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| Celtic Radio Community > Wales > Bwyd Cymreig |
| Posted by: Siarls 12-May-2005, 10:47 AM |
| So, what do you think of Welsh food? Have you tried to make Bara Brith or Welsh cakes? You know that Prince Charles and Camilla's wedding cake was made in Carmarthen? I had a slice - it was delicious! I really fancy a nice Welsh breakfast, actually (Even though it's nearly chwech o'r gloch yn y noswaith). |
| Posted by: gwenynen 12-May-2005, 07:14 PM |
| I have made both Bara Brith and Welsh cakes as well as Welsh rarebit, cawl cennin. I tried cooking with lamb too but I don't want to do it again. Not only it's too fatty (a Welsh man said you weren't supposed to trim the fat,) my family and I couldn't help thinking of the poor lamb that became our dinner! You might say, "What about poor calves?" but it's different! You mean you had a slice of the very wedding cake for the royal couple? How did that happen? Do you like the authentic 'brecwast Cymreig' with cockles and lava bread? You know seaweed has been a staple diet for Japanese for centuries. I grew up eating it everyday, dry or wet. I'd like to try lava bread if I get a chance. |
| Posted by: Siarls 13-May-2005, 07:12 AM |
| I love the authentic Welsh breakfast!!! I love Laverbread. We get it fresh from Swansea Market. It's so nice with bacon. You'll love it. When Prince Charles visited Wales recently, an elderly lady made him some cake. He loved it so much, he asked for the recipe. She refused, so he asked her to make the wedding cake! She made a huge amount of dough to sell some of the slices. My mother went up at 7 a.m. of the wedding day and bought 8 slices (1 slice was £4, around $7 I think). They were sold out by 9 a.m. We eat lamb without thinking about the animal, but I know what you mean. I felt the same when I ate duck, goose, lobster, ostrich, kangaroo and horse!!!! But I always like to try new stuff!!!! My friend owns a cow farm. Every year, they have calves and they sell them (for you know what), but I was shocked when she said to me that one of her cows was baron - so they had it killed and ate it for dinner!!! She said something like, "Rosy couldn't have calves, so when we realised that she wouldn't be profitable, she ended up in our freezer". So matter of fact!!! |
| Posted by: Siarls 13-May-2005, 07:20 AM |
| What did you think of Bara Brith and the Welsh cakes? Again, you can get these freshly made from Swansea Market. In fact, they make them in front of you. They smell soooooo delicious. You should eat Bara Brith with a bit of butter and a nice mug of tea. Tea is HUGE in Wales! We love it more than the English - but we drink it out of mugs, not cups! |
| Posted by: gwenynen 13-May-2005, 08:00 AM |
| They were 'delicioso' indeed! Freshly made Bara Brith and the Welsh cakes at a market sound so inviting. I used margarine instead. I hope it's acceptable. I am an avid tea drinker. I'm glad to hear it's huge in Wales. I used to use tea cups (I have a collection) but now I pour all my tea in a big mug. Does 'We' mean you and your family or most of the Welsh? That old lady must have made a fortune! I didn't know you could refuse a favor from a prince. £4 is $8 now. Do you know you made a funny typo in the paragraph about your friend's cow? "one of her cows was baron." - I first thought it was a special breed given a royal name! But then it should be called 'baroness' as it's a cow.  |
| Posted by: Siarls 13-May-2005, 09:39 AM |
| Haha. I will make regular typos. I'm awful at things like that! And I re-read them and I can't edit posts yet (I'm going to wait a bit longer before I buy membership). When I say "We", I mean most of the Welsh! Sorry! The Welsh word ni is contextual as well. You'll have to listen out for whether the speaker includes the family, friends, the town, the region, Wales or Britain!!!! Well, officially, you can't refuse a Prince, but the Welsh are brazen! Fortunately, the Royal Family understands that. For example, a sturgeon was caught in Swansea Bay and by law, sturgeon or fish over a certain size must be offered as a gift to the Queen before all else. The Queen knew she'd be in for it if she took the prize winning catch from a Welshman!!!!!! Have you tried cockles then? It's amazing when you go into Swansea Market, buy some freshly caught cockles and freshly made Welsh cakes. Like Japan, seafood is popular in Wales. A principle source of food. Although we have fewer delicacies than Japan and a Welshman would never risk eat poisonous food!! (or is it a myth that the Japanese eat poisonous fish?) |
