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.     

Kenyan Curried Cabbage

Kenya is a country in eastern Africa. It has a pretty diverse population and its official languages are Swahili* and English. Kenyans have much Indian influence in their cooking, with "chapati,"** a type of flatbread, being one of those influences. In the first couple of decades of the 20th Century, thousands of Indians went to Kenya when both countries were under British colonial rule. This curry is another of the Indian influences on Kenya. This is not a spicy "hot" dish, but if you like spicy heat, you could add a chili pepper or two to the recipe.

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups shredded cabbage
1 carrot, shredded
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons curry powder
2 tablespoons flour
1/3 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon salt 

In a large skillet, heat the oil over low heat, then add the onion. Cook for about 2 minutes, then add the cabbage and carrot (it will look like a mountain, but it will cook down). Cook over low heat until the vegetables soften. Combine the milk, curry powder and flour, mix well, then add it to the cabbage/carrot and stir it in well. Cook for a couple of minutes, then season with salt and white pepper. 

* Swahili is a language of the Bantu family of languages, a branch of the broader Niger/Congo family of languages.  

** "Chapati" is easy to make:  https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2018/10/easy-flatbread-of-indian-subcontinent.html

WORD HISTORY:
Bwana-This word is distantly related to "abbot," a word borrowed by English from Latin long ago, but "abbot" is a word which traces back to the Middle East. While in modern times "bwana" has often been used in a comical or disparaging way in English, because of racism, its heritage is anything but comical or disparaging. It goes back to transliterated Semitic^ "ab," meaning "father," and "bna," meaning "our;" thus, "our father," "head of the family," and by extension, "leader." This gave its transliterated Arabic offspring "abuna," with the same meanings. This was borrowed by Swahili (see note * above) as "bwana," meaning, "leader, master." With European colonization of Africa and the exploration of remote areas of the large continent, English came into contact with the word "bwana" through Swahili, and it often came to be used by the African workers for the "white" leader of a safari. The word was borrowed by English in the last quarter of the 1800s.

^  The Semitic languages are a group of related languages "centered" in the Middle East and eastern Africa, but also spoken beyond those areas. The most common modern Semitic languages are Arabic, Amharic, Hebrew and Tigrinya, but in ancient times Semitic included Assyrian and Phoenician, which was spoken in the Middle East and in North Africa by the Carthaginians.    

Irish Potatoes: Colcannon

There are many variations to this recipe. Some people use savoy cabbage (it has wrinkled leaves), others use kale; further still, some include leeks and some use bacon mixed into the main dish. Others use crumbled bacon as a topping, and cheese is another topping used by some, as is a fried or poached egg (I kept the egg to the side, see photo below). Traditionally the dish has a lot of butter, but I hope the Irish forgive me, because I replaced half of the butter with olive oil. "Colcannon" also has milk, but some use cream. 

Ingredients (about 4 to 6 servings):

2 pounds white or Russet potatoes, peeled and diced (large dice)
2 1/2 cups chopped or shredded green cabbage (it will cook down substantially)
1/2 cup chopped green onions (also called spring onions or scallions, and use the green part)
3 tablespoons of butter (but more for serving)
3 tablespoons olive oil (not extra virgin olive oil)
1/2 cup warm milk (I use canned/evaporated milk, you may need more milk)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt

Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender. While the potatoes are cooking, in a skillet, melt the butter and mix in the olive oil. Add the cabbage and green onions and cook over low heat until tender. Add the salt and pepper. The cabbage and onion mixture may get lightly browned, but remember, this is supposed to provide some green to the dish, although I must admit, I've seen colcannon with browned cabbage and onions. Drain the potatoes well and mash the potatoes with a potato masher, gradually adding a little warm milk as you go (potatoes can vary, so you may need more milk). Fold the cabbage/onion mixture into the mashed potatoes (this is why you needn't add butter to the potatoes as you mash them). With each serving, use a spoon to make a small indentation in the top and add a piece of butter.

Some have an egg with these potatoes, which is what I chose to do, along with a piece of toast...

