Caesar Salad © Denzil Green Caesar Salad was invented in 1924 in Tijuana, Mexico, by a man named Caesar Cardini who ran the restaurant and night club called “Caesar’s Place.” At the time, Tijuana was a hotbed for nightclubs and eating out, being just across the Mexican border — a border which during the 1920s…
American Food
Californian Black Olives
Californian Black Olives © Denzil Green California Black Olives, owing to the way they are processed, tend to taste quite bland compared to European ones. More than 90% of olives in California are made into Black Olives. These are the Black Olives that have given all the other Black Olives a “black” reputation in North…
Candied Fruit
Candied fruit is fruit that has been candied by drawing cell water out of the fruit and replacing that water by sugar. The bulk of the candied fruit industry is focussed on candied cherries.
Capons
Capons are roosters that are castrated when they are very young, around 3 weeks old. The EU definition is: “male fowl castrated surgically before reaching sexual maturity and slaughtered at a minimum age of 140 days; after castration the capons must be fattened for at least 77 days.” After castration, the rooster’s comb doesn’t grow…
Carnation Milk Birthday
The 6th of September is Carnation Evaporated Milk’s birthday. It first rolled off the production line on this day in 1899 in Kent, Washington State, USA.
Carne Adovada
Carne Adovada is a dish made in New Mexico, USA, of pork in adobo sauce. The pork is thinly sliced or shredded, then marinated in adobo sauce. The meat can then be pan fried, cooked in the oven, simmered on top the stove, or cooked on a skewer over fire. The meat is used as…
Carolina Muddle
Carolina Muddle is a thick stew. It is a mixture of whitefish and seafood such as clams, scallops and shrimp, with bacon, and vegetables such as potatoes, onions, and tomatoes. All the vegetables cooked and simmered first. Then, the fish and seafood are added, and then, at the end of cooking, eggs are cracked on…
Celestia Apple
Celestia has pale green skin that sometimes turns yellowish as it ripens, with pale red or brown blushes. The flavour is mild, and the flesh is crisp and juicy. Cooking Tips Good for eating fresh. History Notes The apple was being grown in North America by the 1880s. It was in the collection at Cornell’s…
Charles E. Hires
Charles E. Hires was the first person to commercially brew root beer, though he didn’t invent it. He first sold it as a dry powder that you mixed up at home.
Charles E. Hires Birthday
The 19th of August is the birthday of Charles E. Hires, the root beer king.
Charles Mason Hovey
Charles Mason Hovey was the author of “The Fruits of America”. A plant breeder, he developed the “Hovey Strawberry” and promoted the zinfandel grape.
Charles Ranhofer: Famous Victorian Chef
Charles Ranhofer was a chef at the famous Delmonico’s Restaurant in New York, and author of an 1890s popular cookbook.
Chaurice
Chaurice is a hot, spicy sausage made in Louisiana used to flavour dishes. It’s made from pork, garlic, onion, salt, cayenne pepper and red pepper flakes, pressed into cases. Chaurice is traditional in Creole cooking, but is also used now in Cajun cooking. Cooking Tips As a fresh sausage, it needs to be cooked.
Cheddar Cheese
There are entire books and articles dedicated to Cheddar cheese, so loved is it throughout the English-speaking world. It originated in Cheddar, Somerset. An unprotected cheese name There are many varieties of Cheddar, and anyone can make it. Even when England was part of the EU, the name “Cheddar” was not a protected EU designation…
Cheese Fries
Cheese Fries are French fries — waffle, straight or steak cut — covered with cheese, usually in the form of a cheese sauce or melted processed cheese. Fans, though, say the proper way these should be prepared is with hot, golden-brown, crispy thick cut steak fries, sprinkled generously with grated cheese (a combination of American…
Cheese Pumpkins
Cheese Pumpkins get their name because their flatter shape makes them look a bit like wheels of cheese. Compared to the big Hallowe’en pumpkins, they have a lighter-orange (sometimes tan or buff coloured) skin, and inside are sweeter and not as stringy. The flesh inside is still a deep orange. People who make pies from…
Cheez Whiz
Cheez Whiz® is a processed cheese spread used commonly for crackers and sandwiches, and melted for use as a dip or sauce.
Chesapeake Fries
Chesapeake fries are French fries with Old Bay spice mix sprinkled on them, then tossed to mix thoroughly. They are served at many restaurants in the Chesapeake Bay area of Maryland, but also appear sporadically on menus as far north as New Hampshire. They are served with malt or white vinegar.
Chicken Backs
Chicken Backs are basically about 90% skin and bone. A Chicken Back often includes the piece of meat that is called the “Oyster”, though sometimes that is removed. Chicken Backs are very popular in the American south: even though there is little meat on them, they offer lots of area to be coated with batter…
Chicken Fried Steak
Chicken Fried Steak is a dish from Texas, described by its fans as an all-in-one heart attack on a plate. The dish doesn’t have chicken in it at all. It’s a beef steak pounded thin, dipped in beaten egg mixed with milk, then coated in seasoned flour, and fried in hot oil, lard, shortening or…
Chicken Wings
Chicken Wings © Denzil Green From the 1960s to the 1990s, Chicken Wings were essentially “garbage meat” that you could buy for a song at supermarkets and boil down for soups and stews. Many will remember more than a few boiled dinners made with Chicken Wings while growing up: they were fiddly to eat, but…
Chili con Carne
Chili con Carne © Leclaire & Schenk Chili con Carne is not a Mexican dish, as many think. If it were Mexican, the dish would likely still be there in Mexico: Mexican cooking has changed over the centuries to take advantage of new tools, labour-saving commercially-prepared ingredients (such as Masa Harina), and to take in…
Chili Powder
Commercial Chili Powders are made from dried, ground chiles combined with other spices such as cayenne pepper and garlic powder, as well as oregano and a lot of cumin. The powder is an American invention as a shortcut to taste and some heat in making chilis; Mexicans don’t really use it. Despite its name, it…
Chipped Beef
Chipped Beef © Randal Oulton Chipped Beef is very thin slices of salted, smoked beef. It is not as dry as beef jerky, and doesn’t have as much fat. It can be made in different ways. It can be slices of beef taken off a hunk of air-dried beef, usually a lean meat such as…