| Posted by: gwenynen 13-May-2005, 04:07 PM |
| Since when have you had such a law about offering a big catch to the Queen? A gift is a gift when it's voluntary. If it's required by the law, it shouldn't be called a gift but tax or something else. A dweud y gwir, (Actually) - (Aren't I a good student?) I haven't had cockles yet. Japanese do eat shell fish often but it hasn't been my particular favorite. Poisonous fish, you must mean blowfish. You have to have a special license to be allowed to cook it. People do die from time to time eating ill-treated blowfish. I've never had it and never want to try. It's expensive anyway. |
| Posted by: Siarls 15-May-2005, 03:58 PM |
| I love the way you're using a dweud y gwir. I say it about every 10 minutes when speaking Welsh! It's so useful and broad. I just had a seafood spaghetti dish. It was amazing. Cockles, prawns and mussels in spaghetti bolognese (except no meat - it was shellfish instead of mince!!!). I find these quirky old laws amusing. There are so many here! The Queen is gracious though. She doesn't use the power that is given to her. Even if it had been an Englishman that had caught the sturgeon, I'm sure she would have kindly refused the "gift". |
| Posted by: Siarls 15-May-2005, 04:00 PM |
| By the way, you might like my mother's Seafood Taglietelle. Mixing Welsh and Italian recipes is very popular and there are several restaurants that do this in Swansea. My mother cookes taglietelle carbonara but uses laverbread and cockles instead of ham. It's lovely, but very rich and filling. If you want, I can start posting recipes. |
| Posted by: gwenynen 15-May-2005, 05:06 PM |
| Yes, please! A dweud y gwir, I was thinking of asking for your mother's recipes but was afraid it would be asking too much. There's no good fresh sea food available around here but catfish, let alone laverbread. I'd appreciate if your could ask her if she would share her recipes for Bara Brith and Welsh cakes as a start. Of course other members who can get fresh sea food may want to see the recipes using it. |
| Posted by: Siarls 16-May-2005, 09:00 AM |
| My mother's recipes can be awkward to note because she plays by ear. Putting in what feels right rather than sticking to quantities. I will get some ideas of quantities and put them together. Both my parents were once high class caterers. Before they divorced, my mother was manageress and my father the head chef of a restaurant called The Dragon in Swansea. Aptly named after the Welsh flag! Bonnie Tyler (singer of Total Eclipse of the Heart) entertained at their restaurant before she became famous. We even have a photo of my parents with Prince Charles after they made him and his guests dinner when he visited Swansea once. My mother said that he was a lovely man, who was affectionate and made an effort to speak some Welsh to her. Anyway anyway, I'll get some of her recipes together. |
| Posted by: gwenynen 04-Jun-2005, 02:36 PM |
| There is a magazine in easy Welsh for learners called "Lingo Newydd." In 6/7 issue, there it is, an article about the lady who made the cake for the Royal wedding. Etta Richardson gave the recipe for her banana cake. There's even a big photo of herself. They said one piece of the Royal cake was sent to USA by air and taxi at the price of £200! |
| Posted by: Siarls 05-Jun-2005, 07:22 AM |
| Etta's family own a cake stall in Carmarthen market! I was in Carmarthen just the other day in fact - should have popped by! We've lost our Welsh Recipes Cook Book, so I'm on the look out for it and then be prepared for an explosion of posts with recipes!!! |
| Posted by: susieq76 15-Jun-2005, 02:59 PM |
| Oh, I would love that Siarls! Hope you find it soon! |