Apple pie in American culture

An apple pie is one of a number of American cultural icons.

In the English colonies the apple pie had to wait for the planting of European varieties, brought across the Atlantic, to become fruit-bearing apple trees, to be selected for their cooking qualities. The only native apples were crab apples. In the meantime, the colonists were more likely to make their pies, or "pasties", from meat rather than fruit; and the main use for apples, once they were available, was in cider. However, there are American apple pie recipes, both manuscript and printed, from the eighteenth century, and it has since become a very popular dessert. All apple varieties are propagated by grafting, as clones, but in the New World, planting from seeds was more popular, which quickly lead to the development of hundreds of new native varieties.

Although apple pies have been eaten since long before the European colonisation of the Americas, "as American as apple pie" is a saying in the United States, meaning "typically American".^[13] In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, apple pie became a symbol of American prosperity and national pride. A newspaper article published in 1902 declared that “No pie-eating people can be permanently vanquished.”^[14] The dish was also commemorated in the phrase "for Mom and apple pie" - supposedly the stock answer of American soldiers in World War II, whenever journalists asked why they were going to war.^[15]

Advertisers exploited the patriotic connection in the 1970s with the commercial jingle "baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet". There are claims that the Apple Marketing Board of New York State used such slogans as "An apple a day keeps the doctor away"^[16] and "as American as apple pie!",^[17] and thus "was able to successfully 'rehabilitate' the apple as a popular comestible" in the early twentieth century when prohibition outlawed the production of hard cider.^{[dubious – discuss][18]}

The unincorporated community of Pie Town, New Mexico is named in honor of the apple pie.^[19]

Ingredients

Cooking apples^[1] (culinary apples), such as the Bramley, Empire, Northern Spy or Granny Smith, are crisp and acidic. The fruit for the pie can be fresh, canned, or reconstituted from dried apples. This affects the final texture, and the length of cooking time required; whether it has an effect on the flavour of the pie is a matter of opinion. Dried or preserved apples were originally substituted only at times when freshfruit was unavailable.

Apple Pie is often served in the style "a la Mode" (topped with ice cream). Alternatively, a piece of cheese (such as a sharp cheddar) is occasionally placed on top of or alongside a slice of the finished pie.^[

 

English cuisine

 

English cuisine encompasses the cooking styles, traditions and recipes associated with England. It has distinctive attributes of its own, but also shares much with wider British cuisine, largely due to the importation of ingredients and ideas from places such as North America, China, and India during the time of the British Empire and as a result of post-war immigration.

In the Early Modern Period the food of England was historically characterised by its simplicity of approach and a reliance on the high quality of naturalproduce. It is possible the effects of this can still be seen in traditional cuisine.

Traditional meals have ancient origins, such as bread and cheese, roasted and stewed meats, meat and game pies, boiled vegetables and broths, and freshwater and saltwater fish. The 14th-century English cookbook, the Forme of Cury, contains recipes for these, and dates from the royal court of Richard II. In the second half of the 18th century Rev. Gilbert White, in The Natural History of Selborne made note of the increased consumption of vegetables by ordinary country people in the south of England, to which, he noted, potatoes had only been added during the reign of George III: "Green-stalls in cities now support multitudes in comfortable state, while gardeners get fortunes. Every decent labourer also has his garden, which is half his support; and common farmers provide plenty of beans, peas, and greens, for their hinds to eat with their bacon."

Other meals, such as fish and chips, which were once urban street food eaten from newspaper with salt and malt vinegar, and pies and sausages with mashed potatoes, onions, and gravy, are now matched in popularity by curries from India and Bangladesh, and stir-fries based on Chinese and Thaicuisine. Italian cuisine and French cuisine are also now widely adapted. Britain was also quick to adopt the innovation of fast food from the United States, and continues to absorb culinary ideas from all over the world while at the same time rediscovering its roots in sustainable rural agriculture.

