "maiden." Beginning in the second half of the 1100s, the "en" was dropped in some cases, leaving "maid," but it kept the meaning of "maiden." "Maid" was used at times as part of a name or as a sort of title, as in the famous "Maid Marian," a character developed in the 1600s from the English folklore and legendary Robin Hood stories. "Maid," however, was "seemingly" historical in its usage dating to the 1100s and 1200s, the general time frame often given for Robin Hood. By the mid 1300s (?), "maid" had altered in its primary meaning to, "female servant to a noble woman," then this broadened to "female servant who performed household duties." Forms in other Germanic languages: German has "Magd" (maid, maidservant), "Mädchen" (once also spelled "Mägdchen," meaning mainly "girl"), "Mädel" ("girl, lass"), "Maid" (pronounced as if, "might," meaning, "young woman, maiden"), Low German has "Määk" (girl), apparently Frisian doesn't use a form of the word in modern times, but it had "mageth," Dutch has "maagd" (virgin, maiden, maid), "meid" (girl, lass, maid), "meisje" (pronounced similar to "may-zha," meaning, "girl, maiden"). I didn't spend a lot of time on this, but it "seems" the North Germanic languages did not develop the feminine form, or at least did not carry it forward. "Maiden" also developed adjectival use to mean, "previously undone;" thus also, "first time," as in "maiden voyage" or "maiden trip."    

Waldorf Salad

This is a pretty famous salad, but I have a suspicion that many people have never actually tried it, or even know what it is, although they've heard or seen the name. "Waldorf Salad" was developed in the mid 1890s at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City. Many famous people have stayed or lived at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel during its existence, and two of its prominent residents were former President Herbert Hoover and General of the Army (5 Star General) Douglas MacArthur. They lived there simultaneously for a period of time, but they lived in suites in different parts of the complex.

Some recipes say to use less mayonnaise, and that then the preparer should keep folding the salad until everything has the slightest coating of mayonnaise. If you want to spend your time doing this, all the best to you, but as for me, I like more mayonnaise, just as I like lots of ketchup or mustard on certain sandwiches. This "dainty" use of certain food items is not for me. About 30 years ago I went to a birthday dinner for a friend at a fairly high end restaurant here on the East Side of Cleveland. The waiter brought out a full size dinner plate for each diner with a "spot" in the center of the plate. It looked like a drop of food that had accidentally dripped onto each plate, as it was no bigger than a pea, and that was after I used a magnifying glass. He then announced, "Enjoy your complimentary appetizer." He also said what this "appetizer" was supposed to be, but the whole thing was such silly nonsense, I had to comment right then and there. I didn't care who liked it or not, and I called it just what I said, "silly nonsense." You can't make up this kind of silly s--t! I kept thinking of years before when I was a kid, and we would eat out, and my mother would say, "Don't fill up on the appetizer."   

Ingredients:

2 medium red apples, cored and chopped
1/2 cup celery, thinly sliced
1/2 cup walnuts, lightly toasted over medium heat
1/2 cup red seedless grape halves 
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 "good pinch" cayenne pepper  
lettuce leaves for serving

In a bowl, add the chopped apple and sprinkle with the lemon juice to prevent the apple from turning brown. Add the other ingredients (except lettuce leaves) and mix to coat the ingredients with the mayonnaise and seasonings. Chill the salad in the refrigerator for an hour or two before serving. Place some lettuce leaves on a salad plate, then place the desired amount of salad on top of the leaves for serving.

WORD HISTORY:
Bourgeoisie-This word is not as commonly used in the U.S. as in some other countries, and its meaning varies somewhat, but it generally means "wealthier segment of the middle class," usually relating to the "upper middle class" in the U.S.,  with the term "petty (or the French "petite") bourgeoisie" relating to the "lower middle class." Communism tends to define the term with more emphasis on the "wealthy segment, materialistic segment of a society, capitalists." The word goes back to Indo European "buhrgh/bhrgh" which meant "high place" (this aspect of the word gave Old English "beorg" and German "Berg," both meaning "mountain."). Besides this meaning, Old Germanic took a form of the word, "burgs," for "castle, fortress, protected place or stronghold," since most castles were built on high places for their military benefit. These castles provided protection to many people, and became fortified towns in many cases.^ Old English had "burg/burh," and eventually the fortification aspect began to die out, but the meaning of "town" or "municipality" continued. From "burg(h)" came several forms that meant "citizen, resident," like Old English "burgleoda" ^^ and "burgsittend"^^^ which eventually died out when English borrowed the Latin derived "citizen" from Norman French in the 1300s.^^^^ Personally, I wish we still used a form of "burgsittend," what a word! Meanwhile, Old French had a form of "burg," either borrowed directly from Frankish, a Germanic language, or from Latin, the parent of Old French. Latin had borrowed a form from Germanic (there are various forms of "burg/burgher" in the modern Latin-based languages). The Old French form was "burjois" (a citizen, inhabitant), which then became "bourgeois," which by then meant "citizen of the middle class," and the broader form "bourgeoisie," meant "the middle class," in general. 

