HERBSPHERE
|
|
|
NAVIGATE |
If it ain’t ‘arf ‘ot – Bring on the Jellied Eels!
Picture courtesy of Stephenson’s Fishmongers1
Some British traditional foods have made a come back in recent time. Forget chip shops and burger bars, the ‘Eel Pie and Mash Houses’ and ‘Pie ‘n Mash’ that have been around since the 18th century, first appearing in pre-Dickensian and Victorian London, are making a come-back.2 The ‘Eel pie ‘n Mash’ industry centered around the Thames, which accounts for the famous Cockney speciality ‘jellied eels’ and ‘stewed eels’. It’s a highly nutritious dish made by boiling the eels with lots of herbs to form their own jelly, often with gelatine added. Jellied eel stalls were around for high days and holidays, to be found outside Racecourses such as Kempton Park inland and Brighton by the sea. Traditional fish stalls still exist in English seaside holiday resorts today, selling cockles and mussels, whelks, shrimps, prawns, crabs, and lobsters, and jellied ells - there’s one doing a good healthy trade right now down on the sea-front in Dawlish, Devon. However, the eels ‘unagi’ connection with summer heat is part of the Japanese culture.3 They consider eating eels a cure for heat fatigue. And, as the temperature there in Tokyo has been hitting the 100s, eels are selling like wildfire. Sale of eels has been escalating nationwide for the last week in July. Eel legend has it that in the traditional lunar calendar, the eighteen days before the beginning of each season is called ‘doyo’. The first day in midsummer and midwinter is called ‘ushi no hi’ the day of the Ox. So, it is customary to eat eel on the day of the Ox in summer late in July ‘doyo no ushi no hi’.4 This may sound like blatant superstition, but the real reason behind it is that eel provides strength and vitality to counteract the debilitating extreme heat and humidity of Japan’s summer. The eel is nutritious and rich in vitamin A, but it is much more. For example, the Taiwanese White eel is full of protein, calcium, unsaturated fat, Vitamins A and E, and EPA and DHA with 0.1% carbohydrate and a calorie count of 270. It also contains minerals phosphorus, iron, sodium, potassium, Vitamins B1, B2, B3 (niacin – nicotinic acid) and C.5 As the Japanese are renowned for their longevity, which is often connected with their diet of fish, the eel, which is so neglected in the UK, starts to look a more attractive source of healthy food. There are many eel recipes. In Tokyo a popular contemporary dish is made from filleted eels, grilled and slathered in sugar and rice wine sauce. If you have a dry palate, then Szechuan style crispy eel fillets might have more appeal or if wet a traditional bowl of Jellied Eels.6&7 If you have a mental picture of slithery eels and that’s an off-put, e.g. the collective noun is ‘a swarm of eels’, but ‘a fry of eels’ is a popular description, why not do a ‘try-out’ at a seaside fish stall or go with friends to a trendy Pie House. There may be also be a snobby image of eels as an old-fashioned working-class dish coupled with raucous behaviour of seaside tourists in Kiss-me-Quick hats, but eels have been around a long time. We should not forget eels were also ennobled by the death of King Henry (Henry Beauclerc) 1068-1135 son of Norman King William I (The Conqueror), who was said to die of a surfeit of lampreys8 – except we now know it was not lampreys, which are not strictly speaking eels, but food poisoning that killed him. Remember that today’s coveted oysters were also once a common food of the poor of London and not much valued even as late as Mrs Beeton’s time 1837-1865. There are strict laws regarding Eel fishing with ‘fyke nets’ and fishermen who do not comply are heavily fined. The nets are licensed because the system gives valuable information on eel stocks and guards against otter snaring.9
COMMENT:
The stuffy attitude towards eating eels that has grown up since the last War means that, yet again, most of our English and Welsh domestic eel catch goes to Belgium, to be eaten no doubt by the ‘cool’ EU elite, and to the Netherlands. There is also a small export to Scandinavia and Spain for direct consumption. At present 90% of the seaside and traditional East End of London’s ‘jellied eels’ speciality is catered for from farmed imports and all that method of harvesting implies! In these days of fast rising obesity and a level of malnutrition in the sense of ill-chosen diets, it would behove us, therefore, to re-look (respect) our fresh eels if we are so keen on emulating Japanese longevity. References: 1. Stephenson’s Fishmongers, Coventry, England – www.stephenson-fish.co.uk - See website for fish, game and poultry recipes. 2. Goddard’s Pie House, Greenwich, England – www.pieshop45.freeserve.co.uk See website for catering etc. 3. ‘Japanese try to beat summer heat with eel’ by Chisaki Watanabe, Associated Press, Tokyo AP 26th July, 2004. 5. http://gsh.taiwanschoolnet.org 6. See Allotment Slot – Eels and Allotments: Slippery Thoughts – www.sustainweb.org Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s favourite eel recipe. 7. English recipe for Jellied Eels – http://www.gurunet.com 8. “Lampreys are akin to young eels also known as elvers. All types of these eel like fish are edible but go off very quickly. It is recommended that they are cooked in boiling water as soon as they are killed which is why wet fish shops only carry live eels which they behead as and when bought.” Hadie Jago BS London University (pathology) mainspring 54 03/03/01. 9. ‘Illegal eel net risk to otters’ 8th March 2004 – www.nfucountryside.org.uk Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975 and the Salmon Act 1986. |
LINKS
|
|
PLEASE NOTE: Disclaimers and Copyrights can and must be read by clicking here.
|
