English French Fries Sandwich: Chip Butty

This sandwich originated in England, but it is not uncommon in other parts of Britain and Ireland. "Chip" comes from the name of the fried potato pieces,* and "butty" comes from the butter slathered over the bread slices. The word "chips" should not be confused with the American word used in reference to very thin slices of potato that are fried (sometimes baked) until crisp, and which are then called "potato chips," as these are called "(potato) crisps" in Britain. You can use bread or rolls for the sandwich, and you can toast the bread a little, which will cut down on sogginess, as a chip butty is likely to require a good number of napkins. You can fry your own potatoes (some prefer to bake them), or you can buy some french fries, steak fries or chips to take home from a restaurant (then keep them in a warm oven, like 225F, until you are ready to place them into the sandwiches), although this may cause your personal invitation to Buckingham Palace to be canceled, IF you have one). You can top the sandwich with ketchup, or you can add some mayonnaise and some chopped herbs like rosemary, thyme or parsley, or you can add British brown sauce, which is very similar to some types of American steak sauce,** or you can give the sandwich a dose of some malt vinegar.

Ingredients (per sandwich): 

2 slices of bread or a split bread roll

butter

potatoes, peeled or unpeeled, cut into slices about 3 inches long and 1/2 inch thick

salt

Let the butter soften somewhat to make it easy to spread. For each sandwich, butter one side of two slices of bread (or the inside parts of a split bread roll) with a good amount of butter. Fry or bake the potato pieces (then salt them to taste, but I use salted butter, so you can skip lots of extra salt if you so choose), or keep restaurant fries/chips warm in the oven until right before you put them into the sandwiches. Put a double layer of warm/hot fries/chips onto the bread or roll. If using a topping, top with ketchup or mayonnaise and herbs or brown sauce or steak sauce or malt vinegar, then place the other slice of bread on top (or close the bread roll) and press down a bit to secure the sandwich. The heat from the potatoes will begin to melt the butter, coating the potatoes in yummy, buttery delight. Have plenty of napkins handy.   

 

* British "chips" are not necessarily the same as American french fries, which are often a thinner cut of potato, sometimes referred to as "shoestring fries," although I'm not certain what the guideline is for the shoestring terminology, if there even is a guideline. British "chips" and American "steak fries" are more similar. The term "chips" of the British usage is not completely unheard of in the U.S., especially in reference to "fish and chips," as some American restaurants market this common combo under that name, while many use "fish and fries," or "fish and french fries."   

** To my knowledge (I know, that's a low standard), there is no mandatory list of ingredients for "steak sauce," but when I hear the term used, I think of "A-1 Steak Sauce," long a popular brand in the U.S., and which is now marketed as "A-1 Sauce," which can trace its roots to the 1800s in England; thus, its similarity to British brown sauce.  

WORD HISTORY:

Bare-This word goes back to Indo European "bhosos," which meant "barefoot, unshod, uncovered." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "bazaz" meaning "naked, uncovered," which gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "bær" meaning "naked, not hidden."^ This then became "bar," before the ending 'e' was added to show the interior vowel was long. Some Germanic relatives also use forms to mean "pure;" often applied to "immediately usable money;" that is, "cash." The verb form was "likely" from the adjective and was "barian" in Old English, and meant, "to make bare, to uncover." Note: Some people believe there was an Old Germanic verb form that was passed down in various forms to its descendants and that's possible. Relatives of "bare" in the other Germanic languages: German has "bar," in modern times Low German uses forms in compounds for "barefoot" as "barft," "boorfoot" and "barfs" (Low German is not a standard language, but rather a number of dialects), and for "cash," as "Boorgeld," Dutch has "baar" ("seemingly" not used much, but used in reference to "cash" (baar geld) and to "gold ingots" (pure gold), Frisian once had "ber," but it apparently no longer uses a form of the word, Danish has "bar," Norwegian has "bar," Icelandic has "ber," Swedish (not standard, dialects only) has "bär."  

 

^ The change of 'z' to 'r' is called "rhotacism," and it was common in Germanic, although for whatever reason, some Germanic dialects did not always follow suit.   

English Oxford Sausages

Oxford sausages date to the 1720s in Oxford, England (where did you think it would be, Edinburgh, Scotland? haha). The usually skinless sausage became much more popular by the mid 1800s because of recipes included in various cookbooks. 

 

Ingredients:

 

1 pound ground pork

1 pound ground veal

1/4 cup shredded beef suet 

2 1/2 cups breadcrumbs

1 heaping tablespoon grated lemon peel

1/2 teaspoon ground mace

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon well crumbled dried sage leaves

1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram, crushed in the palm of your hand

1/2 teaspoon dried savory, crushed in the palm of your hand 

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

1 teaspoon salt

flour to coat the sausages

 

Put all of the ingredients, except the flour, into a large bowl and mix everything together well. Let the sausage mixture sit for about 10 to 15 minutes. It's best to use a little flour on your hands, then form the the mixture into sausages (roll them between the palms of your hands). Put the sausages on a plate, cover them with some plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least six hours, but 12 hours is better. Before cooking the sausages, roll them in a little flour to coat them (shake off excess flour). You can fry, bake or grill the sausages.  

 

I had Oxford sausages with mashed potatoes ...

WORD HISTORY:

Tallow-The origins of this word are uncertain, but Old Germanic had "talga(z)," which seems to have meant not just "fat," but "firm or solidified fat," with the "firm, solidified" meaning perhaps having been the original meaning of the word, as Gothic, an ancient Germanic language of the East Germanic branch of the Germanic languages had "tulgus," meaning "firm, solid, steady." (Gothic died out completely in the 1700s, but it had been very much reduced in usage long before that.) The Old Germanic form gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "tælg," which meant "dye" (perhaps from the idea that 'dye' becomes fast in materials?). By the mid 1300s the form became a number of spellings/pronunciations, like "talugh, talgh, talwugh," and the meaning fell in line with its Germanic relatives of being "hard or solid animal fat," with the meaning "seemingly" taken from its close cousin Low German. Eventually English settled on "tallow." The verb form came about in the 1400s from the noun and meaning, "to use tallow to grease or lubicrate." Forms in the other Germanic languages: German has "Talg" (borrowed from Low German "talch" in the first part of the 1500s), Low German has "Talg" (previously "talch"), Dutch has "talk" (not pronounced as the English word of the same spelling, but more like as if, "tall-k"), West Frisian "talk," Old Norse had "tolg/talg," but this may have been borrowed from Low German. Old Norse speakers had lots of contact with Low German speakers, and influences went in both directions, and Danish, Norwegian and Swedish all have "talg," while Icelandic has "tólg/tólgur."       

Savory Bread Pudding

In the US, when Americans hear the word "pudding," their minds are likely to turn to a sweetened, thickened milk based dessert, most commonly, but not exclusively, in either chocolate or vanilla. Butterscotch was a common flavor when I was a kid, and perhaps it still is? These puddings come as a dry mix in a small bag inside a box. To fix them, you add milk and cook them until the starch in the ingredients thickens the pudding, or there are also similar puddings that need only to be stirred well with cold milk, no cooking needed. Ah... forget all of that! Initially developed in England as a way to use stale bread, circa 1150, bread pudding took a swerve toward sweetness as a dessert recipe as time went on, although the bread-based stuffing and dressing mixtures used for various fowls or other animals are still going strong, and they are really something of a close cousin to bread pudding. These stuffings are often savory, but some recipes call for the addition of various fruit, which combines the savory with the sweet. Bread pudding uses milk and eggs in its preparation, which usually separates it from its various stuffing relatives, even though stuffings often use eggs, but as a binder. I used cheddar cheese to give this recipe a little bit more of an  "English" twist, but I kept the cheese as the orange-colored style, more typical of the United States, and ah, besides, it was on sale. In its English homeland, and in Britain, in general, cheddar is most often "white," but that's not to say they don't produce any orange colored (or should I say, "coloured?") type, but I'm not quite sure. In the US, the white cheddar is also produced, and it is called... "white cheddar." Hey, you can't always have an imaginative name. This is great as a side dish or, add a salad, and it's perfect for lunch. Let's see... meat, bread, cheese, eggs and vegetables... a little bit of everything!