Languages are fascinating and here we have a Germanic language, English, borrowing a Latin derived word "citizen," replacing its own word(s), but then you have Latin borrowing a form of Germanic "burgher,"  for "citizen," which then comes back to English from Latin-based French in another form, "bourgeoisie."

^ The notion of fortification or protected place then developing into words for "living areas," without the fortified context, is not unusual. Besides "burg(h)" in English, the ancestor of modern "town" was a word meaning "enclosed place," and many "towns" of old had walls or fences around them. The German relative of English "town" is "Zaun," which means "fence." It's pronounced similarly too, with the "z" being pronounced "ts," and the rest of the word rhymes with the English word, as German "au" is pronounced like the English "ow" of "how."

^^ The "leoda" part meant "people." German still uses its close relative, "Leute," as its word for "people."

^^^ If you haven't already guessed it, this literally meant "town seated;" that is, "occupant, resident."

^^^^ Actually this was by then "Anglo-Norman French," or just "Anglo-Norman," terms used by linguists to distinguish this dialect from the French spoken on the mainland, especially in Paris and environs. The Normans initially brought their French dialect to England, but it then came under the influence of English; thus, the "Anglo-Norman" terminology.    

Brazilian Potato Salad: Salada de Batata com Maionese

I got the idea to do this recipe from my friend Gustavo from Brazil. Remember, Brazil is the largest Portuguese speaking country in the world. In doing some research, I found that potato salad is quite popular in Brazil, something I hadn't known. There are some variations in recipes, but "generally" nothing too substantial. For instance, as compared to what I used, Gustavo doesn't care much for carrots, so he doesn't use carrot in his version. No more Bugs Bunny for him! A friend of his adds a can of tuna to the potato salad, and Gustavo gave that a try and liked it; so you might want to try it too. I saw "some" recipes with olives, and I love olives, so I added them to my recipe. This salad is very good, and the apple adds a nice touch, especially if it is of the sweeter kind, to contrast with the varied tartness of the vinegar, lemon juice and mayonnaise. I believe all the Brazilian Potato Salad recipes I checked included apple. I'm not a big fan of "sour," so I tinkered around to find what I consider the best amounts of lemon juice and vinegar. Of course, if you like more of a sour taste, use my suggested amounts, then taste it, and add a little more vinegar until you get the taste you prefer. As you've likely heard many times, "you can always add, but you can't take it back out." If you get too much "sour," adding sugar might solve the problem, but it's likely to leave you with a "gritty" taste. HEY! We just invented "Gritty Brazilian Potato Salad!" Gotta go, it's time for Bugs Bunny.   

Ingredients:

2 to 2 1/4 pounds potatoes 
1 apple (I suggest a somewhat sweet apple like: Red Delicious, Fuji, Honeycrisp or Gala)
1 cup onion, chopped or sliced
1/4 cup peeled and diced carrot (fresh is best, but frozen is fine; I find canned carrots too mushy)
1/2 cup corn (canned/drained, frozen or cut off the cob)
1/2 cup peas (canned/drained or frozen)
2 hard boiled eggs
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 cup mayonnaise (light mayonnaise is fine)
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
10 to 12 olives (green or black or mixed), halved

Boil the potatoes in their jackets, cool, then peel them, then chop or dice them. Boil the eggs and let them cool, then remove the shells and chop the eggs. Cook the diced carrot until softened, but not mushy. Cook the corn and peas. If you're using canned or frozen corn and peas, you can begin cooking the carrot, and then add the peas and corn when the carrot is about half done. Let the vegetables cool down a bit. Peel, core and chop the apple, then mix the lemon juice with the apple to prevent it from turning brown. Now, in a bowl add the potatoes, corn, peas, carrot, apple (with the lemon juice), onion, olives and chopped egg. Add the olive oil, vinegar and salt (if using), mix and then add the mayonnaise and mix well to coat all of the potatoes and vegetables. Let the salad chill in the refrigerator before serving.

