 | |
| Type | Stew |
|---|---|
| Region or state | England |
| Main ingredients | Beef or lamb, root vegetables |
Scouse is a type of stew typically made from chunks of meat (usually beef or lamb) with potatoes, carrots, and onion. It is particularly associated with the port of Liverpool; hence, the inhabitants of that city are often referred to as "scousers". The word "scouse" comes from lobscouse , a stew commonly eaten by sailors throughout northern Europe in the past, and surviving in different forms there today.
Scouse is particularly associated with the port of Liverpool. The recipe for scouse is fairly broad; it was traditionally made from leftovers and whatever was in season. Guardian food writer Felicity Cloake describes scouse as being similar to Irish stew or Lancashire hotpot, though generally using beef rather than lamb as the meat. [1] While ingredients can vary, those essentials are potatoes, carrots, onions, and chunks of meat, with beef favoured over lamb. These are simmered together for several hours. The meat may be seared first, then reserved while some of the potatoes are boiled; as they break up, thickening the mix, the meat and the rest of the potatoes are added, and the stew finished off. [1] [2]
A survey by The Liverpool Echo in 2018 confirmed that for the majority of cooks the basic ingredients are potatoes, carrots, onion and chunks of meat, though many advocated the addition of a stock cube, and a few also added other ingredients, such as peas, lentils or sweet potato, and herbs including rosemary, parsley and basil. [3] The choice of meat varied: some cooks did not stipulate a particular meat; among those who did, beef was chosen rather than lamb by a majority of nearly two to one. [3] [n 1]
Although some argue that anything other than beef, potatoes, carrots, onion is not scouse, others point out that, as a thrift dish, it will contain "whatever veg you had... and...the cheapest cuts of meat". [3] Some recipes suggest including marrowbones to thicken the stew. [4] Proportions vary from equal amounts of meat and vegetables to a 1:5 proportion between meat and potato. [2] A meatless version, known as "blind scouse", is also recorded, for vegetarians, or when people were too poor to afford meat. [5] [6] Scouse is generally served with pickled red cabbage or beetroot and crusty bread. [2] [6]
Scouse is strongly associated with the port of Liverpool and its hinterland in the northwest of England. Other parts of the country were slower to begin growing potatoes, but they were cultivated in Lancashire from the late 17th century onwards. By the late 18th century the potato-based lobscouse – by then also known simply as scouse – had become a traditional dish of the region. [7] A 1797 description records that potatoes were "peeled, or rather scraped, raw; chopped, and boiled together with a small quantity of meat cut into very small pieces. The whole of this mixture is then formed into a hash, with pepper, salt, onions, etc., and forms a cheap and nutritive dish". [8] An earlier reference from 1785 refers to "LOBS-COUSE, a dish much eaten at sea, composed of salt beef, [ship's] biscuit , and onions, well peppered and stewed together." [9] The same recipe was used by nineteenth-century sailors. [10] In the poorest areas of Liverpool, when funds ran too low for the purchase of even the cheapest cuts of meat, "blind scouse" would be made, using only vegetables. [11]
The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) states that "scouse" is a shortened form of "lobscouse" [12] a sailors dish from the 18th century. According to The Oxford Companion to Food , lobscouse "almost certainly has its origins in the Baltic ports, especially those of Germany", [13] although it offers no evidence to support this assertion. The claim is repeated in a number of sources, though again, no reason given for this belief. Contrariwise, Crowley points out that lobscouse (as "lobs course") is mentioned by Smollett in 1750, while Friedrich Kluge dates its first appearance in German in 1878, and concludes the usage spread from Britain to northern Europe rather than vice versa. [14]
Similar dishes are traditional in countries around the North Sea, such as Norway ( lapskaus ), Sweden ( lapskojs ), Finland (lapskoussi), Denmark, ( skipperlabskovs ), and northern Germany ( Labskaus ), [13] though these differ from the original lobscouse and from each other. Swedish Lapskojs and Norwegian Lapskaus is a stew, like scouse, while German Labskaus is a form of hash. However, lobscouse is also different from scouse, being a type of gruel.