Ingredients:

6 1/2 cups dried cubed bread  
3 large eggs
1 2/3 cups milk (I use canned evaporated milk)
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 pound bulk/loose sage sausage
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil* + more to coat the baking dish
6 cups chopped kale (may seem like a lot, but it isn't; I used lacinato kale, but curly kale is fine**)
1/2 pound Cheddar thinly sliced or shredded

Put the bread cubes into a lightly oiled pan or baking dish of "about" 9" x 13" size (see photo, below). Beat the eggs and mix them with the milk, pour over the bread and let the bread sit and soak up the liquid. Heat the oven to 375 F. In a skillet, add the oil over medium heat. When the oil is heated, put pieces of the sausage into the pan and continue to break up any large pieces of the sausage until there are no especially large chucks left. Cook for about 3 minutes, then add the onion. When the onion starts to soften, add the kale, and you may need to add it in stages, until it cooks down a little, which only takes a short time. Add the pepper. Add the kale/sausage mixture to the soaked bread pieces, folding the kale and other ingredients into the bread (outright stirring will break up the bread pieces, so you want to fold the ingredients together). Smooth the bread mixture out and sprinkle the shredded cheddar over the top, or lay the thin slices of cheddar over the top. Bake for about 1 hour, or, if you like the top a little darker, turn the heat to 400 F and bake about 10 to 15 minutes longer, or you could put it under the broiler for maybe 4 or 5 minutes. Just keep your eyes on it whether you use the broiler or the hotter oven. There will be some bubbling around the edges, but that's normal. The pudding should be "set" in the middle, the same as you'd think of a cake, with no runny middle. I use a serving spoon to scoop the pudding out onto plates.    

* When I was younger, pork and pork sausage was always "fatty." In more recent times hogs are much leaner and so you may need to adjust the amount of oil you use in this dish. I started with 1 tablespoon of olive oil to cook the sausage, but it proved to be inadequate, so I added a second tablespoon of oil. It's certainly possible you may need even a little more, or perhaps, a little less, if you happen to get more fatty sausage; so, the 2 tablespoons of oil are just a guide, not a truly fixed amount.

** Lacinato kale is also known to some as Italian kale. It is very dark green, with an elongated, "somewhat" flat leaf and it has become easier to find in supermarkets and produce stores in more recent times. Curly kale is, and has been, the more common type of kale in the U.S. It is a somewhat lighter green color and its leaves are curly. Hm, do you think that's why they call it "curly kale?"

I put a pound of butter behind the dish to give a comparison for the size of the dish...

WORD HISTORY:
Tuesday-The "Tues" part of the word goes back to Indo European "dyeu," which had the notion of "bright or shining." This general concept gave the further notion of "sky," which then gave the notion of "god/gods," since humans came to believe that deities lived, well.... in the sky. This gave Old Germanic "Tiwaz," the name for their "god of the sky (and also of war)."* (**) This was passed down to Old English as "Tiu"(also spelled "Tiw"). It "seems" that the Germanic tribes, including those who became the "English," took to naming some days after "gods," from the Roman example (there's that influence from contact with other peoples). With "Tiu," to show possession; that is, genitive case, it became "Tiwes," plus "daeg," the old form of "day" in English; thus, we have "Tiu's daeg," with "daeg" eventually losing its "g," and the spelling "Tuesday" coming along a bit later. *** Not all of the Germanic languages use a form of "Tuesday" in modern times, but here are the relatives: Danish has "tirsdag" (the Norse form of "Tiu/Tiw" was "Tyr," which also later went to England with Norse-speaking raiders and settlers), West Frisian "tiisdei," Faroese" has "týsdagur," **** Norwegian "tirsdag," Swedish "tisdag." German once used "Ziesdag," Low German once used "tiuwesdag." 

* This same Indo European base gave other Indo European languages words/names with essentially the same meaning: for example, Latin "deus" meant "god," and of course the famous Greek god, "Zeus." Both Latin and Greek are related to English, but somewhat further down the family tree.

** The Germanic gods can be quite confusing, at least to me, but then again I get confused counting up to ten, but I can get there if you give me a minute or so. From what I know, which is VERY limited, even historians aren't quite sure about some of the "positions of power" held by the various Germanic gods in the Old Germanic period of history. This is just a guess, but it may be that some or all of these gods held different "powers" at various times, and especially as the Germanic tribes dispersed; with one tribe believing a particular god to have certain powers, while another tribe came to hold a slightly different view of that god. To further complicate matters, the Germanic tribes would undoubtedly have been influenced by (and also bestowed influence upon) other peoples they came into contact with regarding such fundamental beliefs.

*** For the history of the word "day," this is the link to the article with that "Word History:" http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2016/04/german-meatballs-in-caper-sauce.html

**** Faroese is the language of the Faroe Islands. It is from the North Germanic branch of the Germanic languages. The Faroe Islands are self governing, but they are a possession of the Kingdom of Denmark. 

German Egg Grog: Eiergrog

The German North Sea coast is the ancestral homeland of the Germanic tribes that sailed to Briton 1500 years ago and founded England. To this day the English and the Germans of the area share more than their DNA and the common Germanic source of their languages,* as they also share a good deal of weather, as well as food and beverage similarities. Like their English cousins, these northern Germans like tea, although I'm sure this isn't some shared genetic trait, but rather more a fact of shared cool, damp weather conditions in many parts of both northern Germany and parts of England, as well as the fact that tea drinking has become quite a tradition among these North Sea cousins. The Germans in this area of the north use rock candy (called "Kluntje" in the region) to sweeten their tea. Another shared drink is grog, borrowed by the Germans from the English. The drink is served hot, and it is another tie to weather conditions, as it can take the chill out of a polar bear (German: Eisbär, literally, "ice bear," but they also use "Polarbär"). So the English and the northern Germans share tea and grog, both a type of "drink," which is "Drank" in both Low German and Frisian, and "Getränk" in standard German. This grog has egg yolk and is called "Eiergrog" (the first part is pronounced as if, "eye-ah") in German; that is, "Eggs Grog." **

Ingredients (4 servings):

3 egg yolks
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
8 ounces rum (light or dark)
8 ounces hot water (you can adjust the amount of rum and water)

If you have a stainless steel bowl that will fit over a pan of hot water, that is ideal for this. Heat the water in the pan. Meanwhile, heat some more water to be added to the mixture. Mix the egg yolks and sugar and set the bowl over the hot water. Stirring constantly, gradually add the rum, then the hot water. Don't let the eggs curdle, and pull the bowl off of the hot water if need be to prevent curdling. Keep stirring (whisking is best) until you get some froth to the rum mixture. Serve the grog in glasses and stir again to keep the froth. If desired, dust each glass of grog with a bit of nutmeg or mace.  

* The Germans of the area often grow up bilingual, speaking Low German and standard German, and some even grow up multilingual, speaking Frisian, or even Danish.

** English long had "ei/ey/eai" (dialectal variances all pronounced essentially like "eye") as its word for "egg," with "egg" being a close relative of the former word, but brought to northern England long ago by the Danes, who spoke Old Norse, a Germanic cousin of English from the North Germanic branch of Germanic. "Egg" eventually won the battle, but not until the 16th Century. If my memory is right, some linguists have speculated that the "eye" pronunciation of the long time English word may have aided "egg" as a replacement, because of the same pronunciation for the "eye," the organ of sight.  

WORD HISTORY:
Grog-This word goes back to the nickname for Edward Vernon, an English admiral of the mid 1700s, who often commanded ships in the West Indies, famous for its rum. He was called "Old Grog" for his grogram coat. Grogram was a fabric of strong, but coarse material. The admiral gave orders that the rum for his men was to be watered down, thus providing the basis for the drink of rum with water added. The drink also often had lemon added as a preventive measure for scurvy on ships. I've read somewhere, but I cannot now recall where, that the admiral's "water down the rum" order was met by the talk of mutiny. George Washington's brother served under Vernon, and it is for this reason the Washington estate came to be called Mount Vernon (the admiral died well before the American Revolution). "Groggy" came from the idea of being under the influence of too much grog, although later the term broadened in meaning to any condition of not being clear in mind, regardless of alcohol intake.  

Lobscouse or Labskaus: A Dish From The Sailing Ship Days

English "Lobscouse" and German "Labskaus" aren't so much true recipes, but rather they are an assembling of various parts of a meal, all easily bought at your local store and none really requires much preparation, unless you choose to make some things from "scratch." Lobscouse, pronounced as if, "lops-cowse," developed from foods commonly carried on sailing ships in the 1700s. The term "may" have developed in England, as "Lobscouse," and then spread to the close cousin of English, Low German, where it was borrowed by standard German. On the other hand, there are those who believe the term developed in German and spread elsewhere. The problem I have with this theory is, in the 1700s, most Germans in the coastal north of Germany spoke Low German, as standard German was not really that common in those areas at that time. Further, there are some obviously related terms in Denmark and Norway, as well as clear over in the areas of the eastern Baltic Sea, all areas, in those times, much more in contact with Low German, but the similarity in the terms and the passing of the base term from area to area is not surprising, as trade between the various regions of the Baltic and North Seas was quite common, but still the word's exact history is unclear.