WORD HISTORY:

Anchor-This word is distantly related to "angle" and to "ankle." ^ It goes back to Indo European "ang," which had the notion of "to bend, to curve." This gave transliterated Ancient Greek "ankyra" (ánkȳra), meaning, "anchor, hook" (traditionally, anchors have hooks; that is, 'curved' metal or other heavy materials that hook onto underwater ropes or other moorings to help keep a vessel stable). The Greek form was borrowed by Latin as "ancora" in ancient times. The term was then borrowed by Germanic tribes in western Europe, but with no one term in Germanic.^^ The word spread through the old Germanic dialects, which gave Old English "ancor," but why it came to be spelled with the "ch" in the 1500s is puzzling to me, although it perhaps started because of a misspelling of the Latin form.^^^ The meaning expanded beyond nautical terminology to mean anything that provides stability, as in, "anchor store;" that is, "typically a large department store in a shopping center or shopping mall that provides a strong, stable base (anchor) for drawing in customers." "News anchor;" that is, "a person, alone or as part of a team, who regularly broadcasts the main news on radio or television." The verb "seems" to date from the 1200s (?), as "ancoren," then "anchoren," and came from the noun. Relatives in the other Germanic languages: German and Low German "Anker," Dutch "anker," West Frisian "anker" (?), Danish and Norwegian "anker," Swedish "ancare," and Icelandic "akkeri."

^ "Angle," meaning, "to fish" (and "angling," the act of fishing), is from the Germanic roots of English, as is "ankle." "Angle," with the specific meaning, "a corner formed by intersecting lines," is of Latin descent, but it too is from the same Indo European form, so it is also related to "anchor."

^^ There is quite a lot of uncertainty as to WHEN Latin "ancora" was borrowed into Germanic. Some sources don't even give a date or even an assumed date, which tells me, they don't know and they are not confident enough to even venture a guess, although it certainly was many centuries ago, in the times of the Germanic tribes; that is, before these tribes began to unite into something more akin to national groups. The idea is that the West Germanic tribes along the part of the Rhine River (the Lower Rhine) that flows from the present day German state of North Rhine-Westphalia (German: Nordrhein-Westfalen) through part of the present day Netherlands and into the North Sea borrowed the word, and that it eventually spread throughout the Germanic dialects/languages, including into the dialects that became English.    

^^^ "Dictionary of Word Origins," by John Ayto, Arcade Publishing, New York 1990, says it comes from the misspelling of Latin "ancora," as "anchora."

Apple & Celeriac Soup

This is a good soup for this time of year. It's best if you can use a blender, but a stick (immersion) blender could work too, although it might take a little time to get the soup to a smooth consistency. If you use tart apples, and you find the soup to be too sour, just add a little honey or sugar, but I doubt it will be a problem.  

Ingredients:

4 to 5 green onions, with some green, chopped
2 apples, cored, peeled or unpeeled, chopped (I leave the peel on)
2 1/2 cups celeriac, peeled and chopped
2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
2 cups apple cider (or apple juice)
5 to 6 sage leaves chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
pinch of salt
1 1/2 tablespoons butter + 1 1/2 tablespoons oil
1 cup milk (I prefer canned milk in cooking, but it's certainly not mandatory)
plain yogurt or low fat sour cream for garnish

In a heavy bottomed pan, heat the oil and melt the butter over medium low heat. Cook the onion, apple, celeriac and ginger until the celeriac, especially, is just softening (this will take a little time). Stir it occasionally to prevent any major browning of the ingredients. Then add the apple cider/juice. Let the cider come to a gentle simmer. Cook for about 15 to 20 minutes until everything is tender.  Pour the mixture into the blender and blend until smooth. Pour the blended mixture back into the pan. Add chopped sage, thyme, salt. Bring the soup to a bare simmer. Gradually stir in the milk until it is all mixed in. When the soup has returned to a bare simmer, that's it. Serve with a dollop of plain yogurt or low fat sour cream on top of each serving. 