According to the OED "scouse" is a shortened form of "lobscouse" [12] and has also been written as "lopscourse", "lobscourse", "lobskous", "lobscouce", and "lap's course". Its oldest quote is from 1707, by the satirist Edward Ward: "He has sent the Fellow ... to the Devil, that first invented Lobscouse." [15]
The first known use of the term "lobscouse" is dated 1706, according to Webster's Dictionary . [16] Tobias Smollett refers to "lob's course" in 1750. [17] The roots of the word are unknown. [16] The OED states that the origin is unknown, and goes on to compare the word to loblolly, which means a "thick gruel or spoon-meat, frequently referred to as a rustic or nautical dish or simple medicinal remedy; burgoo" and "perhaps [is] onomatopoeic: compare the dialectal lob 'to bubble while in process of boiling, said esp. of porridge', also 'to eat or drink up noisily'". [18]
Kluge also states that the origin of lobscouse is unknown, and that it was loaned to German in the 19th century, where it was called labskaus. [19] Hjalmar Falk and Alf Torp states that lobscous originally was lob's course from a lob (a lump) and course (a dish) and that the word has travelled to Norwegian as lapskaus and Danish as lobskous. [20]
The similarities with labs kauss in Latvian and labas kaušas in Lithuanian is called gobbledygook (Kauderwelsch) of the mind in Der Spiegel by Petra Foede. [21] Foede translates Labs kausis to means a "good plate" in Latvian, and says that in Lithuanian they use labas káuszas for a "good plate". [n 2] [21] According to Gerhard Bauer káuszas in Lithuanian means a wooden ladle or dipper or a wooden drinking bowl and is the same word as Lettish kauśis and this Baltic word has been adopted in German as Kausche or Kauszel which means wooden jug, pitcher or drinking bowl. [25]
Konrad Reich claims that Labskaus stems from a combination of Lappen, Lappenstücke or Bauchlappen from the pig and a Low German word Kaus which he explains as a plate or platter and concludes that Labskaus is a paraphrase for a plate of minced pork. [26] : 355 Reich does not cite any sources to his claim. [n 3]
Since 2000 there has been an annual International or Global Scouse Day held, where bars, cafes and restaurants in Liverpool and around the world put scouse on the menu for the day, raising funds for charities. [28] [29]
Lobscouse is also remembered in other parts of the northwest. In the Potteries, a similar stew is known as "lobby", [30] and people from Leigh, Greater Manchester, are known as "lobby-gobblers". [31] In North Wales the full form is retained as "lobsgows" (Welsh: lapsgóws) [32] [33]
A version of scouse has been known on the Atlantic coast of Canada in Newfoundland and Labrador, from at least 1792. It is described as a sea dish of minced and salted beef, crumbled sea biscuit, potatoes and onions. [34]
Lancashire hotpot is a stew originating in Lancashire in the North West of England. It consists of lamb or mutton and onion, topped with sliced potatoes and slowly baked in a pot at a low heat.
Goulash is a soup or stew of meat and vegetables seasoned with paprika and other spices. Originating in Hungary, goulash is a common meal predominantly eaten in Central Europe but also in other parts of Europe. It is one of the national dishes of Hungary and a symbol of the country.
Kebab, kabob, kebap, kebob, or kabab is a variety of roasted meat dishes that originated in the Middle East.
Hash is a dish consisting of chopped meat, potatoes, and fried onions. The name is derived from French: hacher, meaning 'to chop'. It originated as a way to use up leftovers. In the U.S. by the 1860s, a cheap restaurant was called a "hash house" or "hashery."
Gulyásleves, is a Hungarian soup, made of beef, vegetables, ground paprika and other spices. It originates from a dish cooked by the cattlemen, who tended their herds in the Great Hungarian Plain. These Hungarian cowboys often camped out with their cattle days away from populated areas, so they had to make their food from ingredients they could carry with themselves, and this food had to be cooked in the one available portable cauldron over an open fire.
Irish stew or Stobhach is a stew from Ireland that is traditionally made with root vegetables and lamb or mutton, but also commonly with beef. As in all traditional folk dishes, the exact recipe is not consistent from time to time or place to place. Basic ingredients include lamb, or mutton, as well as potatoes, onions, and parsley. It may sometimes also include carrots. Irish stew is also made with kid. Irish stew is considered a national dish of Ireland.
Irish stew is a celebrated Irish dish, yet its composition is a matter of dispute. Purists maintain that the only acceptable and traditional ingredients are neck mutton chops or kid, potatoes, onions, and water. Others would add such items as carrots, turnips, and pearl barley; but the purists maintain that they spoil the true flavour of the dish. The ingredients are boiled and simmered slowly for up to two hours. Salt can be added before or after the cooking. Mutton was the dominant ingredient because the economic importance of sheep lay in their wool and milk produce, and this ensured that only old or economically non-viable animals ended up in the cooking pot, where they needed hours of slow cooking. Irish stew is the product of a culinary tradition that relied almost exclusively on cooking over an open fire. It seems that Irish stew was recognised as early as about 1800.
Peasant foods are dishes eaten by peasants, made from accessible and inexpensive ingredients.