The component parts of the dish also varied, with English "Lobscouse" being a stew of salt cured beef, soaked a bit in water to lessen the saltiness, then stewed with potatoes, carrots, onions, or perhaps some other vegetables, when available. It seems that some sea cooks thickened the stew with bread crumbs made by pounding stale bread. Some stories I've read mention that beets were often served with the stew (see German Labskaus, below). In more modern times, the basic idea has remained, but the meat nowadays is often mutton or beef, or even ham, and more seasonings are included, as well as other vegetables and rich meat stock. Of course, in the days of the great sailing ships, the beef was salt cured to preserve it. Lobscouse is a specialty of the city of Liverpool in England.  

German "Labskaus" is well known in northern Germany, especially in the cities of Hamburg and Bremen; in fact, I first had "Labskaus" in Hamburg in 1985. "Labskaus" is typically canned corned beef (there's the salt cured beef), potatoes, pickled beets, pickled herring and pickles; then the dish is topped by a fried egg (German: Spiegelei). Rather than use canned corned beef, some people simmer a piece of beef with some salt and seasonings for a couple of hours. They then grind the meat. Sometimes, the pickle, along with a bit of onion, is wrapped up in herring fillets, which is called "Rollmops." Other preserved fish is also used at times. The potatoes are peeled, diced and simmered until just tender, but not falling apart. They are then drained and mixed into the corned beef. A good serving of the beef and potato mix is put in the middle of the plate and it is ringed by some pickled beets, pickled herring or other fish, and some sliced pickles. A fried egg goes on top of the corned beef and potatoes. Some cooks grind or chop the beets and the herring and mix them into the corned beef and potatoes.

So, what you'll need:

canned corned beef or beef simmered with salt and maybe some peppercorns and bay leaves
potatoes, peeled, diced and simmered just until tender
pickled beets from a jar are fine or make them yourself
pickled herring or other herring or sardines
dill pickles, cut into slices lengthwise    
fried eggs

In the picture, I used "Rollmops," a German herring specialty of pickle slices and some onion rolled up in herring fillets, which are then held in place with wooden picks. You can find Rollmops in some supermarkets, but some seafood places may also have them, but regular pickled herring is totally fine to use, as are sardines. I made my own beets, and I improvised, as I had a couple of green onions, so I cut them up, green and all, and used them in the beets. 

WORD HISTORY:
Wade-This word, distantly related through Indo European to the "vade" part of both "invade" and "evade," words of Latin derivation that were borrowed by English, goes back to Indo European "wahd," which had the notion, "to go through." This gave its Old Germanic offspring, "wadan," meaning, "to go through, to cross through," seemingly also with the underlying notion of "go against hindrance." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "wadan," with the same meaning, but more specifically, "to cross a shallow part of a river or stream, to ford, to walk through generally shallow water." This then became "waden," before the modern form, along with the figurative meanings, "to proceed regardless of difficulty, to become involved in some difficulty." The other Germanic languages have: German "waten" (to wade), Low German Saxon "waden" (to wade), Dutch "waden" (to wade), Danish "vade" (to wade), Icelandic "vaða" (=vatha, meaning, "to wade"), Norwegian "vade/vada" (to wade), Swedish "vada" (to wade). (I found what appeared to be forms of the verb in West Frisian, but I could not find the infinitive form.) The "Wadden Sea," known in Low German as the "Wattensee" and in West Frisian as the "Waadsee," is the name of a coastal area of shallow water and wetlands in the North Sea running from southwestern Denmark, northern Germany and the northeastern Netherlands. In a way, you could say, it's the "Wading Sea," as the term is derived from the same Germanic source, with the idea being, "an area of the sea being shallow enough to be waded." By the way, French "gué" ("ford") was borrowed from Germanic Frankish.

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. 

Alfred the Great & the English Language

In the time of Alfred (Old English form: Ælfræd), essentially the second half of the 800s, there was no united nation of England, rather there were a number of English kingdoms. Alfred was the king of Wessex, named after the West Saxons. Without Alfred's persistence in rallying his people against the advancing Danes (Vikings), there is a good chance the English language would not have survived, and the related Germanic language of Old Norse,* the language of the Vikings, would have taken over as the language of the English lands. But Alfred DID rally the Anglo-Saxons and he and his army defeated the Danes. 

In those times, Christianity had spread throughout much of Europe, including to England, and along with the religion came Latin for church personnel and many educated people. The Viking raids and conquests in England greatly disrupted and diminished the religious instituions, and thus, Latin, in England. Once the wars had subsided, Alfred, who was a religious man, was concerned with his people's spiritual education, and he went forward with a program to have a number of religious works translated from Latin into the language of the people... ENGLISH. It "seems" Alfred not only had books translated into English from Latin, but indeed, he helped with some of the translations himself. Alfred also pushed for what became "The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles," although this historical work of the history of the English people didn't actually begin until after Alfred's death. He also had laws set down in writing, thus providing written codes, in English. It is not without reason that Alfred is designated, "the Great."

* Old Norse didn't just go away in England; rather, Viking settlements helped Old Norse to influence English, as gradually it contributed words to English, often either replacing or melding with English forms of those same words, or by providing synonyms for existing words. For example, English then had "sceo," which meant "cloud," while Old Norse had "sky," which also meant "cloud," with both words coming from the same Old Germanic source. It was a bit later before "sky" took on the meaning that is still has today. English had "sick," and it took the word "ill" from Old Norse. In other cases, rather than becoming true synonyms, the words became slightly different in meaning: the English noun "hide," but Old Norse "skin." Originally, "hide" was the general word for skin in English, but with the borrowing of the Old Norse word, hide came to be more the term for animal skin, but interestingly, we "skin" the "hide" from an animal, in verb usage.

WORD HISTORY:
Good-This common word is distantly related to "gather," It goes back to Indo European "ghedh," which had the notion of "unify, unite, join, keep together;" thus also, "to fit together, be suitable." This gave its Old Germanic offspring, "godaz," meaning, "fitting;" thus, "positive feeling toward things that fit together, are suitable." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "god" (long "o"), meaning, "good." This then came to be spelled with the double "o," as the sound lessened from the long "o." The noun has the same basic history, with the meaning, "a good thing, a positive action, a counter force to evil, wealth, property, item for sale." Forms in the other Germanic languages: German has "gut" and the noun "Gut" (meaning, "estate, property, possession"), Low German Saxon has "goot" and the noun "Goot" (same meaning as German), West Frisian "goed" and noun "guod" (stuff, goods"), Dutch "goed" and noun "goed" and "goedje" (goed=property, estate; goedje=stuff), Danish "god" and noun "gods" (estate), Norwegian "god" (Norwegian uses other words for the noun meanings), Icelandic "góður" (ð=th, and Icelandic uses other words for the noun meanings), Swedish "god" (Swedish uses other words for the noun meanings).    

What's In A Name: Alfred, Victoria, Victor

Alfred-This name, written as "Ælfræd," in Old English, is a compound of "ælf," which is modern "elf," and "ræd," which meant, "adviser" or "counsel." The Germanic peoples believed elves had great powers and knowledge; thus, the idea to the name was "wise or knowledgeable advisor." The word "ræd" came from the verb which later developed into "read," but its primary meaning in those times was, "to advise," and a form of its German cousin is part of the German word "Rathaus," which does NOT mean "rat house," but rather, "town or city hall," as long ago a town's leaders (advisers) met with residents there. The name was popular in England from King Alfred the Great, who lived in the 800s. The name has lasted into modern times, although it is not highly common today.     

Victoria-This is from Latin for "victory," derived from Latin "victor," which meant, "conqueror, one who brings victory." "Victoria" was the name of the Roman goddess of victory. The name became popular in England, Britain and British possessions during the long reign of Queen Victoria from 1837 until her death in 1901. Of course, "Victor" is the male form of the name.

 I consulted the following, so for more information on any of the names see, "A World Of Baby Names" by Teresa Norman, published by Perigee/Penguin Group, New York, 2003.