WORD HISTORY:
Slit/Slice-These closely related words go back to Indo European "skel," which meant, "to cut, to cut off," which then produced "skleid," which meant, "to tear off, to tear apart, to cut off, to split apart;" and thus also, "to use up" (likely from the notion of "cutting or breaking off parts until used up"). This gave Old Germanic "slitan(an)," meaning, "to tear off, to tear apart, to split," as well as the figurative "use up" meaning. This gave Old English "slitan," with the same main meanings, but also, "to cut into pieces." This then became "sliten," which kept many of the same meanings, but also, "to wear out or wear down," which likely had been retained in some areas of England as a meaning for the original English form "slitan." This then became "slit." The noun was derived from the verb in the 1200s, with the meaning, "a generally long cut or tear in clothing, which is purely an opening and doesn't detach any part from the main object," but also then, "a long cut in general." The Old Germanic form also gave Frankish, a Germanic dialect, akin to English, "slitan," which also meant, "to split, to split into pieces." This was absorbed into Old French as "esclicier," meaning initially, "to split," and the more figurative "to break or smash into pieces." French also had the noun "escliz/esclis," meaning, "a fragment, a splinter, a piece." English borrowed the noun as "slice" in the early 1400s, and it borrowed the verb, also as "slice," in the second half of the 1400s. The noun and the verb are both examples of Germanic based words being borrowed into Latin-based French, and then borrowed by English, itself a Germanic language. English had its own form in what is modern "slit" (above), but German had "slizan," in Old High German, which then became the more modern (but now not in every day use) "schleissen," pronounced kind of like "shlice-n," and properly spelled "schleißen" and meaning "to split, to wear down, to wear off, to peel off." It is spelled with the double "s" in the Swiss and Liechtenstein spelling systems, but with the "ß" in German spelling elsewhere. Dutch has "slijten," meaning, "to use up, to wear down or away," Icelandic has the noun "slita" (a tear), Danish "slide" (work very hard; that is, wear down or wear out with work), Swedish "slita" (wear out, wear out with hard work).

North German Pancakes: Pannkoken

This pancake dish from northwestern Germany is a good one. This area is the land where the people speak East Frisian and/or Low German as their daily language, but where standard German is learned in school. East Frisian is a dialect of the general Frisian language, along with West Frisian, spoken in northern Holland, and North Frisian, spoken in northern Germany, including in part of the area of the German-Danish border region. Frisian, Low German and standard German are all close relatives of English, and this overall general area is the ancestral homeland of English, as the Germanic tribal elements that sailed to Briton and founded England lived here, just as many of their descendants still do. Here, an "apple" is an "appel" in Low German and East Frisian ("Apfel" in standard German), and in English it was once spelled "eppel" and "appel." The other fruit compote I chose to serve is blueberry, which is both "Blaubeere" and "Heidelbeere" in German, but "Bickbeer(e)" in this area of northern Germany, and indeed, it is a common pairing with these pancakes. Notice, unlike American pancakes, there is no baking powder or baking soda; thus, these pancakes are not as "fluffy" as their American counterpart, but rather a bit more to the dense side. I served mine with bacon, so I simply fried the bacon and poured off the fat from frying, then I added some of the grease back to the frying pan for cooking the pancakes. If frying the pancakes in bacon fat troubles you, you can mix some of the bacon grease with some canola oil, or regular olive oil, but at least use a little of the grease for each pancake, as it does add to their flavor, which helps to make them special. Now, you can most certainly use some preserves or jam, but the compotes are very easy to make.       

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3 cups milk
4 egg yolks
4 egg whites, beaten to stiff consistency
1/2 teaspoon salt
bacon fat/grease*

Mix together the flour, whole wheat flour, egg yolks, milk and salt. Beat the egg whites to a stiff consistency, then fold them into the main mixture. Heat the bacon fat in a skillet over medium heat. Add enough batter to make a nice size pancake and fry until golden on both sides. Germans typically fold the pancakes over for serving. You can serve the compotes on the side or you can serve each pancake with a good spoonful of compote right on top.  

* Whatever term you prefer. When I was a kid, you seldom, if ever, heard it referred to as "bacon fat," rather only as "bacon grease." "Bacon fat" was fat still attached to the bacon.