Beef bourguignon or bœuf bourguignon, also called beef Burgundy, and bœuf à la Bourguignonne, is a French beef stew braised in red wine, often red Burgundy, and beef stock, typically flavored with carrots, onions, garlic, and a bouquet garni, and garnished with pearl onions, mushrooms, and bacon. A similar dish using a piece of braised beef with the same garnish is pièce de bœuf à la bourguignonne.
Labskaus is a culinary speciality from northern Germany and in particular from the cities of Bremen, Hamburg, and Lübeck. The main ingredients are salted meat or corned beef, potatoes, and onion. Some recipes put beetroot, pickled gherkin, or even herring into it, while others have these ingredients as side dishes.
Olla podrida is a Spanish stew, usually made with chickpeas or beans, assorted meats like pork, beef, bacon, partridge, chicken, ham, and sausage, and vegetables such as carrots, leeks, cabbage, potatoes, and onions.
Lobby or lobbies is a traditional stew or casserole, containing corned beef, potatoes and onion.
Lobscouse is a thick Scandinavian stew made of meat and potatoes.
Fricassee or fricassée is a stew made with pieces of meat that have been browned in butter then served in a sauce flavored with the cooking stock. Fricassee is usually made with chicken, veal or rabbit, with variations limited only by what ingredients the cook has at hand.
Hodge-podge or hotch potch is a soup or stew, usually based on diced mutton or other meat, with green and root vegetables. It is familiar in different versions in Britain and North America and is particularly associated with Scotland.
Kaldereta or caldereta is a goat meat stew from the Philippines. Variations of the dish use beef, chicken, or pork. Commonly, the goat meat is stewed with vegetables and liver paste. Vegetables may include tomatoes, potatoes, olives, bell peppers, and hot peppers. Kaldereta sometimes includes tomato sauce. Kaldereta is usually served during special occasions such as parties and festivities.
Steckrübeneintopf is a German dish that, today, is especially common in North Germany. It generally consists of a stew made from swede, carrots and potatoes in varying proportions and diverse, usually smoked or pickled, types of meat or sausage. Occasionally special cooking pears used as well. The stew may be seasoned and refined with salt, pepper, mustard, horseradish, celery, leeks or parsley, etc., according to taste.
Aloo gosht is a meat curry, and is a popular dish in North Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi cuisine. It consists of potatoes (aloo) cooked with meat (gosht), usually lamb or mutton or beef, in a stew-like shorba gravy. It may be considered a curry, stew, or shorba depending on the way the dish is prepared, the types of spices used and what country or particular region it was made in. The dish can be served and eaten with plain rice or with bread such as roti, paratha or naan.
A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy. Ingredients can include any combination of vegetables and may include meat, especially tougher meats suitable for slow-cooking, such as beef, pork, venison, rabbit, lamb, poultry, sausages, and seafood. While water can be used as the stew-cooking liquid, stock is also common. A small amount of red wine or other alcohol is sometimes added for flavour. Seasonings and flavourings may also be added. Stews are typically cooked at a relatively low temperature, allowing flavours to mingle.
Frisian cuisine consists of the traditional recipes and cooking methods of the historic region of Frisia, which is in present-day Germany and the Netherlands. Frisian cuisine is diverse, drawing from both land and sea. Most dishes, excluding desserts, are made of fish or potatoes, though there are several dishes based on other ingredients. Especially in West Frisia, the food resembles that of the Dutch Cuisine, though East Frisia and North Frisia present dishes that are very much unique to the region.
Labskaus n. (= Seemannsgericht), nordd. Im 19. Jh. entlehnt aus ne. lobscouse, dessen Herkunft unklar ist. [The first edition of the dictionary was published in 1883.]
Lit. káuszas hölzerner Schöpflöffel, hölzerne Trinkschale, lett. kauśis, kausts, kausinsch Napf, Schale, Becher, estn. Kause Schale, Napf, Schüssel, sanskr. koshas Behältnis zum Auf- bewahren, Tresor. Nsslm. Th., 68. Hupel, 107. Sallmann, 19a. Grimm, Wb. V, 362. Im Brem. Kausse hölzerner Schöpflöffel, in Pommern Kowse Schale.
Und so «erfand» ein ideenreicher und mitfühlender Koch dies pürierte Pökelfleisch. Lappen, Lappenstücke und Bauchlappen des Rindes wirden dazu verwendet. Die erste Silbe weist darauf hin: Das niederdeutsche ‹Kaus› ist eine Schüssel, eine Schale, so daß ‹Labskaus› eine Umschreibung fur «eine Schüssel Gehacktes» ist.