WORD HISTORY:
Hall-This word is distantly related to "cellar," a word of Latin derivation borrowed by English, and to "helmet," a word of Germanic origin, with an original form in English ("helm"), but a word absorbed into Old French from the Germanic dialect/language Frankish, and then given the diminutive ending "et," and then borrowed in this diminutive form by English. "Hall" goes back to the Indo European root "kel/khel," which meant "cover." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "hallo," which meant, "covered area, covered place." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "heall," which meant, "place for dwelling, room for hearing law cases," and later also, "place for entertainment or celebration." This then became "halle," before the modern form. The meaning, "corridor or passageway inside a building," is a shortening of "hallway;" that is, "the way leading to or from a hall." The other Germanic languages have: German "Halle," Low German Saxon "Hall," Dutch "hal," Danish "hal," Norwegian "hall," Swedish "hall," Icelandic "höll" (meaning the more specific. "palace"). I could not find a form of "hall" in modern Frisian. 

What's In A Name: Jacob, James, Guinevere

Jacob-This name is from transliterated Hebrew "Ya'aqov," which seems to have meant, "one who follows on the heels of and takes the place of another;" thus, "a supplanter." Greek borrowed the name as transliterated "Iakobos," which was then borrowed by Latin as "Iacobus." English took the name as "Jacob" from the Latin form, which also had a variant form of the name, as "Jacomus." This second form passed into French as "James," which was borrowed by English and became widely used by Christians, in preference to "Jacob," which was thought of by many as a Jewish name. Other common forms of "Jacob," outside of English, are "Jakob," "Yakov," "Giacomo" and "Yakub." Another form of "James" is "Jaime."

Guinevere-This is from Welsh "Gwenhwyfar," which "seemingly" meant "fair and smooth." * At some point after the Normans conquered England in late 1066, they rendered the name as "Guenevere." Famously, "Guinevere" is the name of King Arthur's wife in the writings about the legendary leader of a part of the the Celtic people who were resisting the Anglo-Saxon invasion of Briton. Some of those Celtic people survived the Anglo-Saxons in Cornwall,** in southwestern England, where the name came to be rendered as "Jennifer."  

* Some sources believe the meaning to have been "white ghost/spirit."

** The original language of Cornwall was "Cornish," one of the Celtic languages, and closely related to Welsh and Breton (from Brittany in France). It has declined, as English prevailed as the primary language in Cornwall, but it is still spoken as a second language by some there, while others know at least some words or phrases.

For these names, I consulted: 1) "A World of Baby Names" by Teresa Norman, published by Perigee/Penguin Group, New York, 2003. 2) Behindthename.com

WORD HISTORY:
Glee-There is a problem with "glee's" history. This word, related to "glad" and to "glisten," both from Germanic, goes back to Indo European "ghel," which had the notion "to shine, to cause or to bring light," with the extended meaning, "to bring joy or happiness." Many sources cite some Old Germanic offspring from the Indo European form, but the problem I have is, where are the forms in other Germanic languages, although Old Norse had "gly," which meant "joy, gladness." I wonder if, in fact, "glee" is not just a shortened form of "glad," which was "glæd" in English long ago, or an English invention fashioned out of "glæd" as an intensifier, as while "glad" means "happy, pleased, cheerful," it does not convey the intensity of joy that "glee" signifies. In Old English, "glee" was rendered as both "gleo" and "gliw" and meant, "joy, merriment, jesting, mirth." Further, in Old English, a "gleoman" was a "jester" or a "minstrel." Could it be that the forms of "glee" back then were more often applied to "joy" provided by performers/entertainers who made people "gleeful?" "Glad" often expresses a sense of cheerfulness derived from "satisfaction;" as in, "I'm glad your son chose to go to college." "Perhaps" the Old Norse form could have been borrowed FROM English. The Old English forms melded into "gle," before doubling the "e" for the modern version. 

What's In A Name: Elmer, Ellen

Elmer-This is a name from England, originally a family name, which began as "Aethelmaer," with "aethel" meaning noble (see Word History below) and "maer" meaning "famous, renowned." This name contracted to "Aylmer," then to "Elmer." Not a common name anymore, but a next door neighbor many year's ago was named Elmer, and one of his sons was named after him.

Ellen-This name is really a form of "Helen," which goes back to Greek "Helene," and seems to have had to with "bright, shining." "Ellen" was the more common spelling in English until the 1600s, when "Helen" became more common, likely from the influence of Latin and French.

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. 

WORD HISTORY:
Noble-This word, distantly related to "know" and "can" (the verb), both original English words of Germanic derivation, and to Latin-derived "notice," a word borrowed by English by way of French, goes back to Indo European "gn(oh)/gn(eh)," which meant, "to know." This gave Latin "gnoscere," meaning, "to come to know." This gave Latin the adjective "nobilis," meaning, "well known, renowned;" thus, "famous," with the further implication of "of good and high quality birth." This passed into Latin-based Old French as "noble," with the "of good and high quality birth" meaning becoming primary, and also, "having outstanding qualities." English borrowed the word in the early 1200s, and the noun for a man of high social rank "seems" to have been derived from that a few decades later, but likely with reinforcement by French, and probably by Latin, too. "Noble" replaced the native English word "aethel," which had become "athel." Close relative German still has "Adel," meaning "nobility," and "Edelmann" and "Edelfrau" meaning "nobleman" and "noblewoman," respectively.

Smothered Steak/Swiss Steak

"Smothered Steak," is a traditional part of the cuisine of the American South, "apparently" having been brought there by colonists from England, where the term is also used. In other parts of the U.S. it is known as "Swiss Steak," which has nothing to do with "Swiss cheese, Swiss army knives, Swiss chard, Swiss bank accounts or Swiss chocolate." In fact, it has nothing to do with Switzerland or with the cuisine of that country. The story is, this term "Swiss" comes from the tenderizing pounding process used for the steak (which was/is called "swissing"), which came from tougher, less expensive cuts of beef. There are variations on the recipe, with some using a heavy proportion of tomatoes, and others using less tomatoes and making the sauce into more of an actual gravy, as I've done here. If you'd like the sauce to be more "tomato-y," you could use a half cup of canned diced tomato, with the juice.    

Ingredients:

2 pounds round steak, sliced into serving pieces, then pounded to about a 1/2 inch thin
3/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon seasoned salt (your favorite brand)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 cup sliced or chopped button mushrooms
1 cup sliced or chopped baby bella mushrooms
5 tablespoons olive oil (don't be afraid to use more oil, if needed)
2 cups beef stock
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup chopped tomatoes, fresh or canned. If canned, you can drain or use the juice, your choice.
1/2 teaspoon savory
2 to 3 tablespoons flour mixed with 3 to 4 tablespoons water

Mix the flour, black pepper and seasoned salt together on a plate. Dredge the pieces of steak in seasoned flour, then place each piece between plastic wrap, and, using a meat mallet or edge of a plate, pound it thinner. The point is to pound the seasoned flour into the steak, while tenderizing the steak at the same time. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. If you use an oven safe skillet, it will be one less thing to wash later. Anyway, brown the seasoned and tenderized steak pieces in batches. Heat the oven to 350 F. To the skillet, if using, or to a baking dish, add the onion, the mushrooms, the tomatoes, the savory, the beef stock and the Worcestershire sauce. Stir to mix. Add the browned steak pieces and cover the skillet or dish. Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes, then reduce heat to 300 F and bake about another 90 minutes, or until the steak pieces are very tender. Remove from the oven. If using the skillet, place the steak pieces on a separate plate and put the skillet on a burner at medium heat. It should quickly bubble, then gradually stir in the flour/water mixture until the gravy/sauce reaches the desired thickness. I'm a mashed potatoes guy, but many often serve it with buttered noodles.

I had mine with mashed potatoes, carrots and cottage cheese.

WORD HISTORY:
Smother-This word, distantly related to "smolder" and "smell," "seems" to go back to an Indo European "smur/smul," likely variants of some unknown Indo European root. There are other Indo European relatives to the word outside of Germanic. The notion lying behind the meaning seemingly has to do with "heat, fire, burn," and the results of such; that is, "smoke coming from," and, "smoke covering someone or something." From the Indo European came an Old Germanic offspring like, "smuronan," which meant, "to choke or to choke to death from smoke," which only remained in West Germanic, which gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "smorian," which meant, "to choke, to suffocate." Its third person singular was "smoraþ" (=smorath), which produced the noun "smorther," meaning "heavy or thick smoke;" that is, "smoke so thick as to choke a person." Later the verb became "smortheren," before the word contracted to "smoth(e)ren," and then to "smother." The word also took on the cooking meaning, "to cover and cook slowly," sometimes rendered as "smoren," perhaps by influence of the same spelling in the related Low German, Dutch and Flemish words. Relatives of "smother" in the other Germanic languages: German has "schmoren," meaning, "to braise, to cook meat slowly in a covered pan with liquid," but this was borrowed from Low German in the 1600s. In German it also has the figurative meaning, "to stew," as in the English expression, "to stew in one's own juices;" that is, "to worry over and fret about the consequences of one's own deeds." Further, it means, "to swelter in hot weather." Low German "smoren/smorten," meaning, "to choke;" Dutch "smoren" (to choke, but also the cooking usage "braise").

