In Defence of Stew
Stew. It doesn’t sound appetizing. People speak of stewing in one’s own juices, meaning
those that suffer as a result of their own, often foolish actions. Tea that is stewed is bitter, overdone. To be in a stew means a character is angry,
anxious or embarrassed.
In her book, “The Tough Guide to FantasyLand”, Diana
Wynne Jones laments that, no matter how exotic the location, stew is often
served as a meal for the questing heroes. A visual joke in the film “The Two
Towers” has Aragorn ambushed by a dubious stew made by Eowyn. The plotting side
of me wondered – What is that meat? How did anyone have time to slow-cook –
stew – anything while on the march? Surely the old medieval stand-by of fast
food, a pie, would have been a more practical option?
Stews deserve a better press. An ancient form of
cooking, almost every culture has its own form of this one-pot wonder. Once
going, it does not need much attention or critical timing. The cheaper cuts of
meat benefit from long slow cooking and pay benefits by releasing a delicious
gravy. On the medieval table, a carefully roasted haunch of venison was
frequently the showy centrepiece of a royal or noble feast, but to me this
lean, gamey meat tastes better in a stew. Of course, in medieval times there
were no potatoes, sadly, but onions, carrots, greens and beans were to hand.
Can stews be romantic? Of course! The hero and
heroine, foraging side by side, to add mushrooms to the gently bubbling stew
pot. Stirring the pot together. Sharing the meal...
I have my medieval Master Cook Swein creating stews in
my novel, “The Master Cook and the Maiden” as can be seen from the following
excerpt:
The Master Cook and the Maiden.
Vengeance…or love? Will Alfwen have to choose between them? And what part will the handsome Master Cook, Swein, play in her life?
amazon.com/dp/B088RJNYJ4/ UK amazon.co.uk/dp/B088RJNYJ4/Excerpt
In the middle of the
cavern, surrounded by glinting fires, a black cap swerved and ducked. Under the
hat Swein moved with the certainty of a king. He manned four spits, two stew
pots and an oven at once, his arms constantly stirring, turning and scooping.
In one hand he gripped and used a fork, testing and catching the great rolls of
spitted meat, while his other hand alternated between a deep ladle, bowls of
flour and a mortar of spices. One instant he raked a stream of glowing hot
ashes out of an oven and into an iron box, into which he popped several fresh
eggs to roast, another moment he shouted, “Pies in! Stew thickened!” and two
burly loin-clothed youths skimmed huge thick-pastried tarts off wooden platters
into the waiting oven, while a third tipped a stream of ground almonds into the
seething stew pots.
That excerpt made me hungry, but then it's been a bit since the last meal. I've always liked a good stew. (So there LOL). Fun post. Doris
ReplyDeleteThanks, Doris! I like stew, too, especially with dumplings...
ReplyDeleteNo need to defend stew around me. It's extremely satisfying, especially on a cold day. Our ancestors knew a think abor two about making food go further. Glad pies got an honourable mention too.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Christine. My great-grandma, who had 12 children, said that a stewpot was the foundation of her family's health.
ReplyDelete