St David’s Day Celebration, Cardiff Bay, March 1st 2009. National Assembly for Wales / 2009 [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
St David is the patron saint of Wales.
Today is much more though than a celebration of St David; it’s a celebration of Welsh culture, heritage, identity and survival.
St David is reputed to have had his soldiers attach leeks to their caps so they could distinguish themselves from their enemies.
This is, sadly, almost certainly a myth (see the entry on leeks), but nonetheless it’s a good day on which to haul out your leek recipes.
Leeks at Market. Paula Trites / 2010
Alternatively, you may wish to try making something with the seaweed that the Welsh call “laver.”
St David is also called “St Tavy” or “Dewi Saint.”
#StDavidsDay
Recipes
- Baked Leeks with Parmesan and Cream
- Braised Leeks, Peas and Onions in Butter Sauce
- Braised Orange Leeks
- Cock-a-Leekie Soup
- Leek & Potato Mash
- Leek & Potato Terrine
- Leek & Pumpkin Soup
- Roasted Sausages and Leeks
- Salmon and Leek Quiche
- Stilton and Leek Soup
Further reading
Hurlock, Kathryn. How the Welsh outside Wales kept St David’s day alive. The Conversation. 26 February 2018.
Also today
Today was also the day, in 1932, that Charles Lindbergh, Jr., aged 2 years, was kidnapped from his parents Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh. Though a ransom of $50,000 was paid, the child was not returned to his parents. Just over two months later, on 12 May, a child’s body was found that was identified as their son, even though the body was 4 inches (10 cm) taller than the child had been.
National Assembly for Wales [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons