ramblin on about cookin....Newfoundland book notes...
Phrases to insert on book pages…to be in a box while regular book text written above or below;
Mug Up
Mug up (Boil up, cook up, Chaw and Glutch, Nunch, Yop, Munch). A mug of tea (Labrador tea, Switchel, Cup ‘o slops, kettle tea, Indian Tea) and a snack had between meals Often it is associated with working in the woods, hunting or fishing.
You would bring your proggins (rough food, grub, chaw, progs, scran) in a brinbag (grubbox, dittybag, nonny, progbag, dunnybag, nunchy, nunny, grubbag, scrawn bag, bread noggin or nunchbag). A mug up could be hash (wood frolic, scouch) or vang (lather and squirt, ladder and skirt) if you were gut-foundered (hungry). If setting up camp or having a fire you would `storm the kettle boil your hot ass, piper or bibby) on your bogie(stove).
When at sea fishing, you could `gallop` (boil) your slut (smut, flat arse, hurry up) in the cuddy (cookroom) while a meal of jowls (fish heads) cooked in a boiler (stove).
Take a Shingle
Take a shingle (swally, grog, bung hyer eye). To have a drink (hot toddie, garden beer, fixy rum, screech, St. Peter’s hooch, spruce beer). This could be an elevener (fourer, evening, mornin) of swish (homemade barrel liquor) from a jorum (jug) at a shebeen. If you were to joog (swally, drink) your callabogus (spruce beer and rum with molasses) for instance you would be on a jag(tear, piss up, getting on the sauce) yelling out `long may your big jib draw` as you become `full to the horn` (three sheets to the wind) because you `lost the bottle`(cold chunk, take a horn or cold junk).
Fish and Brewis
On a recent trip north to the arctic I was reminded about the finicky habits we all have towards food. More often than not this was something that no one could really explain why, or how it happens. One day I was making fish and brewis. A crewman dropped by to get a cup of coffee and asked what was I making. I told him and he shrugged asking could I make fish and brewis instead of fisherman’s brewis. His main contention was that I was putting all the cooked parts together and therefore that was fisherman’s brewis not fish and brewis and he did not like it. It was not a problem but I made a mental note to remember that he would not like the leftover fish cakes made with these ingredients the next day. I guess I could have use a brewis bag as well?
Fish and Brewis/Break up and soak overnight some hardtack (hard bread, a staple for those sailing in life). Do the same for salt cod fish.If, in the morning all of the water has been absorbed by the hardtack, add more to moisten and cover. Put in a saucepan and bring to a gallop (boil) with salt to taste. Turn off and let sit. Drain off the salt fish, cover with more water and slowly bring to a high simmer. I tend to not let it boil as cod is a rather delicate fish, even when salted. This should be ready in twenty minutes. Serve the cooked fish and brewis with scruncheons (cubed fried fat back, some people mix this up with salt pork which, while coming from the bellie of the pig, it also has more meat attached).
Lather and Squirt
A friend’s grandfather cooked on the coastal freighter that ran between St. Mary’s bay and St.John’s back in the 1920s before the road was put through. This was a quick scoff (meal) of vang (thick slices of fried fat back) where the rendered drippings are thickened with flour. It was often served with homemade bread. It also was know as ladder and squirt. Like many names of local ingredients they change with location, people and dialect.
Jiggs Dinner
Soak a piece of salt junk (salt beef) in cold water overnight along with split yellow peas in a peas pudding bag. Next day, place the beef in a pot of cold water along with a piece of fat back and bring to a gallop (boil), turn the heat lower so that the pot simmers, for 45 minutes or so. Add the peas pudding bag.
While the pot is simmering prepare your vegetables. Peel and cut turnip(rampers) into large pieces, same for carrots, and potatoes (praties or tatties). Cut the cabbage in large chunks and keep the root end attached (keeps the cabbage together). Add the vegetables, starting with the turnip, then carrots, potatoes and cabbage in 10 minute intervals. Once it is all together you are now as many say `cookin the pot`.