Sherlock Holmes with Basil Rathbone & Nigel Bruce

Probably many younger people only know that Robert Downey Jr. played Sherlock Holmes and Jude Law played Doctor Watson in a couple of movies just a few years ago, and very well, too. But way back in the late 1930s, Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce played Holmes and Watson, respectively, beginning a series of fourteen films the two British actors made using the stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle as a basis for the movies' scripts. The film versions updated many of Doyle's stories to modern times (then the 1940s), especially about World War Two, as Holmes did his part to fight the Nazis and to thwart their plans to win the war. Other movies in the series made extensive use of automobiles and electronic technology of those times, as opposed to the original stories that were set in the latter part of the 1800s and into the early 1900s.

Probably the most famous of the Rathbone/Bruce series was the first movie, "The Hound of the Baskervilles," released by 20th Century Fox in 1939. Like Doyle's story, which also was very popular, the film was set in the latter part of the 1800s. The story centers around a supposed curse on the Baskerville family dating back a couple of hundred years, which involves a huge and vicious hound that kills members of the family, whose estate is located in the moor of Devonshire (now known as simply "Devon"). The heir to the estate, Sir Henry Baskerville (played by Richard Greene), is coming to England and the family doctor, Dr. Mortimer (played by Lionel Atwill), goes to Sherlock Holmes to tell him of his fears for the heir, and to tell about the history of the curse. Holmes does not believe in the curse, but he realizes there is something wrong, and he sends Watson to the estate to oversee the safety of Sir Henry. With attention diverted from him, Holmes disguises himself and goes to stay on the moorland near the estate to see if he can find out anything on his own. Meanwhile, we meet neighbor John Stapleton (played by Morton Lowry), as well as the butler, (Mr.) Barryman (played by John Carradine) and his wife (played by Eily Malyon). The latter couple's behavior draws attention to them as possible suspects. Holmes eventually finds out that Mrs. Barryman's brother, an escapee from prison, is hiding on the moor. His sister secretly gives him food and some clothing worn by Sir Henry (thus the uneasy behavior by Mrs. Barryman and her husband). The man is then attacked and killed by the Great Dane (they also have Great Pastry, some with prunes, which can help you .... ah... with a medical condition). Holmes finds the pit where the hound is kept, but in order to throw off the real culprit, Holmes tells everyone he is going back to London, thus setting the stage for an attempt on Sir Henry's life. Holmes heads back to the moor, where Sir Henry is about to be attacked by the hound, which has been set loose by John Stapleton, who, it turns out, is a relative of the Baskervilles trying to eliminate Sir Henry, so he can claim the estate. The hound is killed and Stapleton gets away from the house, but Holmes assures everyone that police have the area covered and that Stapleton will be arrested.

Other films in the series featured various characters, including: the infamous Professor Moriarty (played in three different films by George Zucco, Lionel Atwill, and Henry Daniell), Inspector Lestrade (played by Dennis Hoey), Mrs. Hudson (the landlady, played by Mary Gordon), the Creeper (played by Rondo Hatton, whose face in real life had been terribly deformed by a medical disorder), the Spider Woman (played by Gale Sondergaard) and Sebastian Moran (played by Alan Mowbray). Of course, if there had been a typo, it could have been "Sebastian Moron."

There were some memorable scenes, as the producers had the series set in the World War Two era in England, and Sherlock Holmes was used to fight the Nazis and rally people against the Nazi enemy: During an attempt to find Nazi spies, a woman gives a sort of speech to a group of disinterested working class Englishmen in a dimly lit pub. She tells them how they need to help, because "this is for England!" In another movie, Holmes and Watson go to the United States to find and protect secret microfilm wanted by the Nazis. At the end, the two drive down the street in Washington, D.C. toward the capitol building. Holmes quotes from a speech given by Churchill to Congress about how the United States and Britain will cooperate to win the war. And at the close of another film where Holmes fights the Nazis, he quotes a few lines from Shakespeare's "Richard II," after Watson notes, "This little island is still on the map:" Holmes says, "This fortress built by Nature for herself ... This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England."  

Photo is from the MPI Home Video DVD set (I can find no date on the discs or on the box, but I've owned this for several years, and I believe they have new packaging for it now).

WORD HISTORY:
Detect-This prefixed word goes back to Indo European "do," with the notion of "toward;" thus, "away from," which then gave Latin "de," frequently a Latin prefix, and distantly related to English "to," and ‎ meaning “away from”, thus also "take away," "take off" "undo"). The base word, distantly related to English "thatch" and "deck," goes back to Indo European "(s)teg," which meant "to cover." This gave Latin "tegere," which meant "to cover." Coupled with the prefix, this gave Latin "detegere," meaning, "to uncover;" thus also figuratively, "to discover, to bring to light." It's participle form was "detectus" ("uncovered"), and from this English borrowed the word as "detect," circa 1400. 

Ivanhoe: Robert Taylor in the Title Role

This 1952 color film was "based" on the book by Sir Walter Scott. While the movie has some differences with Scott's writings, none really makes it all that removed from the book, and the film captures the essence of the novel. I don't know about you, but in my school days, "Ivanhoe" was required reading by some teachers in the United States. At my school, they even showed this movie to the entire school. The popularity of Scott's book also spread the name "Cedric," as Scott was the inventor of this name, done solely for one of the main characters of "Ivanhoe." The film received three Academy Award Nominations, including for best picture. The book and the movie are only "loosely" based upon the actual history of those times, and they are something of a mixture of history and folklore, but also naturally fiction, as the book is a novel.  

The movie, set in about 1193-94, centers around Wilfred of Ivanhoe, played by Robert Taylor. Ivanhoe is a knight returned from the Holy Land, who wants to raise ransom money to free England's king, Richard I, who is better known to history as Richard the Lionhearted (played by Norman Wooland). Richard is being held captive by Duke Leopold of Austria. * Richard's brother, Prince John, despicably played by Guy Rolfe, knows of Richard's plight, but, along with some Norman knights, he wants to let Richard remain imprisoned, so that he can rule England.**

Ivanhoe's father, Cedric the Saxon, played by Finlay Currie, was descended from the displaced Saxon nobility, whose members were ousted by the Normans after defeating the Saxons in late 1066. Cedric is no lover of the Normans. *** While Cedric has respect for King Richard, he feels that Richard should have governed England, instead of going off to the Holy Land, which led to the country coming under the partial rule of Richard's brother, Prince John, a man Cedric feels is only interested in his own well being, and who is not dedicated to England. Cedric disowned his son, Ivanhoe, because Ivanhoe went against his wishes and also went off to fight in the Holy Land. Now Ivanhoe wants to repair the relationship with his father to help free Richard. Further, Cedric has under his care a Saxon princess, Rowena, played by Joan Fontaine. Ivanhoe and Rowena are in love, and she longs for news of Ivanhoe. Secretly, Ivanhoe is brought to her by Cedric's "fool" (jester), Wamba, played by Emlyn Williams, who then is taken by Ivanhoe as his squire. When Ivanhoe removes the servant's iron from around Wamba's neck, placed there when he was only eleven years old, it is the symbol of the freedom theme of the film, as Richard needs to be freed, Wamba needed to be freed, Jews need to be freed of bigotry and hatred (more on this below) and England needs to be freed from Prince John and Norman rule.

In the dining hall of Cedric's residence, where some of Prince John's Norman knights have been granted permission to stay the night by Cedric, an elderly Jew, Isaac of York, played by Felix Aylmer, asks for  admittance. Cedric gives his permission, although one of the Normans, Brian de Bois-Guilbert, played by George Sanders, voices opposition to having to be under the same roof with an "infidel." Cedric essentially tells the Norman that he has no right to exclude anyone based upon his own prejudices, since he, Cedric, admitted the Normans to his hall, although he doesn't like them. When Isaac enters, the hall is full and no one will give him a seat except Ivanhoe, who is there, unknown to his father. When Cedric later learns of his son's presence, he tells him to leave, but not before Ivanhoe tells his father that Richard is alive and being held for ransom.