WORD HISTORY:
Bog-This word is distantly related to the various forms of "bow": with the form that rhymes with "how," and meaning, "to bend the body," as well as to the noun for that verb; also the same pronunciation of "bow" for the noun meaning "the front of a ship;" and the form with a long "o," meaning "to curve," as a verb, and meaning "a weapon that shoots arrows," as a noun. These are all from Germanic and their relationship to "bog" is through Indo European. "Bog" goes back to Indo European "bheugh," which meant, "to bend." This gave Old Celtic the adjective "buggo," which meant, "easily bent, flexible, soft." This passed to Old Irish as "bog," meaning, "soft, soft from moisture." This then produced the Irish and Scots Gaelic noun "bogach," meaning, "marshy land" (thus, 'a bog'). English borrowed the word in the early 14th Century. The verb, often used with "down" ("bog down"), and meaning, "become stuck in the soft ground of a bog," developed in about 1600. 

Salvadoran Spicy Pickled Cabbage: Curtido

"Curtido" is a cousin to Korean "kimchi," as well as to "sauerkraut," because they are all types of fermented foods. In another sense, it is similar to coleslaw,* as it is a kind of slaw used as a topping for some Central American dishes, or as a side dish to accompany main dishes. While "curtido" has a strong connection to El Salvador, it is not uncommon in other Central American countries. I'm not a big fan of very sour foods, so I added a little sugar, and when I checked other curtido recipes, I found a few that added small amounts of sugar, although admittedly only 3 out of more than 20 I checked. While the amount of sugar is small, it does help to take a little of the sharp edge off of the high vinegar content. If you don't like "heat," you can reduce the amount of chili pepper, or just add a small amount of red chili flakes or a pinch of cayenne pepper, but "curtido" is meant to have a "kick" to it.

Ingredients:

1 bag cole slaw mix of shredded cabbage and shredded carrot (or you can shred your own slaw: 1 small to medium head of cabbage, cored and thinly shredded; 1 small carrot, shredded)
1 small white onion, chopped
1 hot chili pepper (like serrano or jalapeño, but use what you have or like), finely chopped
1 heaping tablespoon non iodized salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons oregano (Mexican oregano, if you have it) 
2/3 cup cider vinegar
(optional) 1 teaspoon sugar
1/3 cup water

Use a non reactive bowl, like glass or stoneware. Add all of the ingredients to the bowl. Mix the ingredients together by hand, squeezing handfuls of the cabbage mixture, which will reduce the volume of the shredded and chopped vegetables. Make sure all of the mix gets bathed in the vinegary brine. In the picture below, the cabbage mix pretty much filled the bowl, at first, but some mixing and squeezing reduced it by about half. While you can't see it easily, most of the cabbage mix is in the brine. This slaw is best if covered with some plastic wrap and refrigerated for a few hours, or even better for about a day in advance of use.

* American coleslaw is a commonly offered side dish in many restaurants, diners and barbecue shops, but it is also made by many in their home kitchens. Most times, but certainly not exclusively, coleslaw is finely chopped cabbage and carrot mixed with a creamy sweet and sour dressing, with the creamy element usually coming from the addition of mayonnaise to the dressing. On the other hand, some individuals and restaurants use a vinegar-based dressing with no mayonnaise, that puts this type of coleslaw somewhat closer to "curtido." While coleslaw is most often used as a side dish or side salad, it is also added to various sandwiches as a topping.      

WORD HISTORY:
Tropic/Tropics-This word goes back to Indo European "trep," which had the notion of, "turn;" thus also, "change." This gave transliterated Ancient Greek "tropē," which meant, "turn, change, the times of year when the sun reaches farthest north or south; thus, solstice." This gave Ancient Greek the transliterated adjective "tropikós," meaning, "having to do with a change," "of or about the solstice," and this was borrowed by Latin as "tropicus," initially with the same meanings, but only the solstice meaning continued, and it came to be applied to the region around the equator. English borrowed the word from Latin in the second half of the 1300s. 

Baja-Style Mexican Fish Tacos

Presumably tacos have been around for a long time; almost certainly, well before the Spanish set foot in Mexico; after all, wrapping food in cooked ground corn batter is not a terribly difficult concept to figure out. I, myself, figured it out last week. hahaha! While the history of tacos is sketchy, at best, the use of the word "taco" for this famous food is more than a little unclear. Quite some time ago I had a neighbor who was originally from Mexico. He told me the word taco, which actually means "plug, stopper," came to be used for the food by Mexican miners, who wrapped gunpowder in paper for use to extract minerals from the mines. I believe these explosive "tacos" were used more to extract silver, but I don't know that to be a fact. Anyway, the idea of wrapping fillings in tortillas led to the use of the word for the food, or at least that was my neighbor's story. On the other hand, tacos are a great snack, and could the word have been used because they act as a quick "stopper" for one's hunger between meals; thus, "a light meal?" Of course, there could be a simpler explanation proposed by some, that a word from one of the native languages for this already existent food was close to the Spanish word "taco," and so that is the word the Spanish speaking people took as the name for the food.

