Welsh cuisine
While some culinary practices and dishes have been imported from other parts of Britain, uniquely Welsh cuisine grew principally from the lives of Welsh working people, largely as a result of their isolation from outside culinary influences and the need to produce food based on the limited ingredients they could produce or afford.
"the effects of a self-denying Puritanical religion and much past hardship understandably colour Welsh attitudes to their native cookery.
Even today a discussion of the subject is apt to generate a surprising amount of heat – I have been treated to more than one lecture on the frivolity of studying the history of Welsh food!'"
[2] The lack of records was highlighted by Mati Thomas in 1928, who made a unique collection of 18th century "Welsh Culinary Recipes" as an award-winning Eisteddfod entry.
[3] Historically the King of the Welsh people would travel, with his court, in a circuit, demanding tribute in the form of food from communities they visited as they went.
The tribute was codified in the Laws of Hywel Dda, showing that people lived on beer, bread, meat and dairy products, with few vegetables beyond cabbages and leeks.
Food would be cooked in a single cauldron over an open fire on the floor; it would likely be reheated and topped up with fresh ingredients over a number of days.
"[4] The medieval Welsh used thyme, savory, and mint in the kitchen, but in general herbs were much more likely to be used for medicinal purposes than culinary ones.
[7] The worst riots happened in the 1790s after a grain shortage, which coincided with political upheaval in the form of forced military service and high taxes on the roads, leaving farmers unable to make a profit.
[15] Around the end of the 19th century, the increase in coal mining and steel works around Wales led to the immigration of Italian workers.
[18] Other modern Welsh characteristics are more subtle, such as supermarkets offering salty butters and laverbread or butchers labelling beef skirt as 'cawl meat'.
[6] Coastal inhabitants were more likely to include seafood or seaweed in their meals, whilst those living inland would supplement their farmed cereals with the seeds of land weeds to ensure there was enough to eat.
Conversely those who remained in wilder areas kept the traditional approaches to cooking; tools such as the pot crane continued to be used as late as the 20th century.
[22] The only region that has a significant difference from the rest of Wales is the Gower peninsula, whose lack of land transport links left it isolated.
[26] By 1700, there were a number of different Welsh breeds of pig, with long snouts and thin backs, generally light coloured, but some were dark or spotted.
[29][28] Welsh farmers have started using scientific methods, such as artificial insemination or using ultrasound to scan a sheep's depth of fat, to improve the quality of their meat.
Welsh coracles, simple boats made of a willow frame and covered in animal hides, were noted by Romans and were still in use in the 20th century.
[38] Cockle picking still happens in the Gower peninsula, but due to the difficulty in getting licences and reduced yield, villages near the Carmarthen Bay no longer gather them.
The Roman invasion led to many Welsh people moving to the less hospitable uplands, where the only cereal crops which could be grown were oats, barley and rye.
[43] The Welsh also created a dish called llymru, finely ground oatmeal soaked in water for a long time before boiling until it solidified.
[44] Celtic law made specific provision with regard to cabbages and leeks, stating that they should be enclosed by fences for protection against wandering cattle.
One tradition, which was still in place at the start of World War II, was that villagers could plant an 80-yard (73-metre) row of potatoes in a neighbouring farmer's field for each labourer the household could provide at the time of harvest.
[50] Dating back to the 11th century,[50] originally it was a simple broth of meat (most likely bacon) and vegetables, it could be cooked slowly over the course of the day whilst the family was out working the fields.
[53][56][57] The name evolved from rabbit to rarebit, possibly to remove the slur from Welsh cuisine or due to simple reinterpretation of the word to make menus more pleasant.
It can be served with bacon and cockles as a breakfast dish,[60] or mixed with oats and fried in small patties,[61] or laver cakes.
[70] Bara brith is a fruit loaf originating from rural Wales, where they used a mortar and pestle to grind the fresh sweet spices.
[73] Bara Brith translates to "speckled bread",[72] but it is also known as teisen dorth in South Wales, where sultanas are included in the recipe,[75] or as torta negra when Welsh settlers brought it to Argentina.
Bute was passionate about the medieval period, and instructed his head gardener, Andrew Pettigrew to establish three acres of vines on the southern slopes of the castle grounds.
[78][79] Home produced wine did not become a feature of Welsh cuisine until the 1970s, when modern vineyards began to be planted in south Wales.
[91] There has also been a rise in Asian cuisine in Wales, especially Indian, Chinese, Thai, Indonesian and Japanese, with a preference for spicier foods.