Ivanhoe helps to defend Isaac against an attack and robbery by two Norman knights. He escorts Isaac back to Isaac's actual home, where he sees, and is seen by, Isaac's daughter, Rebecca, played by Elizabeth Taylor, but the two are not introduced. Ivanhoe asks for Isaac's help in raising Richard's ransom, but Isaac is at first skeptical to help Richard, as there had been public violence against Jews after Richard became king. Ivanhoe tries to convince him that if Richard returns from captivity, that Richard will see to it that there is better treatment of Jews, but that to allow Prince John to remain as ruler would be disaster.**** Isaac agrees to try to raise money to fill any deficit in the ransom money, after all other sources have been tried. Ivanhoe also needs money for a good horse and knight's armor to compete in an upcoming jousting tournament against the Norman knights, but Isaac is reluctant. Later, however, Rebecca goes to Ivanhoe and gives him some jewels left to her by her mother. This is where the two truly meet and there are some love sparks between them, complicating Ivanhoe's long love affair with Rowena, but also complicated by Rebecca being a Jew, as "mixed" relationships, in those times, were not accepted. 

The film's presentation of the jousting tournament is a good one. Here again we have the "Saxon versus Norman" theme in full focus (get it? film, camera, full focus? I just made that up quickly). Only a few people in attendance know that it is Ivanhoe who is representing the Saxons, although after he fells several Norman knights, Locksley, played by Harold Warrender, knows it can only be Ivanhoe beneath the armor. Locksley tells Ivanhoe that he and his men now belong to Ivanhoe's service.***** So now Ivanhoe has an actual military force, of sorts, at his disposal. But with only Bois-Guilbert left to be faced on the Norman side in the tournament, Ivanhoe had been badly wounded in his shoulder in the previous match. Prince John has this wounded knight brought before him (still unknown that it is Ivanhoe) to ask if he will submit and join with him; bringing a stinging insult from Ivanhoe in front of the whole crowd, and infuriating John. Ivanhoe rides against Bois-Guilbert, but while he staggers the Norman, Bois-Guilbert barely remains on his horse, but Ivanhoe, weakened by his shoulder wound, falls from his horse and is carried off. Cedric, in attendance, also knows it is his son who has been competing against the Normans, and he sends Rowena to see how badly Ivanhoe is hurt. When she gets to the tent with Ivanhoe, Rebecca, who is in love with Ivanhoe, is already there checking Ivanhoe's wound. Rebecca and Isaac had been in the stands for the tournament. Rowena is stunned by Rebecca's presence with Ivanhoe, but Rebecca tells her she can heal Ivanhoe's wound, as she learned treatments from a woman who had been burned at the stake for being a witch.****** Rowena consents and Ivanhoe is taken with Isaac and Rebecca to their home.

As Ivanhoe recovers, Locksley finds out that Prince John has learned Ivanhoe's identity, where he is and that he is trying to raise the money to free Richard. John sends Bois-Guilbert and other knights to capture Ivanhoe. He also wants Isaac and Rebecca, as he has also learned that Isaac is helping to raise Richard's ransom. Isaac and Rebecca go with Cedric, while Locksley takes Ivanhoe to the forest with him for safety, until Ivanhoe's wounds are completely healed. When Bois-Guilbert and the other Normans arrive at Isaac's, everyone is gone. He learns that Isaac and Rebecca have gone with Cedric. Bois-Guilbert is very taken with Rebecca and wants her for himself, so he decides to go after her, her father and Cedric, figuring that the capture of these people will bring Ivanhoe out of hiding, and give him Rebecca too. One of the other Norman knights, Hugh De Bracy, played by Robert Douglas, warns Bois-Guilbert that taking Cedric will only stir Saxon hatred against them, as he realizes that Bois-Guilbert is taking a big risk so he can get Rebecca. The Normans capture Cedric, Issac, Rebecca, Rowena and Wamba and take them to Torquilstone, a castle under the control of Norman knight Front De Boeuf, played by Francis de Wolff.

Ivanhoe comes to the castle to offer himself in exchange for the freedom of the others. Bois-Guilbert accepts and has Ivanhoe enter Torquilstone, only to have Ivanhoe locked up without releasing any of the others. Rebecca asks Bois-Guilbert the price to have her father released and he tells her, she is the price. He knows she loves Ivanhoe, so he tells her he has Ivanhoe locked up in the castle. Locksley comes to the castle gate to ask for the release of the prisoners, but Bois-Guilbert and De Bracy scorn him, only to have throngs of Saxon bowmen come out of hiding in the brush and forest around the castle. Bois-Guilbert has De Boeuf bring Ivanhoe to the top of one of the castle towers. He tells Locksley to take his men and leave or Ivanhoe will be hanged. Ivanhoe scuffles with De Boeuf and Locksley kills one of the Normans on the tower. Saxon arrows rain down on the castle from all sides. Ivanhoe heads to the area where his father, Isaac and Wamba are being held and frees them. A fire breaks out during the sword fighting in the interior part of the castle, as some oil is spilled. The freed prisoners add anything that will burn to the fire, only adding to the Norman troubles. De Boeuf and some other Normans engage in a sword fight with Ivanhoe, Cedric and Wamba, with De Boeuf forcing Wamba into the burning part of the castle, where he dies, but De Boeuf is himself then killed by Ivanhoe. Meanwhile, the Saxons are storming the walls of the castle and break open the castle gate. Realizing the castle is lost, Bois-Guilbert and De Bracy decide to take Rebecca and Rowena with them on horseback to try to escape. De Bracy is stopped by Ivanhoe, which saves Rowena, but Bois-Guilbert manages to escape with Rebecca. 

Prince John decides to put Rebecca on trial for witchcraft, much to the objection of Bois-Guilbert, which does no good. Witnesses are forced to testify to untruths against Rebecca, and she is given a sentence of "death by fire;" that is, she is to be burned at the stake. Ivanhoe is in the crowd and comes forth to say he wants Rebecca's fate to be decided by combat, with Ivanhoe against whomever the court chooses to fight for it. Prince John chooses Bois-Guilbert, who is determined to do his best, as Rebecca still loves Ivanhoe.

In the meantime, the ransom has been paid and Richard arrives back in England and, along with a large number of knights who support him, he heads to see his brother, Prince John. The death struggle between Ivanhoe and Bois-Guilbert takes place, but Ivanhoe finally prevails. A dying Bois-Guilbert says goodbye to Rebecca, who will now be free, especially so, because in rides Richard and his knights, and John and his supporters fall to one knee to show submission to the king. In the end though, Ivanhoe and Rowena are together and Rebecca accepts what has happened.

* The movie keeps it simple, but Richard was initially held by Duke Leopold, who was excommunicated by the pope for taking Richard, a Crusader, prisoner. The duke then turned Richard over to German emperor, Henry VI, to whom any ransom was to be paid. 

** While Richard I has enjoyed a powerful reputation for his military prowess, he was king of England for ten years, but he actually spent only a total of a few months of his rule in England. Indeed, Richard is not even buried in England, but rather in France. While the details of the scheming and actions taken after Richard left for the Holy Land is rather complex, essentially Richard's brother, John, and some knights, contested Richard's designated administrator, William Longchamp. John and his followers set up a parallel government in hopes of gaining control of all of England.  

*** England had been conquered by William, Duke of Normandy (in France), in late 1066, brought about by a dispute over the English throne. Because of this, William came to be known as "William the Conqueror." William gave many of his knights land in England as payment for their service, and to help him rule the relatively hostile English population, a population that remained hostile long after William died. Not only were the Normans seen as foreign invaders, but they created their own nobility, leaving the former Anglo-Saxon nobles out of any rule of the country. Further, the population was so divided between the overwhelming English majority, and the relatively small Norman minority, that most Normans continued to speak their Norman French dialect, and not English, for several generations, although that dialect itself naturally was altered, later being termed, "Anglo-Norman." The movie "Ivanhoe" has this Saxon versus Norman theme to it throughout, with Richard, although a Norman, seen as being the bridge between the two sides.

**** When Richard became king, his intention to go on a "Crusade" to the Holy Land brought  "Christian" religious fervor to a high pitch, which then seemingly stirred violence against England's Jewish population, with many Jews murdered. In the film, when Bois-Guilbert says he doesn't want to be under the same roof with an "infidel," Wamba says, "For every Jew you show me who's not a Christian, I'll show you a Christian who's not a Christian." When Sir Walter Scott wrote "Ivanhoe" in about 1818-19, there were attempts being made to remove discriminatory laws against Jews in England, something Scott favored very much; thus, undoubtedly a motivation to express his thoughts through his characters.

***** Locksley is the story's representation of "Robin Hood," a figure from English folklore, whose actual existence has never been proven. I'll leave it at that, as the legend of Robin Hood is a story in its own right, with numerous articles, movies and television shows depicting the famous character to a public in love with the overall story.  