Apple Compote:

2 cups chopped apples, ^
3 to 4 tablespoons sugar (per your taste)
1/2 cup apple juice
1 to 2 tablespoons cornstarch + 2 to 3 tablespoons apple juice
(optional) 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a sauce pan over medium heat, add the chopped apple, sugar and apple juice. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce the heat so that the mixture maintains a gentle simmer. Cook for about 12 to 15 minutes, or until the apples reach the texture you prefer (soft or still a bit firm). Mix together the cornstarch and apple juice, then gradually add it to the simmering apples, stirring constantly, until the compote is at the thickness you desire. If you'd like, you can add the ground cinnamon, but myself, I prefer the apple taste without the spice. But go ahead and add cinnamon... see if I care! I may just report you to the Apple Police! You can serve the compote with the pancakes while it is still hot, or you can let it cool a bit first. If you refrigerate it, you can always pop it in the microwave for 30 to 60 seconds before serving it.

^ You can use red, green or golden, as it doesn't really matter, except I wouldn't recommend that you use a sour type of apple, unless you like that kind of tartness. Technically they should be peeled, but you can certainly leave the peel on for nutritional purposes if you'd like. If the "Apple Police" get you, it's because they're rotten to the core. Ah, "Apple  Police"... "rotten to the core"... If I have to explain it to you, I hope you get arrested by the Apple Police and you are condemned to listen to, "One bad apple don't spoil the whole bunch..." ten times daily for a month, or five times daily for good behavior.

Blueberry Compote:

2 cups blueberries (you can also use frozen blueberries)
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 to 2 tablespoons cornstarch + 2 to 3 tablespoons water

Rinse and drain the blueberries. In a sauce pan, add the berries, water, sugar and lemon juice. You can use medium heat to bring the liquid to a slight boil, but then turn the heat down to where the berries just simmer. Cook for about 6 to 8 minutes, then gradually add some cornstarch mixed with water, stirring constantly, until you get the thickness you desire for the compote. The berries must be kept at a light simmer to thicken properly. The compote can be served hot, or cooled a little.

WORD HISTORY:
Compote/Compost-These two words are really the same word. They are closely related to "position," "composition," "component," "composite" and "compose," all words of Latin derivation borrowed by English. The prefix "com-" is a common prefix for words of Latin derivation going back to Indo European "kom/ghem," with the notion of, "by, with, near, beside;" thus Latin "com" (and its variant form "con") which has the meaning, "together, with." The origin of the rest of the word is uncertain, but it goes back to Latin "ponere," which meant, "to put into place;" thus also, "to arrange, to set in order." The two parts then gave Latin "componere," meaning, "to put together or arrange in order;" thus also, "to build or construct." Its participle form, "compositus" (meaning, "put or arranged together"), which gave Latin-based French "composte," meaning, "a blend, a mixture," which then became "compost," and came to be applied to "a mix of various fertilizing agents," but also, "a mixture of fruits cooked together;" then later, the altered spelling, "compote," was used for the fruit mixture. English borrowed "compost" in the 1390s, and it borrowed "compote" in the second half of the 1600s.   

Berlin Style Liver (Leber Nach Berliner Art)

This is a pretty well known dish from Berlin, although it is certainly served outside of Berlin, just as Wiener Schnitzel is served outside of Vienna (Wien in German). It is usually made with calves liver, but you can use beef or pork liver and Bismarck's ghost won't get you with his spiked helmet.

"Yeeeooow! What the hell? Medic! I'll have to finish typing this while I'm standing up."

Anyway, it is not uncommon to find Berlin style liver in German-American restaurants. In Berlin it is commonly served with mashed potatoes, but you can serve whatever you like and Bismarck's ghost ... well, never mind about Bismarck's ghost. I'm not going through that again.

Ingredients (about 4 servings):

1 1/2 pounds liver, sliced, but not too thickly
2 baseball size onions, peeled and sliced into 1/3 inch rounds (you can use white, yellow or red onions)
2 apples (like red delicious or golden delicious), typically peeled, but I leave the skin on, cored then cut into round slices 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick
4 or 5 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 teaspoon ground white or black pepper
butter/canola oil mix (about 3 or 4 tablespoons butter and the same amount of oil)

Heat 2 tablespoons each of butter and oil in a skillet over low heat. Dust the liver slices with flour and set aside. Add the onion slices to the pan and saute until lightly browned (the slices will naturally come apart). Remove the onions to a dish and keep them warm. Add the apple slices to the pan and cook until they too are somewhat browned, remove and keep warm. Add more butter and oil to the skillet, then add the liver slices. Brown on both sides and cook until they are just cooked through. Season the cooked liver with salt and pepper after removing it from the heat. Serve with mashed potatoes and with some onion and apple rings next to the liver.