The Couldn’ts
Often when a feed (jigs dinner, scoff, Solomon Gosses’ Birthday) was over, there would be leftovers that could not be wasted. They would be called `the couldn’ts` due to the fact that you could not finish them on the day of cooking. They would be used the next day and most people I know called it hash. Or twice laid.
My own version originated from a camping trip to La Manche back in 1992. We decided to have a boil up after swimming, a fight with the stouts as I remember. After a long day and great meal we sat around the fire watching the bats fly by. The next morning, gut foundered, I wanted more than egg and toast and a mug of tea and started rummaging around for last night’s couldn’ts. I came up with leftover peas pudding, turnip, potatoes, carrot and cabbage. As usual there was no salt chunk left (salt beef).
I fried up a few lashers of thick bacon and then diced it and added the remainder of the ingredients. I put a few fried eggs on top. To this day I relish the thought of leftovers cooked this way. It way have been the smell of the woods, or the look in the dog’s eyes that day but when I smell hash cooking I’m in La Manche with my friend’s and the woods. I have since tried this at home on after a feed of ganny (turkey). A great twice laid the next day.
Touton
There are many names and spellings for touton in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. As I traveled around, asked questions and researched local foods I have come across the following spellings; toutin, towtents, toudens, and touten. A touton is a usually a dough cake made from leftover dough when making bread. Depending on family, community, ingredients and cooking method, there are many other names for toutons. These include the following; bangbelly,a cake made in a pan with fat back and eventually better known as a dessert with addition of wild berries; Damper dogs, toutons like this are cooked on the dampers of wood stoves; flummies are similar but they get there name from being wrapped around string and tied around the funnel of the wood stove. They can also be made by wrapping them around a stick and cooking them over an open fire.Also known as funnel buns. Toutons where also known as raps, skiver cake and dickey loaf.
One friend’s family called the leftover bread for toutons `Linda loaf` as it was left for the youngest daughter.
Salt Junk
Beef or pork cured in brine. The main meat for a jiggs dinner. Variations across the province using salt junk are Colcannon, wet hash, wood frolic, lobscouse, scouch, and even hash. We grew up calling it salt chunk. Junks, chunks simply meant cut into large pieces. Today when I go to a local market to get salt junk I fish it out of pails alongside assorted salted meats which includes salt pork tongues, tails, riblets and hocks.
Lassy
Lassy is a word that is used in the province in many ways. Growing up molasses was a staple for toutons. Across the province lassy would be associated with all kinds of foods both sweet and savory. From lassy loaf, pork buns, lassy coady, lassy buns, cakes, mogs, and duff, to lassy jimmies and burnt ocky you will find this a staple product in any Newfoundland and Labrador pantry. In Little St. Lawrence a friend’s family say `bread and la` for molasses and homemade bread.
Chooky Pig
As a child I spent a great deal of my time in a small town called Bellburns on the northern peninsula. `Chooky pig` was often a call to pigs or chickens on a relative’s farms. Many a morning I would walk to the river to go trouting, bamboo pole in hand and stop off at Uncle Sam’s and Aunt Maggie’s to check the hen house for eggs. This also meant breakfast a well. Growing up my nan would call me a chooky pig because I would be `stogging` myself with food and that `my eyes were too big for my belly`.
Duff
Duffs are found everywhere across the province in all shapes and sizes. Basically they are puddings made of flour and various ingredients and are boiled or steamed in duff bags or tins. Out around Bonavista, one older woman called duffs `puddings` if they included raisins, and `puddins` if they were plain. You will hear them called figgy duffs, stoggers, pease pudding, and lassy duff among other names based on the ingredients. Some are sweet (figgy)from raisins, damsels and herts (plums and blueberries) others savory from the addition of fat back (stoggers).`Duff days` were a common meal time of the week where a duff became the center point of the meal. It became common to hear these days called Solomon Gosse days named after an early planter by men fishing or sealing.