****** In those times, just about any medical treatments not understood were apt to be charged as witchcraft or sorcery. Come to think of it, we still have those today who fear medicine and science.

Photo is from the 2005 Warner Home Entertainment DVD

WORD HISTORY:
Angle/Angling-English has a couple words of this spelling, but this is for the noun meaning, "fishing, to be fishing/angling," and the verb meaning, "to use a hook to try to catch fish;" thus, more commonly, "to go fishing;" thus also the figurative, "try to get something from someone by 'hooking them' with persuasive talk." It goes back to the Indo European root, "ank, "which had the meaning, "to bend." This gave Old Germanic "angulo," which meant, "hook." This gave Old English "angul," which then became Old English "angel," which meant, "fishing hook, fish hook." Later the spelling changed to "angle" and then the more common modern noun form, "angling." The verb was derived from the noun "seemingly" in the late Old English period as, "anglelen/anglen," before the modern, "to angle." Forms in the other Germanic languages: German and Low German Saxon have the noun "Angel" (fishing rod with line and hook) and the verb "angeln" (to fish, to angle, also the figurative, "to hook or try to hook a man/woman for a date or husband/bride), Dutch has "angel" (fishhook, hook), West Frisian "angel" (fishing rod with line and hook). ^  The other Germanic languages now rely pretty much on their forms of the English verb "(to) fish," and German too uses both, "angeln and fischen," as synonyms, just as does English. 

^ Both Dutch and West Frisian have another meaning of the noun, "(a) sting," from the notion of the insect or sea creature "hooking" them with their barb.  

Two Fat Ladies Were A Delight

"Two Fat Ladies," was a late 1990s BBC produced television show about food. Highly popular in Britain, the show also was shown on American television on the Food Network, which is where I saw the show originally. It also aired in Australia, on the the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (by the way, the mother of Clarissa, one of the ladies, was an Australian). The two ladies, who were literally two fat ladies, often went against political correctness; obviously, even with the name of the show, and the two made little remarks about their weight in some episodes. Clarissa Dickson Wright, the younger of the two, did not shy away from mentioning her days of heavy drinking in the past. They were both Catholic, and they talked in general ways, at times, about religion in their lives, although Jennifer, the other lady, mentioned having been disruptive in a religious school when she was in her teens. The two never backed away from using traditional ingredients, even though such ingredients, like heavy cream, butter, etc, are often frowned upon in modern society. Jennifer Paterson, the other lady, was a regular smoker, and she made no attempt to hide that fact, or her desire for a cocktail. Both ladies made occasional remarks about men, with sexual innuendo not far from the surface. Usually pretty broadminded, both ladies had traveled extensively BEFORE ever even meeting one another, with Jennifer having lived in Berlin,* Porto in Portugal (she spoke Portuguese, and used it in one episode especially), Benghazi in Libya and on the Italian island of Sicily, all much earlier in her life.

In the show, the two traveled around on a Triumph Thunderbird motorbike (American English: motorcycle) with Clarissa in the attached sidecar, and both complete with headgear (vrrroooooom!). They did shows from various locations, primarily in England, but also in Scotland, Wales, Ireland and even in Jamaica,** with one episode done from the Brazilian embassy in London, where Jennifer spoke some Portuguese, which I mentioned above,*** from a brewery in North Yorkshire, in the north of England, from an abbey in Ireland and from the island of Jersey (a British island at the southern end of the English Channel).****

The show ended because of the death of Jennifer Paterson in the second half of 1999. Clarissa Dickson Wright died in 2014. There is a DVD set available, with all of the episodes (see photo below). Their eccentricities AND their food were a delight!

* In a special tribute episode to Jennifer, after her death, one of the participants mentioned that when Jennifer lived in Berlin, she spent much time around gay men. 

** Jamaica is a British Commonwealth nation, with Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state, with a governor-general serving in Jamaica as the Queen's (monarchy's) representative.

*** Brazil was once a colony of Portugal; thus, Brazilians speak Portuguese. Amazing! (Hahaha!)

**** Here is a link to an article I did on "Hot Buttered Crab," which was inspired by this show, although not exactly like Jennifer prepared it:  http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2013/08/great-seafood-recipe.html 

Photo is of the Acorn Media DVD set. 

 WORD HISTORY:
Dough-This word goes back to Indo European "dheigh," which had the notion, "to shape, to form;" thus also, "to build, to knead." This gave its Old Germanic offspring, "daigaz," meaning, "substance kneaded for baking." This then gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "dag" (long "a" sound), then, "doh" (long "o" sound, the "h" was aspirated; that is, was forced out with breath^). The word then became "dogh," before the modern form. The other Germanic languages have: German "Teig" (all German nouns are capitalized), Low German Saxon "Deeg," Dutch "deeg," West Frisian "daai," Danish "dej," Icelandic and Norwegian "deig," Swedish "deg," all meaning "dough." By the way, the use of the word "dough" as a slang word for "money" goes back to the mid 1800s, from American English.

^ This aspirated sound gave English the "gh" spelling in words, which WAS pronounced in the past. Close cousin German uses "ch" as its spelling of the aspirated sound.

English Beans

I have simplified this recipe by using canned (already cooked) beans, but you could certainly use dried navy beans, soaking or partially cooking them before proceeding with the recipe. In England and much of Britain, beans are served as part of breakfast, and very much so for an "English Breakfast," * although not exclusively so, and serving beans on toast is popular. There are many recipes for English beans, but I've seen perhaps as many as 20 recipes, and with one exception, the one common thing was, no meat was included. In the United States, it is rare to see beans fixed without meat, usually bacon, salt pork or ham, and even the commercial canned versions have meat, although you may need to use a magnifying glass to find it. In Britain, to save time, Heinz canned beans are highly common. These are not the same as the Heinz versions in the U.S., but rather a meatless, mixed sweet and tangy, tomato-y dish, which sell quite well throughout Britain, and "seem" to be sort of a standard by which breakfast beans are judged by many there. When I've had the Heinz variety, ** I've only seen the tomato sauce, no bits of onion or any other ingredient, and while I read where one person mentioned vinegar in the Heinz version, the ingredient list does not mention it, nor is there really any taste of vinegar; at least, not that I could tell. Anyway, this is my version of "English beans," with very tomato-y sauce.

Ingredients:

1 15 ounce can navy beans
1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
2 heaping tablespoons of finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 to 2 teaspoons canola oil
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 teaspoon blackstrap molasses
2 tablespoons brown sugar (I use dark brown sugar, you may need more or less sugar, depending upon the tartness of the tomato sauce you use)

In a medium sauce pan, heat the oil and then saute the onion over medium low heat. After about one minute, add the garlic, cooking the two ingredients until softened. Add the tomato sauce, the thyme, and the blackstrap molasses, stirring to mix everything. Let the sauce simmer lightly for about 20 minutes or more, putting the lid on askew, to keep the sauce from spattering all over your stove, but also allowing the sauce to cook down somewhat. Taste the sauce to see how tangy it is, then add the brown sugar accordingly, stirring well. Let the sauce reduce to thicken it, before adding the beans. After adding the beans, let everything simmer an additional 10 to 15 minutes. The sauce should be well thickened and somewhat sweetened, but not too sweet. It should have a slight tang.

* This is the link to my "English Breakfast" article:  http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2016/09/an-english-breakfast.html 

** You can often find them in supermarkets nowadays, in the international section, and they have a different label (sort of blue-green? aqua? and the Heinz logo) and the can will have, "Product of the United Kingdom," somewhere on it.    

I put my English beans on toast

WORD HISTORY:
Molasses-This word for, "the syrupy product made from refining sugar," and distantly related to the "mil" part of the word "mildew," goes back to Indo European "melit/melid," which meant "honey." This gave its Latin offspring, "mel," with the same meaning, but also the more general, "sweetness." This then gave Latin, "mellaceus," which meant, "sweet like honey." This gave the Latin-based languages in the Iberian Peninsula forms like, Spanish "melaza," Catalan "melassa," and Galician and Portuguese "melaço," all of which were applied to the refined sugar product originally made in the West Indies from sugar cane there and used to make rum. English borrowed the word from Portuguese probably in the mid 1500s, although the word did not become more common until the late 1500s.

An English Breakfast (Fry Up)

February 15, 2019, edited slightly to include a link to my article about English beans, as that article was originally published after this article about an English breakfast.
 