WORD HISTORY:
Stroll-The history of this word is a bit uncertain, although it looks pretty logical to me. It was borrowed by English in the very early 1600s from German, which had "Strolch," a word from Alemannic German dialect^ which meant, "a vagabond, a rogue, a mischievous boy." This seems to have developed from Alemannic dialect "strollen," which meant, "to wander around aimlessly" (Alemannic also had the noun "Stroll," meaning "vagabond"). While not a complete certainty, these German forms seem to have developed as an abbreviated form of Italian "astrologo," which meant "astrologer, stargazer;" thus also, "interpreter of the stars and their relationship to events, a prophet," and which passed into Lombardic, the language of the Germanic Lombards who settled in northern Italy (the region of Lombardia is named for them), as "strolegh," which then became "strolago," and meant, "vagabond, traveling entertainer who uses tricks to deceive his audience." This seems to have passed into Alemannic in the 1400s from Swiss (German) and Swabian mercenary soldiers serving in northern Italy.

^  Alemannic is a group of German dialects tracing back to the Germanic tribe the Alemanni. Alemannic is pretty much concentrated in the southwestern area of the German-speaking area and includes Switzerland, extreme western Austria, Liechtenstein, Alsace in eastern France and southwestern Germany, including a part of Bavaria. Alemannic is the general name for the dialect, but it breaks down further into numerous regional and local dialects. Not all Alemannic speakers can necessarily understand one another.

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.

Heaven and Earth Soup

This soup is my own invention, although I don't know if anyone else has come up with a similar soup, but that is possible. I based this recipe on German "Himmel und Erde," * a dish which combines potatoes and apples, and often, but not always, bacon. It means "Heaven and Earth," with the apples representing "heaven," as they come from up on a tree, and with the potatoes representing earth, as you dig them from the ground. There are variations to the German recipes, with some regions, like the Rhineland, mashing the potatoes and apples together, or mixing chunky applesauce into the mashed potatoes. Other recipes cook potato and apple chunks together, often by frying. You can serve this soup with a good, ice cold apple schnapps, direct from the freezer, and with a strong apple taste. Be sure to taste the schnapps to make sure it's good before serving it to others, and don't hesitate to try it more than once, to be extra certain. Just be sure you have enough left for others. Well... the hell with them! Let 'em buy their own apple schnapps.

Ingredients:

1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
4 slices of bacon, fried and then crumbled
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon canola oil or other neutral-flavored oil
3 cups chicken broth (low sodium is fine)
3 large potatoes, diced
2 Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled and chopped
1 cup evaporated milk (canned milk)
2 tablespoons thyme leaves (see Word History, below)
1 teaspoon white or black pepper
salt to taste (optional, the bacon, and likely your broth, will have salt, so keep that in mind)
ice cold apple schnapps on the side (best right from the freezer)

In a heavy bottomed sauce pan, fry the bacon over medium heat until crisp; remove, crumble and set aside. Sauté the onion in the bacon fat for a couple of minutes, then add the garlic, cook for another minute or two. Lower the heat to low, add the oil and sprinkle the flour over the onion/garlic mixture and stir to combine; this will form a roux coating the onion pieces. Allow to cook for another two minutes. Gradually stir in the chicken broth, then add the thyme leaves. When the broth bubbles lightly, add the potatoes, stir well. Since I've used the roux to thicken the soup early on, you will need to stir the soup fairly often to keep it from sticking, even on low heat, but allowing the bacon flavored flour mix to cook with the other ingredients adds flavor. After a few minutes, add the apple, stir further to mix well, simmer the soup. When the potatoes and apple are just barely tender, not falling apart, stir in the crumbled bacon and add the pepper (and salt, if using), then stir in the milk. Let the soup come back up to heat, but do not let it boil. Let's see, did I tell you this soup is good served with some apple schnapps?     

* For my article about German use of apples in cooking, here is the link to the article: http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2013/01/germans-and-apples.html

And that's not ice water next to the soup ....

WORD HISTORY:
Leaf-This word, related to "lodge," goes back to Indo European "leubh," which meant, "to peel or strip away a plant covering." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "lauba," which transferred the meaning to a common plant item stripped away; thus, "leaf, foliage." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "leaf" (likely pronounced lee-af). This then became "leef," before the modern version. The other Germanic languages have: German "laub," Low German Saxon "Loof," Dutch "loof," West Frisian "loaf," Icelandic "lauf(i)," Danish "løv," Norwegian "løvverk" (literally, "leaf work;" thus, 'foliage'), Swedish "löv."  

