Re: Slightly off topic - Mere vegetables
- Subject: Re: Slightly off topic - Mere vegetables
- From: T* &* M* R*
- Date: Thu, 10 May 2001 10:20:33 +1200
Carol Joynson wrote:
>
> Thomas Etty Esq. offers a vegetable called Bistort (Polygonum bistorta) for
> sale and mentions that it is one of the basic ingredients of Easter Ledger
> Pudding.
> An Easter Garden writes: "In some parts of the country it is known as
> Easterman Giants, Easter Ledger and Passion Dock. Far from being just a
> weed, the Common Bistort can be eaten - and it still is in northern areas of
> England, where it's made into a dish called Dock Pudding. The long-stalked,
> heart-shaped leaves are mixed with chopped nettle leaves, onions, oatmeal,
> salt and pepper and then fried. Other leaves might include cabbage leaves,
> dandelion leaves... almost anything green! Delicious! "
>
> Can anyone tell me whether this is the Easter Ledger Pudding to which Thomas
> Etty refers?
>
Carol
Can't say for certain, but it seems likely. My mother (whose childhood
in Yorkshire occured towards the end of the 19th century) used to tell
of the "nettle pudding" _her_ mother would make in spring. Unfortunately
I never asked for the recipe as I was not much interested in nutrition
in those days, but now I realise it was the way they used the early
spring greens to make up for the largely vitamin and mineral poor diet
they had to endure through winter at that time. No doubt it was avery
similar recipe to yours.
Looking through the list of the green ingredients in your recipe shows
that just about all of them would be prescribed nowadays to anyone
wanting the boost their intake of these necessary dietary items (though
I don't have information about the Bistort, however the related sorrel
(Rumex) is a good surce of vit C). To people largely deprived of fresh
food for several months thay must have indeed tasted delicious.
Moira
--
Tony & Moira Ryan <theryans@xtra.co.nz>
Wainuiomata (near Wellington, capital city of New Zealand)
