How about a "publican" ! In medieval times the word was used differently than in Biblical times. It came to be used when referring to a tavern owner. I don't know how common the word "publican" is used today, but it was in the title of a newspaper article about the retirement of a pub owner, and if you look up publican, it is one of the definitions.
Now to the Cornish Pasty (pronounced with a short "a" sound).......
A very traditional food from Cornwall, U.K., is the Cornish pasty. (Cornwall is a county at the most southwestern tip of England. It has the lowest income per capita of all of England.) The pasty is a type of pie, much like a fried pie, but baked rather that fried. It can be semicircular shaped with the flat edge crimped, or it can by crimped on the top. The traditional pasty is filled with diced steak and sliced potatoes and onions. Other common ingredients are swede (rutabaga) and parsley.
The pasty originated as an easy food for the tin miners of Cornwall to carry into the mines. They could even eat it with dirty hands--just holding on to one end of the crust and then throwing that dirty spot of crust on the ground. There was a superstition that throwing down a piece of crust would appease the mine gods, who would then spare the miners' lives while in the mines.
The crust was not flaky, but more tough, although today they are made with more of a flaky crust. One tradition is that one half of the pasty would be meat and the other half would contain fruit, thus making a complete meal for the miners! It has even been said that the miners would carry the steaming hot pasties inside their shirts to keep themselves warmer in the cold mines--at least for a little while!
Today the pasties are made with many different kinds of ingredients, such ones with minced beef (ground meat), ones with just onion and cheese, or ones with just vegetables. The people from Cornwall consider anything but the traditional pasty as inferior!
There are Cornish pasty stands at fairs, carnivals, etc.---- just like the hot dog stands in the U.S!
The photo is of one from the local bakery, the Royal Bakery in Martock. I think they are really good. (I guess I would like anything with that much crust on it!)
2 comments:
Hope you learn to make that pastry, so we can have some when you get home. Looks delicious.
I know a couple of Chihuahuas that would love to have the dirty piece of crust you throw down. They would always be waiting!
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