 

 

Sandwiches

England can claim to have given the world the word "sandwich", although the eponymous John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich was not the first to add a filling to bread^{[ citation needed ]}. English sandwiches are made with two slices of bread, or some kind of roll. Fillings such as pickled relishes and Gentleman's Relish could also be considered distinctively English. Common types of sandwich are roast beef, chicken salad, ham and mustard, cheese and pickle, BLT, egg mayonnaise, prawn mayonnaise, tuna, marmite and jam.^[16] A dainty form of sandwich, cut into small squares, without crusts, and often filled with cucumber, are served at genteel gatherings, such as Royal Garden parties.^[17] Robust sandwiches made from thick slices are called "doorsteps" and are often served in pubs.

English Cucumber Sandwiches

8 oz. Neufchâtel (or low-fat cream cheese), room temperature
10 oz. goat cheese, room temperature
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
3 tablespoons minced fresh flat leaf parsley
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper3-4 tablespoons milk

1 english cucumber
1 loaf rosemary olive oil bread, thinly sliced

To make spread:
In a bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, place the Neufchâtel, goat cheese, thyme, parsley, salt and pepper. Beat on medium speed, add in milk to thin out to desired consistency. I like the spread to be a little thicker, so I use only a few tablespoons of milk. Set aside.

With a mandolin or sharp knife, slice the unpeeled cucumbers into thin rounds.

Spread the goat cheese/Neufchâtel mixture on each slice of bread. Place cucumbers on one slice and top with another piece of bread, pressing slightly. Cut each sandwich in half and serve.

 

German cuisine

In 1949 after World War II, Germany was divided into East Germany and West Germany. This division caused the country's two halves to develop different styles of cooking. East Germany, closely associated with its neighbor, Russia, took on a more Russian style of cooking. West Germans continued the traditional German cuisine.

In the north, restaurants in Hamburg and Berlin might feature aalsuppe (eel soup) or eintopf (seafood stew). Soups of dried beans, such as weisse bohnensuppe (white bean soup) are also popular. In the center of the country, menus include breads and cereals made with buckwheat and rye flour. A favorite dish is birnen, bohnen und speck (pears, green beans, and bacon). In the middle of the country, a region near the Netherlands known as Wesphalia is famous for spargel (asparagus), especially white asparagus, and rich, heavy pumpernickel bread. Westphalian ham, served with pungent mustard, is popular with Germans worldwide.

Germans tend to eat heavy and hearty meals that include ample portions of meat and bread. Potatoes are the staple food, and each region has its own favorite ways of preparing them. Some Germans eat potatoes with pears, bacon, and beans. Others prepare a special stew called the Pichelsteiner, made with three kinds of meat and potatoes. Germans from the capital city of Berlin eat potatoes with bacon and spicy sausage. Sauerbraten is a large roast made of pork, beef, or veal that is popular throughout Germany, and is flavored in different ways depending on the region. In the Rhine River area, it is flavored with raisins, but is usually cooked with a variety of savory spices and vinegar. Fruit (instead of vegetables) is often combined with meat dishes to add a sweet and sour taste to the meal. Throughout Germany desserts made with apples are very popular.

Breakfast, or früstück, consists of rolls with jam, cheese, eggs, and meat. Coffee or tea may also be served. The zweites früstück (literally second breakfast) is a mid-morning snack eaten at work or school. Students may have belegtes brot (literally covered bread), a small sandwich of meat or cheese, and a piece of fruit. Germans eat their big meal of the day, mittagessen, around noon or later, sometimes lasting two hours. The meal almost always begins with suppe (soup), and several more courses follow (see sample menu). In the afternoon, kaffee (snack with coffee) is often served, consisting of pastries and cakes. Abendbrot (supper, literally "bread of the evening") is a lighter meal than lunch, usually offering an open-faced sandwich of bread with cold cuts and cheese, eaten with a knife and fork, and perhaps some coleslaw or fruit. Pretzels and sweets may be enjoyed, especially by children, any time during the day.