Mug Up
Mug up (Boil up, cook up, Chaw and Glutch, Nunch, Yop, Munch). A mug of tea (Labrador tea, Switchel, Cup ‘o slops, kettle tea, Indian Tea) and a snack had between meals Often it is associated with working in the woods, hunting or fishing.
You would bring your proggins (rough food, grub, chaw, progs, scran) in a brinbag (grubbox, dittybag, nonny, progbag, dunnybag, nunchy, nunny, grubbag, scrawn bag, bread noggin or nunchbag). A mug up could be hash (wood frolic, scouch) or vang (lather and squirt, ladder and skirt) if you were gut-foundered (hungry). If setting up camp or having a fire you would `storm the kettle boil your hot ass, piper or bibby) on your bogie(stove).
When at sea fishing, you could `gallop` (boil) your slut (smut, flat arse, hurry up) in the cuddy (cookroom) while a meal of jowls (fish heads) cooked in a boiler (stove).
Take a Shingle
Take a shingle (swally, grog, bung hyer eye). To have a drink (hot toddie, garden beer, fixy rum, screech, St. Peter’s hooch, spruce beer). This could be an elevener (fourer, evening, mornin) of swish (homemade barrel liquor) from a jorum (jug) at a shebeen. If you were to joog (swally, drink) your callabogus (spruce beer and rum with molasses) for instance you would be on a jag(tear, piss up, getting on the sauce) yelling out `long may your big jib draw` as you become `full to the horn` (three sheets to the wind) because you `lost the bottle`(cold chunk, take a horn or cold junk).
Fish and Brewis
On a recent trip north to the arctic I was reminded about the finicky habits we all have towards food. More often than not this was something that no one could really explain why, or how it happens. One day I was making fish and brewis. A crewman dropped by to get a cup of coffee and asked what was I making. I told him and he shrugged asking could I make fish and brewis instead of fisherman’s brewis. His main contention was that I was putting all the cooked parts together and therefore that was fisherman’s brewis not fish and brewis and he did not like it. It was not a problem but I made a mental note to remember that he would not like the leftover fish cakes made with these ingredients the next day. I guess I could have use a brewis bag as well?
Fish and Brewis/Break up and soak overnight some hardtack (hard bread, a staple for those sailing in life). Do the same for salt cod fish.If, in the morning all of the water has been absorbed by the hardtack, add more to moisten and cover. Put in a saucepan and bring to a gallop (boil) with salt to taste. Turn off and let sit. Drain off the salt fish, cover with more water and slowly bring to a high simmer. I tend to not let it boil as cod is a rather delicate fish, even when salted. This should be ready in twenty minutes. Serve the cooked fish and brewis with scruncheons (cubed fried fat back, some people mix this up with salt pork which, while coming from the bellie of the pig, it also has more meat attached).
Lather and Squirt
A friend’s grandfather cooked on the coastal freighter that ran between St. Mary’s bay and St.John’s back in the 1920s before the road was put through. This was a quick scoff (meal) of vang (thick slices of fried fat back) where the rendered drippings are thickened with flour. It was often served with homemade bread. It also was know as ladder and squirt. Like many names of local ingredients they change with location, people and dialect.
Jiggs Dinner
Soak a piece of salt junk (salt beef) in cold water overnight along with split yellow peas in a peas pudding bag. Next day, place the beef in a pot of cold water along with a piece of fat back and bring to a gallop (boil), turn the heat lower so that the pot simmers, for 45 minutes or so. Add the peas pudding bag.
While the pot is simmering prepare your vegetables. Peel and cut turnip(rampers) into large pieces, same for carrots, and potatoes (praties or tatties). Cut the cabbage in large chunks and keep the root end attached (keeps the cabbage together). Add the vegetables, starting with the turnip, then carrots, potatoes and cabbage in 10 minute intervals. Once it is all together you are now as many say `cookin the pot`.
