At 10:40 AM 5/18/00 +0100, Richard? wrote:
>Regarding Ken's aspersions about our great traditional
>meal. Unfortunately, I can not find evidence to deny the suggestion and
>there is a part of me that suspects it could be true. What certainly is
>true is that much of the cod landed on the E. Coast during the heydays of
>the fishing industry (prior to the Cod Wars of the '70's) was over 3 weeks
>on ice and so went straight to the smokehouses to mask the off flavours.
>
>An alternative explanation relates to the tradition of cooking in beef
>dripping; the vinegar, we believed helped to clear the waxy coating. As a
>north-country man in my youth, I have long experience of eating fish and
>chips from newspaper whilst freezing on street corners and the dripping
>setting round my mouth. Believe me I haven't worn lipstick since.
>
A much simpler explanation is that vinegar is a poor man's substitute for
lemon juice.
Lemon is a very common addition to fish dishes. The reason is taste, not
smell. The acid taste of lemon and vinegar add zest to an otherwise bland
tissue.
Vinegar and lemon juice are common additions to salad dressings for the
same reasons. Ditto for many egg sauces.
Even red meats are eaten with Worchestershire or A-1 sauces or marinades,
which contain vinegar.
French fries ("chips") are eaten with catsup or mayonnaise both of which
contain vinegar.
Food acids are a common condiment.
================================================================
Robert A. LaBudde, PhD, PAS, Dpl. ACAFS e-mail: ral@lcfltd.com
Least Cost Formulations, Ltd. URL: http://lcfltd.com/
824 Timberlake Drive Tel: 757-467-0954
Virginia Beach, VA 23464-3239 Fax: 757-467-2947
"Vere scire est per causas scire"
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