In Baja, the western part of Mexico, access to the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of California eventually brought about fish wrapped in tortillas; thus, the fish taco, a "somewhat standardized" form of which spread to the U.S. side of the border and to San Diego and vicinity, although the tasty dish is much more widespread now. Notice I used "somewhat standardized" form for fish tacos, as with any popular dish, there will be inevitable variations, and so it is with fish tacos. Some people use red cabbage, some people use lettuce, some people use vinegar, some use chili peppers, some use white cheese, and I'm sure there are other changes. I like fish tacos with "Mexican rice,"* often called "Spanish rice" in the United States. 

Ingredients (8 servings):

1 bag shredded cabbage/carrot cole slaw mix 
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon olive oil 
1 pound cod in 4 fillets, then halve each fillet (8 pieces total)
1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons ancho chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup beer, more if needed to thin batter (light color, a Mexican brand if you desire more authenticity)
oil for cooking
corn tortillas 
chipotle sauce **
lime wedges 

In a bowl, add the slaw mix, the onion, the cilantro. In a cup or small bowl, mix together well the olive oil, lime juice, salt and honey. Pour the dressing over the slaw and mix in well. Best if refrigerated for a minimum of a couple of hours. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, the ancho chili powder, the salt, the baking powder and the beer to form a batter. Add enough oil to a skillet to give you about 1/2 inch of oil. Heat the oil over medium heat. Drop a cube of bread into the oil. If the bread sizzles and starts to brown, you're ready to go. Dip the fish pieces into the batter, then let the excess batter drain off. I fry 4 pieces of fish at a time. Heat the tortillas in the microwave for about 30 seconds or so. Put a piece of fish into each tortilla, add some of the slaw mixture, then drizzle on some chipotle sauce. Add a lime wedge to each serving.  

* The recipe for Mexican Red Rice (Arroz Rojo) is at the link:  https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2019/02/mexican-red-rice-arroz-rojo.html


** To make the creamy chipotle sauce, this is the link: https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2019/02/creamy-chipotle-sauce.html

Baja Fish Taco with Mexican rice...

WORD HISTORY:
Canon-This word has a number of meanings, the most common of which are: "church law issued by religious authorities," which broadened into, "law, principle, rule, guideline, standard accepted as proper;" "a list of people deemed worthy of sainthood;" "the collected validated works of a writer;" "a clergyman living under the principles of certain religious orders and often serving in a cathedral." "Canon" is related to "cannon," the gun, a word borrowed by English. It "seems" to go back to transliterated Sumerian "ginah,"^ which meant "reed," which seems to have been taken by transliterated Akkadian as "qanuh," with the same meaning. This gave Hebrew "qaneh" (same meaning). This was borrowed by Ancient Greek from Hebrew as transliterated "kánna," and also meant "reed," which were used for measurement and keeping things in a straight row; thus, "ruler (the implement);" thus, "a standard." Latin took the word as "canna," with the same meanings, but which then developed into "Church issued decree" ("rule to be followed"), as "canon." "Canon" was borrowed into Old English from Latin, but certainly reinforced by French, which had had the term passed to it from Latin. Latin had developed the adjective "canonicus," meaning, "by the rules of the Church, according to the rules of the Church," and this came to be used as a noun for the "clergyman" meaning ("a man who lives by the rules of the Church"). This passed into Old French as "canonie," and it was either taken to England by the Normans or developed among the Norman nobles in England as "canun/canoun." It was borrowed by English, at first as "canoun," in the late 1100s.     