Apple Pork Chops or Steaks

Very simple to make; otherwise, how the hell do you think I did it?  lol! Ah, why am I laughing?

Ingredients:

2 lbs. pork chops or pork steaks (thin cut)
2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon brown sugar (I use dark)
1 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon seasoned salt
1 teaspoon white or black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 apple, chopped (I use a Granny Smith apple)
4 tablespoons apple jelly
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 heaping tablespoon chili sauce (I use old standby, Heinz)
1/2 serrano or jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
2 tablespoons corn starch + 2 tablespoons water

Mix together 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar, the sweet paprika, the seasoned salt, white or black pepper and the garlic powder. Rub one side of the pork with the mixture. Let sit while you heat the oven to 325 (F) degrees. Place the pork on a baking sheet or in a shallow roasting pan, keeping the individual chops or steaks separated. Lining the baking sheet or pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil helps tremendously with clean up. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. In the meantime, put all of the other ingredients, except the corn starch and water, into a small pan. Cook over medium heat until the mixture is boiling, then turn down the heat and let simmer a couple of minutes. Mix the corn starch and water, then slowly add to the simmering sauce, stirring constantly, while also maintaining the light bubbling of the sauce, so the corn starch properly thickens it. Remove the pork from the oven  and spoon the sauce evenly over each piece. Return the pork to the oven, increase the heat to 350 (F), and bake a further 10 to 12 minutes. If you use thicker cut pork, you will naturally have to lengthen the initial baking time.
  
I  used pork steaks and I had mashed potatoes with some of the sauce over the potatoes.

WORD HISTORY:
Jelly-This word, distantly related to "cold," goes back to Indo European "gel/gol," which carried the notion, "to be cold, to feeze, to solidify from cold." This gave its Latin offspring the noun, "gelus," which meant, "cold, chill," and this provided the verb, "gelare," meaning, "to congeal, to stiffen or thicken from cold." Old French, a Latin-based language, had "geler" ("to thicken or solidify") as its form of the verb. From the verb's participle form came the noun "gelée," meaning "frost," but also, "semi-solidified, quivering soft food product, jelly" (originally meaning more of the jellied animal products, rather than fruit substance). This was borrowed into English in the latter part of the 1300s as both "gelly" and "jelly," with the latter finally winning out as the proper form.

Germans and Apples

Because apples keep so well, fall and winter are good times to know about some dishes using apples. The Germans have a sort of love affair with the apple and I'd say their most popular fruit juice is apple juice. By German, I mean people of German background, not just the nationality German; so, people in Germany, Austria, about 2/3 of Switzerland, much of Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, much of Alsace and a fair part of Lorraine, as well as a part of northern Italy.* Even if you're a "picky" eater, please don't turn your nose up at some of the combinations until you have at least tried them. I believe I've told this little story before, but it bears repeating. Back in the 1980s I was traveling on a train (common transportation in Germany, and Europe in general) between Wiesbaden and Frankfurt, which are only about 20 miles apart. An American couple, likely in their 60s, was sitting across from me. Americans were frequently encountered in the area due to the large American military presence in what was then West Germany, but these folks were tourists. I started a conversation with them and found out they were from Seattle, so somewhere in the neighborhood of 5500 to 6000 miles from Germany. They were headed for Frankfurt and they wanted to know about places to eat, as this was their first trip to Germany. Since they would be getting off the train at the main train station in Frankfurt, I immediately recommended the "Dippegucker Restaurant am Hauptbahnhof," which simply means "the pot looker restaurant at the main train station." The lady then said she was afraid to try German food, as she might not like it, and that they would probably just go to McDonald's (McDonald's has many outlets in Germany, all of which sell beer and wine). So, she traveled about 6000 miles to eat a hamburger she could have gotten on any street corner in America? While it's been many years, I have to believe it took a great deal of self restraint on my part to keep from smacking her, kicking her in the shin, or calling her a "blöde Kuh," if not all three. ("Blöde Kuh" means stupid or silly cow, in German).
    
A pretty common German dish in many areas comes from Berlin and is simply "liver and onions," but the recipe includes sliced apples with the onions. For Germans, the liver is usually calves liver, but the substitution of beef or pork liver will not condemn you to prison, and while some Germans have told me the apples have to be green, like Granny Smiths, I've used Red Delicious for years and I have yet to turn into a pillar of salt, so use what you have and, by the way, I leave the skin on the apples. Here in America, you may see this dish on the menu of German restaurants as "Berlin Liver," or perhaps, "Berlin Style Liver."