 

 

Soft Pretzels

Ingredients

• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1½ cup warm water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 4 cups flour (approximate)
• Shortening for greasing bowl and cookie sheet
• 1 egg, beaten
• Coarse salt

Procedure

1. Dissolve sugar, salt, and yeast in warm water.
2. Allow to stand for 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Stir in 3 cups of flour.
4. Add the last cup of flour, a little at a time, until a stiff dough forms.
5. Sprinkle flour onto a cutting board or countertop and turn the dough out of the bowl.
6. Using clean hands, knead the dough (fold it over, press down, turn).
7. Repeat this process for about 7 or 8 minutes. Clean out the mixing bowl and coat the inside lightly with oil.
8. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and leave the bowl in a warm place for 1 to 2 hours.
9. During this time the dough will expand, or "rise" to about twice its size.
10. Grease two cookie sheets and remove the plastic wrap from the bowl.
11. Cover your fist with flour, and then punch down into the center of the dough.
12. Turn the dough back out onto the floured counter and cut or tear it into about 12 equal pieces.
13. Roll each piece into a long rope (about 12 to 16 inches long).
14. Twist the ropes into pretzel shapes and place them on a greased cookie sheet.
15. Using a clean pastry brush, brush each pretzel with beaten egg and then sprinkle them with coarse salt.
16. Cover the cookie sheets loosely with plastic wrap and allow the pretzels to rise again for about 1 hour.
17. Preheat oven to 425°F.
18. Bake the pretzels for 10 to 15 minutes (until lightly browned).
19. Serve immediately with spicy mustard.

 

Russian Cuisine

Traditional Russian cuisine, an important part of Russian national culture, arouses a keen interest both in Russia itself and around the world. The compilers of the below-quoted recipes have focused their attention on the most popular and interesting culinary examples from its vast repertory. Our goal is to introduce you to the Russian national cuisine, with all its authenticity and originality. Some of the recipes go back to hoary antiquity, while others evolved later, in eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

In times past, grain - wheat, rye, oats and millet - was the main foodstuff in Russia. Russian people were engaged in ploughing since time immemorial and so bread played a very significant part in their diet. The festive table couldn't be imagined without pies and other pasties. Pies were cooked with a cook cereals, all sorts of pancakes and baked puddings. Cattle-breeding was always popular in Russia as was hunting - hence a large choice of meat dishes included those of wild animals and fowl.

Large areas covered by woods and forests, especially in the north of Russia, were abundant in berries and mushrooms and this accounted for a wealth of "gifts of the forests" on the Russian table. One should also not forget about the fish courses. Russian cuisine was renowned for diverse delicacies, especially refreshments, made of fish. Russian rivers, lakes and seas yielded much of this tasty and useful kind of food.

Centuries have passed… Growing contacts with Western countries led to numerous borrowings in Russian cooking. In the times of Peter the Great contemporary cookers became widespread in Russia and together with them saucepans, frying-pans, straining spoons and other indispensable kitchen utensils were introduced. At the beginning of the nineteenth century Russian cooks derived various sauces and dressings for which French cuisine was famous. These innovations became an important addition to traditional Russian spices - horse-radish and mustard. All of this undoubtedly enriches Russian cookery.

Wheaten Blinis (Red Blinis)

4.5 glasses (7 cups) flour, 4 glasses (4 1/2 cups) milk,
25 g (1 1/2 tbsps) yeast, 25 g (1 1/2 tbsps) butter,
100 g (1/2 cup) cream, 2 eggs, 2 tsps sugar, 1 tsp salt

Dissolve half the flour, the yeast and butter in milk and let it rise. Beat up the dough, add the rest of the flour, salt and egg yolks ground with sugar. Beat again, add the beaten egg whites and cream, let the dough rest and then begin to bake.

 

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Some national heroes are also assigned, almost always after the fact, the distinction of Father of his Country.
Many nations have one or more heroic figures, sometimes legendary, whose actions and personality are honored and highlighted as an example.

They must receive the nation that recognizes a cultural consensus majority but still subjective. Their claims to fame are always attached to the origins of the nation, they were often the first performance and have sometimes lost their lives in defense of their liberties. However, they do not have official recognition as such, their worship is quite popular and traditional.