Polish Cabbage & Noodles

If someone were to ask you to name a typical Polish food, you'd likely say "pierogis" or "kielbasa," as these foods are very tied to Polish identity, but .... Back in the first half of the 1500s, the Polish king, Sigismund I (Polish: Zygmunt), married Bona Sforza of Italy as his second wife (his first wife had died after childbirth). The new queen helped to bring Italian cuisine to Poland, including the common use of pasta. In this dish, the pasta is paired with cabbage and mushrooms. The Polish word "łazanki," pronounced as if, "wah-zahn-kee," is a type of noodle; thus, pasta. There are numerous variations to this dish, including the type of pasta used, but I've used egg noodles. Polish cooking, as well as other cooking styles in Belarus, Lithuania and Russia, uses a good deal of sour cream in recipes, something that the Germans in eastern Europe, especially in East Prussia, picked up from these various national/ethnic groups over the centuries.   

Ingredients:

5 cups fresh cabbage, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 pound mushrooms, chopped
4 tablespoons butter + 4 tablespoons canola oil
10 to 12 ounces wide egg noodles
2/3 cup sour cream (low fat type is fine)
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
salt and pepper

Melt the butter in a large skillet or in a large heavy bottomed pot, then add the canola oil. Add the onion and saute for about two minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes, stirring further. Add the cabbage and cook over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage has cooked down and is tender. Sprinkle the paprika over the mixture, season with salt and pepper and stir. Meanwhile, cook the noodles per the instructions on the package. Drain the noodles and mix into the cabbage. Stir in the sour cream and serve.

With some sliced tomatoes and red onion...

WORD HISTORY:
Pierogi (Singular form: pieróg)-The ultimate origin of this word is unknown, and its history is shaky in places, but "apparently" it goes back to transliterated Old Slavic "pireh," which meant, "feast, drinking and food celebration." This then produced the transliterated Slavic "piru," with the same meanings. In some Slavic dialects/languages, it then seems to have taken on the meaning, "pie," perhaps from a common food served for large occasions (feasts). With Polish and some other Slavic languages, it came to mean "filled dumpling," seemingly tying in with the notion of "pie;" that is, "a filled dough." English borrowed the word from Polish immigrants to America in the mid 1800s, with further reinforcement from Yiddish as Eastern European Jews immigrated into the U.S.

Hearty Cabbage Soup

This is an absolutely great soup, which is not at all complicated to make. I've tried using ground turkey, but it's just not the same. You can always drain off much of the grease from the ground beef to cut down on fat, cholesterol and calories, and I know ground beef is expensive right now, but I have to admit, the ground beef gives it the best flavor. You can shred your own cabbage, or you can just use the bagged Cole Slaw mix from the produce section of your market. This is my adaptation of a recipe from one of those recipe card collections called, "My Great Recipes." The card is dated 1984, but I got it in about 1987 from someone who was moving and was getting rid of a lot of things. They were going to toss these recipe cards and I looked through them and took about ten or twelve before they hit the trash. Who the "my" is from the title, I have no idea, nor do I know if the company is even still in business.

1 pound ground beef
1 tablespoon oil (vegetable, canola, regular olive oil are all good choices)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 sm to med head of cabbage, or 1 lb bag cole slaw mix
1 med. carrot, sliced or diced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper or to taste
1 bay leaf
2 1/2 cups of beef broth (homemade/canned/carton)
1 to 1 1/2 cup(s) water
2 tbsp soy sauce
fresh or dried parsley (optional)

In a soup pan, brown the ground beef with the oil (you can then drain of any fat), then add the onion and garlic, cook until the onion and garlic are softened. Add the cabbage, carrot, salt, seasoned salt, pepper, bay leaf (don't forget to remove this later), beef broth and water. Simmer until cabbage and carrot are tender. Stir in the soy sauce and parsley and serve. Leftovers taste just a good, or maybe even better.

WORD HISTORY:
Harvest-This word is distantly related to "excerpt" (both verb and noun), a word borrowed by English from Latin. "Harvest" goes back to Indo European "kerp/karp," which had the notion "to gather, to pluck." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "harbistaz" (West Germanic branch) and "harbustaz" (North Germanic branch), which meant "time of harvest, time of gathering in." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "haerfest," meaning 'harvest time," and by extension "autumn" or "fall." This later became "hervest/harvest," with "harvest" becoming the standard. "Harvest" was the English word for "autumn/fall" until both of those forms began to overtake its use in the 1500s. The other Germanic languages have various forms, most still meaning "autumn/fall," unless noted: German "Herbst," Low German "Harvst," West Frisian "hjerst," Dutch "herfst," Danish "høst" (meaning "harvest"), Norwegian "høst," Icelandic "haust," and Swedish "höst."