This really isn't a recipe in the true sense, but rather the components of an English Breakfast, although these components are not all used by everyone, and other components, like fried mushrooms, blood sausage (black pudding), and/or "white pudding" (no blood, but ground meat with grain, often oats, as a filler), are included, or replace some of those listed. It is commonly known as a "Fry Up" in England and other parts of Britain.

So, an English breakfast, or fry up, typically includes: eggs (fried or scrambled), bacon (which is meatier than American bacon in England, as it includes more from the loin, and only a small part of the fat from the 'belly' used in American bacon, and it is called "back bacon"), baked beans in tomato sauce, which most often are not really "baked," and they aren't really quite the same as American baked beans,* fried ripe tomato (tomato halves typically fried in the bacon fat), fried potatoes, fried bread (fried in butter or in the bacon fat) and sausages.

* For homemade English beans, here is the link to the article:  https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2016/09/english-beans.html

From the top: bacon, fried ripe tomato half, fried potatoes, fried bread, Heinz English-style beans, fried sausages and scrambled eggs.

WORD HISTORY:
Fast-This word, closely related to the verb "fasten," "seems" to go back to Indo European "pehst," which had the notion, "firm, solid, fixed in place." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "fastuz," with the same meanings; thus also, "secure." This gave Old English "fæst," meaning: "steadfast, secure, firm, strong." This then became "fast," and it has remained such for many centuries. While the original meaning has remained, the further meaning of "quick" began to develop in the 1200s and 1300s, "perhaps" from use of "fast" with words of motion (fast runner, fast horse, fast wagon), but it didn't fully develop until the 1500s. Generally the word is pronounced "fahst" in British English, but with the more nasalized "a" in American English. The meaning, "not to eat for a period of time," comes from the notion of "holding 'fast' to a diet for some observance," not just to lose weight. And its use in the compound "breakfast" means just that, "break the overnight fast." Common in the other Germanic languages, all with the same or similar meaning to their English cousin, but none with the further meaning "quick," which only developed in English: German has "fest" (the German noun "Festung," means "fortress;" that is, "secure/strong place"), Low German Saxon "fest," West Frisian "fêst," Dutch "vast" (the 'v' is pronounced as an 'f'), Danish, Swedish and Norwegian "fast," Icelandic "fastur" (somewhat more limited modern meaning "solid, tight").     

Welsh Rarebit (or Is It Rabbit?), A Great Comfort Food

From what I've read over the years, and don't ask me where at the moment, the real name of this dish is "Welsh Rabbit," with "rarebit" simply being a variation. Why it was/is called "rabbit," is unknown, as it has nothing to do with that animal, nor does it have ANY meat in it. Furthermore, it seems to have nothing to do with the Welsh either, in the national sense, but it is rather, from what is known, an English dish. Check the "Word History" below, as "Welsh" had more meanings prior to the modern era, one being "foreign" and another being "inferior," but whether either of these meanings ties in with the name of the dish is not known.

For those unaware, "Welsh Rarebit," the name I'll use, is a cheese sauce eaten over toast. "Apparently" it was developed in England in the early 1700s. There are many variations to the recipe, which generally involves melting fairly sharp cheddar cheese and mixing it with beer, butter, mustard, a bit of cayenne pepper, some Worcestershire sauce and egg (added after the sauce is taken off the heat). The variations include: using sharp American cheese, or Velveeta or Velveeta-style cheese, in place of the cheddar. Also small amounts of other cheese, like blue cheese of some type are added by some (to keep the English theme, use English Stilton, a type of blue cheese). Some use dark beer, some use light beer (in color, not calories), some use milk instead, or cream. Just to make a point, I just looked at an English cookbook I have and the recipe uses cream, not beer. For mustard, an old recipe I once had (I can't find it now) used dry mustard, and in fact, that recipe was the recipe I used the first time I ever made Welsh Rarebit (it used ale, but did not specify light or dark). Others use yellow mustard, while some use brown mustard. Some melt the butter and mix in some flour to make a roux which is used to thicken the sauce by adding the other ingredients to the roux and gradually heating it until all are mixed in and thickened. As to spiciness, I often use Asian chili paste (with no garlic), rather than cayenne pepper, but some recipes call for some hot sauce. Some add a small amount of tomato paste or ketchup, but most recipes I've seen do not use either, although I use ketchup. Some recipes use whole eggs, others call for just egg yolks. As for the toast, some use rye, some use wheat and some use white bread.

 If you've never eaten Welsh Rarebit, or if you've only had the store bought variety, to see what you might like, here's what I'd suggest, as I make a streamlined version of rarebit often, but just for one serving: get a small microwave-safe dish (even a cup), put in a couple slices of sharp American cheese (broken up a little so it melts easily), or a couple of slices of Velveeta cut into cubes. Add about a teaspoon of ketchup, a dash or two of Worcestershire, a little less than a tablespoon (but more than a teaspoon) of milk (I use evaporated milk) or cream, or half and half, a little sprinkle of cayenne (I use about a quarter teaspoon of chili paste), and a little squirt of brown mustard (I use the squeeze bottle, but use what you have; and yellow is fine). Put it in the microwave for less than a minute (if you have the more powerful microwave, maybe it will only need 30-45 seconds). You will want to watch the dish through the window to be sure it doesn't boil over, as I know from experience. I use a cup and I often, but not always, sit an over-sized microwave safe lid on top (it's from a larger microwave dish I have), just to be sure it doesn't spatter. Check to see if the cheese is melted, but if it's not completely, but is close, just stirring it through the hot mixture should complete the melting; otherwise, give it a few seconds longer. Stir it well to mix everything together and pour it over your slice of toast. This version will keep you from the involvement of opening beer; beating eggs, then mixing them with a little of the mixture to temper the eggs so they won't scramble, then blending them into the melted sauce; or melting butter and mixing in flour to make a roux, as this sauce should be adequately thick.  Once you see how you like this version, or not, you can try some of the other variations from above in small servings like this, before you move on to making larger amounts, and perhaps trying out the more elaborate style. Remember, if you use cheddar, it can often get grainy when melted.

Many years ago on the television comedy "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.," the main character, Gomer, eats Welsh Rarebit at a little restaurant. He later sleep walks, going to his sergeant and giving him a piece of his mind. A cousin of mine believed the story, but I doubt any such thing will happen to you if you eat Welsh Rarebit, although I ate rarebit three days ago and I got pulled over in the middle of the night by a policeman, whom I promptly told off. After I got out of jail I thought about Gomer Pyle, my cousin and the Welsh Rarebit. Maybe there IS something to that story; after all, I got pulled over, but I don't have a car! How will I explain this to the judge at my court date next week? Hahahaha

In the first photo, I used some fresh sliced serrano chili pepper in this Welsh Rarebit.

 

WORD HISTORY:
Welsh-This word goes back to the name of a Celtic tribe, the "Volcae," the Latin rendering, but who "presumably" called themselves by a similar form. Why they used this word for themselves is unclear, although "some" believe it is linked to the ancestor of modern English "wolf," "perhaps" because they hunted wolves? Lived close to wolves? (Maybe they were ..."Dancing With Wolves" ... hey, maybe they were ahead of their time.) Anyway, Old Germanic borrowed the word as "walhiskaz," and it was a general term used by Germanic for "Celts." The word seems to have taken on the more generalized meaning "foreigner;" that is, "non-Germanic," as later, the meaning varied, depending upon which non-Germanic people was living next to a particular Germanic group: Germanic people in western Europe used it for various Celtic elements present there,^  southern Germanic groups used it for Romans, who lived to the south of them, and the Germanic Anglo-Saxons of England used it for "Welsh," a people on the far western side of Britain, who are a Celtic people, but who do not use any form of this word for themselves, as they call themselves "Cymry" (meaning "countryman"). Anyway, the Germanic term gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "wielisc," which meant the more general "Britons, non Anglo-Saxons," and also the derived "wealh," meaning 'foreigners." Since the Anglo-Saxons used many of the Celtic Britons as servants, the word also took on the meaning, "servant, a non-free person," and that notion later evolved into the meaning "inferior." By the way, in German, "Kauderwelsch" means "gibberish;" that is, "speech that cannot be understood, speech that is foreign to one," which comes from the notion of "foreign," and German also even uses a verb, "welschen," to mean, "to speak in an unintelligible way or language."

^ Swiss Germans use "Welschland" to mean the French speaking part of Switzerland. As with other modern national groups, the French descended from a mixture of people, but the basis of the French came from Celtic people long ago. Whether modern DNA will change (or has already changed?) that historical assumption remains to be seen. My point here is only that the German population of Switzerland long ago called the French part of the area by that name, which simply ties in with Germanic people often calling Celtic people by that name.