THE FOOD TOPIC

ah. cool.

Good for you stuart, if I ever want to argue about collenary disputes i'll look you up.

Civility wrote:

They started in Belgium, Stuart

And did I ever say they didn't? Actually, the potato was first found in approxomately 750 BC in Central America by the Incas, who soon found it not only edible, but also used it in many of their medicines and healing rituals. When Cortez and the conquistadors arrived over two millineum later, they brought the potato, which they called an "edible stone", back to Europe, where it didn't meet any kind of welcome. It eventually spread, mostly by accident, from Mexico to Great Britain, where it was found to grow abundantly in the Irish soil. This was the only place it was embraced as a crop however, since the Irish were so poor they didn't have much choice as to what they ate. The Scots actually labelled it as an unholy vegatable, since there was no mention of it in the Bible. Many doctors considered it to be poisonous, and when several cases occured that a part of the potato skin caused rashes, it was said to bring on Leprosy. The fried potato is rumored to have been an American food craze in the 1830's, after President T. Jefferson, who was very open-minded and forward-thinking with foods, -as with all things- reportedly served them at the White House. However, the fried potato made it huge in Belgium and France by the end of the 19th century. After World War I, Doughboys coming home brought a craving for the stuff with them, and thus the French Frie spread to America. There, it was a born fast food, since at that time, home cookware didn't allow American families to easily frie foods in their kitchens; on top of that the fat and grease necessary were quite expensive. And we still enjoy them today. (why do I feel like going to In-and-Out?)

Facinating.

Hmmm tell me something I didn't know?

well, I didn't know much about it so it was very interesting for me annyways.

We just like to let Stuart talk, it makes him feel good.

I like candy. especially taffy. anybody like candy?I like cereal milk and cereal, cereal and milk, cereal and milk.with lots of sugar yah yah yah yah yah yah yah.

I am a suger freak just ask my mom. I love Salt water Taffie, and I like cereal with a lot of suger also.

I hate cereal. Candy is the best thing in the world besides hardtack.

too true Candy is the BEst thing in the world. Hase anny one watched the Histiry channel when they show how its made and how candy started?

So, anyone want to tell me a recipe for making hardtack?

I would but I don't know anny.

HARDTACK
4 cups of pre-sifted flour
2 teaspoons of shortening
1 cup of water

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour with the shortening. Mix them together with your hands until thoroughly blended. Add water and knead the mixture into dough, which should be stiff and elastic, and not at all sticky to the touch.
Place dough on the counter or breadboard that has been dusted with flour. Using a heavy mallet, pound the dough until its about 1/2-inch thick. (I used a hammer with tinfoil on it) Next, fold the dough into 5 or 6 layers, and pound it out again. Repeat the pounding and folding prosess a total of 5 or 6 times.
Using a flour dusted rolling pin, roll out dough until its smooth and about 1/4-inch thick. Cut into 3-inch squares and place on baking sheet. For added realism and better baking results, use a shish kebab skewer to poke 4 rows of 4 holes in each square.
Place the cookie sheet in a pre-heated oven and bake for about 35 minute at 325. After baking, turn off the heat and leave the hardtack in the oven until the oven is cool, in order to further dry them out. the hardtack is now ready to eat.

From Rebel cornbread and Yankee coffee by Garry Fisher.

Hard tack acutally isnt that bad. (Maybe thats just because I am a salt freak who puts it on everything)