Then there's "Himmel und Erde," or "Himmel un Ääd" in some Rhineland dialects, which means "Heaven and Earth." The dish is simply mashed potatoes and apples; that is, the (lightly cooked) apples are mashed in with the potatoes. The name idea is, the apples represent the "heaven or sky," as they come from a tree, and the "earth" is represented by the potatoes, which have to be dug out of the ground. There are variations on this dish, depending upon the area, and some Germans use pears instead of apples. In the south, in Bavaria and Austria, I've seen recipes simply calling it "Puree of Apples and Potatoes." Germans often serve it with blood sausage (Blutwurst), Bratwurst, or liverwurst (Leberwurst). To give it some texture, I often don't completely mash the apples up, or if I don't have fresh apples, I add the store bought chunky apple sauce from a jar after the potatoes are mashed. Now if you think potatoes and apples don't go together, see the next listing.

Speaking of potatoes, potato pancakes are common in German areas, and they are usually accompanied by apple sauce, which is pretty common in the U.S. too. See, you've probably had potatoes and apples before. The standard German word for potato pancakes is "Kartoffelpfannkuchen," but there are a number of dialect terms and recipe variations like,  "Reibekuchen," "Döbbekuchen," "Döbbekooche," "Dibbekoche," "Dippedotz," "Reiberdatschi," "Rievekooche,"  "Grumbeer Pannekuche," and others. Some Germans believe the potatoes should be freshly grated, while others use potatoes first boiled in their skins. Besides the potatoes, there is some onion added (either grated or finely chopped), as well as some flour and salt. To this base recipe some regions add chopped bacon, or even whole strips of bacon are placed on top and the dish is finished in the oven. In the past, lard was commonly used for frying, but nowadays oil is more common.

Swiss Germans make a fried apple dish (Apfel Bröisi), which is thin bread slices fried in butter and sugar, then apple slices are added and fried further until the apples are soft. The dish is topped with fresh dabs of butter, sugar and cinnamon. 

Germans add apples to sauerkraut or to red cabbage (called Rotkohl, Rotkraut, or Blaukraut, depending upon region). In some areas, especially in Austria and Bavaria, apples are cored, stuffed with raisins and walnuts or hazelnuts (sometimes cranberries and lemon zest are added too) and are baked in white wine, butter, and sugar, which combine in a syrupy sauce, to which apple brandy (Schnapps) can be added. The finished dish, called "Bratäpfel" (baked apples), or "Besoffene Bratäpfel" ('drunken' baked apples, because of the wine and schnapps) is often served with warm vanilla sauce, made with heated milk, egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla.

If you're in the German state of Hessen (often Hesse, in English), you'll want to finish your meal with a nice glass, or ten, of apple wine, which is really like hard apple cider, and is a specialty of Hessen in general, but particularly of Frankfurt. The standard German word for this drink is "Apfelwein," but there are variations in Hessian dialect, including ""Ebbelwoi,"  "Äppelwei," or "Stöffche," and you can get it by the glass ("Rippenglas;" that is "ribbed glass," which has ridges for a good grip) or the "Bembel" (a stoneware jug), and after a few of either, you won't much care what name the Hessians call it ... ah ... at least that's what I've heard.  

* Alsace and Lorraine are parts of eastern France. 

 

WORD HISTORY:
Apple-This noun goes back to Indo European "abol," "abel," the exact meaning of which is unclear, but which had to do with "produce of trees and vines," and there are forms in other, non Germanic, languages too. Its Old Germanic offspring was "aplaz," which meant "fruit, nuts." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "aeppel," which meant "fruit," and later this became "appel," before the modern version. It wasn't until the 1500s and 1600s that the meaning narrowed to the specific type of fruit we now call an "apple." Translations of the Bible over time generally used "forbidden fruit" in the Garden of Eden, but some translations called this fruit "apple," from the general meaning of the word back then. Common in the other Germanic languages: standard German "Apfel," all sorts of German dialect forms like "Ebbel," "Appel," "Apel," "Äppel," "Äbbel," "Epfel," "Ebbfe," "Opfe," Low German Saxon and Dutch "Appel,"  West Frisian "apel," Danish "aeble," Icelandic "epli," Norwegian "eple," and Swedish "äpple."