Cuisine Focus – Welsh – Customs and Change

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Welsh cuisine has in it traditions, cultures and practices in which the people revere and uphold. For the people of Wales, their food is symbolic of their ways, customs and culinary knowledge that need to be given importance to. It is like having this unwavering faith towards something that holds a nation together, a fact that needs to be safeguarded at all costs.

The cuisine of Wales is undoubtedly one of those which have been successful in maintaining tradition. Food holds great importance for its people that relations smoothly run as evidenced by various festivals and celebrations. With regards to ingredients, meat, vegetables and seafood are some of the major components used.

Wales is best known for lamb and beef. This is due to the prevalence of sheep and cattle in certain areas. Welsh cooking also rely on seafood since fisheries and its culture remain strong. At a time when laws only allowed the cultivation of cabbage and leeks, these have also become essentials for the Welsh as they use it often in many of their traditional dishes. In rural areas where families tend for animals such as pigs, Pork has been a common produce that such is eaten regularly, another reason why bacon is likewise a popular ingredient.

This cuisine is characterized as varied though with special particularities. The cooking preparations involved differ considering both the ingredients and recipes. The dishes are healthy, consistent and are prepared to substantiate every available flavor and taste. Well-known recipes are done using conventional methods and equipment in cooking, which in this case are usually ovens and open fires. One of the traditional items being used is the bake stone, a simple oven utilized mostly in baking cakes and breads. Furthermore, the ability of the Welsh to mix and match common foods with spices give dishes a seemingly-perfect blend for guests and family to savor and taste.

Traditional dishes include Cawl, a kind of stew made of lamb and leeks. Another would be Bara Brith or speckled bread, a kind which makes use of raisins, currant and candied peel. Other famous Welsh recipes include roast lamb with laver sauce, shepherd’s pie, cockles and laver bread, a seaweed delicacy.

Ingredients Utilized in Welsh Cuisine

Meat:

Lamb, Beef, Pork

Seafood:

Cockles, Laver (seaweed), Herring, Salmon, Oysters

Vegetables:

Leeks, Cabbage, Potatoes

Dairy:

Eggs, Cheese

As for other foods and beverages, Wales fared well in cheese making, coming up with their own varieties. Vineyards and breweries have also been in place producing a number of Welsh whiskies and beers. Tea is a popular beverage signifying the peoples’ likeness towards tea time and traditional cakes.

To take pride in one’s heritage takes a lot of hard work and persistence. That is why the Welsh welcome changes by means of sharing old recipes and addressing new concerns. It may seem that everything is done traditionally but for the Welsh, their cuisine is beyond customary. To them, it is a matter of perspective, a way of life that in the process, it does not take away the importance of keeping abreast with modernity.

Authentic Welsh Recipes

Honeyed Welsh Lamb

Recipe Source: welsh-recipes.the-real-way.com

A leg of Welsh lamb, coated with honey, roasted and served with a cider and honey gravy.

Ingredients:

4lb. leg of lamb
Sprig of rosemary
6 tblsps Welsh clover
honey
Salt & ground black pepper
½ pint cider

Method:

Set oven to 400°F or Mark 6 . Place the leg of lamb on kitchen foil in a roasting tin. Brush with 4 tablespoons of warm honey and season with salt and pepper. Place the sprig of rosemary on top of the joint. Draw up the foil to form a tent and roast for 15 minutes. Lower the heat to 350°F or Mark 4 and continue roasting for 1½ hours until the juice just runs pink or longer if preferred well-done. Open up the foil to crisp and brown the skin for the last 20 minutes of cooking time. Remove the lamb from the oven and keep warm. Pour off the fat from the pan and make the gravy from the meat residue, adding ½ pint of cider and 2 tablespoons of honey. Reduce to two-thirds volume by boiling. Serve with roast potatoes and green vegetables.

Serves 6.

Welsh Rarebit with Stout

Recipe Source: uktv.co.uk

Ingredients:

20 g strong Welsh cheddar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
50 ml stout
3 egg yolks
4 muffins

Method:

1. Preheat a grill to hot.

2. Mix together the cheddar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, stout and egg yolks in a bowl and set aside.

3. Halve the muffins and grill until browned on the base and lightly toasted on top. Spread the mixture onto the muffins and place under the hot grill. Once bubbling, serve.

Image Credit: ww-recipes.net

johnpettitbutchers.co.uk

uktv.co.uk

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