The Couldn’ts
Often when a feed (jigs dinner, scoff, Solomon Gosses’ Birthday) was over, there would be leftovers that could not be wasted. They would be called `the couldn’ts` due to the fact that you could not finish them on the day of cooking. They would be used the next day and most people I know called it hash. Or twice laid.
My own version originated from a camping trip to La Manche back in 1992. We decided to have a boil up after swimming, a fight with the stouts as I remember. After a long day and great meal we sat around the fire watching the bats fly by. The next morning, gut foundered, I wanted more than egg and toast and a mug of tea and started rummaging around for last night’s couldn’ts. I came up with leftover peas pudding, turnip, potatoes, carrot and cabbage. As usual there was no salt chunk left (salt beef).
I fried up a few lashers of thick bacon and then diced it and added the remainder of the ingredients. I put a few fried eggs on top. To this day I relish the thought of leftovers cooked this way. It way have been the smell of the woods, or the look in the dog’s eyes that day but when I smell hash cooking I’m in La Manche with my friend’s and the woods. I have since tried this at home on after a feed of ganny (turkey). A great twice laid the next day.
Touton
There are many names and spellings for touton in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. As I traveled around, asked questions and researched local foods I have come across the following spellings; toutin, towtents, toudens, and touten. A touton is a usually a dough cake made from leftover dough when making bread. Depending on family, community, ingredients and cooking method, there are many other names for toutons. These include the following; bangbelly,a cake made in a pan with fat back and eventually better known as a dessert with addition of wild berries; Damper dogs, toutons like this are cooked on the dampers of wood stoves; flummies are similar but they get there name from being wrapped around string and tied around the funnel of the wood stove. They can also be made by wrapping them around a stick and cooking them over an open fire.Also known as funnel buns. Toutons where also known as raps, skiver cake and dickey loaf.
One friend’s family called the leftover bread for toutons `Linda loaf` as it was left for the youngest daughter.
Salt Junk
Beef or pork cured in brine. The main meat for a jiggs dinner. Variations across the province using salt junk are Colcannon, wet hash, wood frolic, lobscouse, scouch, and even hash. We grew up calling it salt chunk. Junks, chunks simply meant cut into large pieces. Today when I go to a local market to get salt junk I fish it out of pails alongside assorted salted meats which includes salt pork tongues, tails, riblets and hocks.
Lassy
Lassy is a word that is used in the province in many ways. Growing up molasses was a staple for toutons. Across the province lassy would be associated with all kinds of foods both sweet and savory. From lassy loaf, pork buns, lassy coady, lassy buns, cakes, mogs, and duff, to lassy jimmies and burnt ocky you will find this a staple product in any Newfoundland and Labrador pantry. In Little St. Lawrence a friend’s family say `bread and la` for molasses and homemade bread.
Chooky Pig
As a child I spent a great deal of my time in a small town called Bellburns on the northern peninsula. `Chooky pig` was often a call to pigs or chickens on a relative’s farms. Many a morning I would walk to the river to go trouting, bamboo pole in hand and stop off at Uncle Sam’s and Aunt Maggie’s to check the hen house for eggs. This also meant breakfast a well. Growing up my nan would call me a chooky pig because I would be `stogging` myself with food and that `my eyes were too big for my belly`.
Duff
Duffs are found everywhere across the province in all shapes and sizes. Basically they are puddings made of flour and various ingredients and are boiled or steamed in duff bags or tins. Out around Bonavista, one older woman called duffs `puddings` if they included raisins, and `puddins` if they were plain. You will hear them called figgy duffs, stoggers, pease pudding, and lassy duff among other names based on the ingredients. Some are sweet (figgy)from raisins, damsels and herts (plums and blueberries) others savory from the addition of fat back (stoggers).`Duff days` were a common meal time of the week where a duff became the center point of the meal. It became common to hear these days called Solomon Gosse days named after an early planter by men fishing or sealing.
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