In article 9, Wayne
Boatwright wayneboatwright_at_gmail.com says...
When my grandmother cooked blackeyed peas, she usually added a small chunk of
bacon, fatback, or a smoked ham hock, along with a pinch of dried red pepper
flakes or a chopped hot pepper, and an onion. The *odd* ingredient she
*always* added was 1 whole English walnut *in the shell*. The walnut was
discarded after cooking. Any idea what purpose that served?


It served to puzzle her grandson!

--
Peter Aitken
Visit my recipe and kitchen myths pages at www.pgacon.com/cooking.htm

Wayne Boatwright wrote:

That theory probably makes the most sense, albeit ineffective. Funny what
folks used to think. "-)

My grandmother wouldn't let my mother drink milk when eating fish, on
the
grounds that the fish would make the milk curdle in her stomach. (Not
the
sharpest knife in the drawer, my grandmother.) No idea how widespread
an idea this might have been.

My mother didn't mind, though, because it was the only time she got to
drink Coke at dinner. The would have been the 1930s - 1940s.

Cindy Hamilton

"Cindy Hamilton" wrote in message
oups.com...

Wayne Boatwright wrote:

That theory probably makes the most sense, albeit ineffective. Funny
what
folks used to think. "-)

My grandmother wouldn't let my mother drink milk when eating fish, on
the
grounds that the fish would make the milk curdle in her stomach. (Not
the
sharpest knife in the drawer, my grandmother.) No idea how widespread
an idea this might have been.

My mother didn't mind, though, because it was the only time she got to
drink Coke at dinner. The would have been the 1930s - 1940s.

Cindy Hamilton


Your grandmother and I must be related. There's something in my
psyche/physiologically, too, that will not let me have milk and fish
together. Cheese and fish is even worse for me --
I'll vote with your dull-knife grand-ma.
This must've spread over and up to the Ohio Valley and reached me.
You won't win this one with me, Wayne :-))))) as
perhaps DNA might have something to do with it -- the Asian/perhpaps Am.
Indian race weren't able to assimilate milk so well, and as they ate a lot
of fish; this might have been the way it got started.
I'd probably have a lot more to say about this, and it's a fun topic; but
since this is OT and well, you know.......
Dee Dee

"Cindy Hamilton" wrote in message
oups.com...

Wayne Boatwright wrote:

That theory probably makes the most sense, albeit ineffective. Funny
what
folks used to think. "-)

My grandmother wouldn't let my mother drink milk when eating fish, on
the
grounds that the fish would make the milk curdle in her stomach. (Not
the
sharpest knife in the drawer, my grandmother.) No idea how widespread
an idea this might have been.

My mother didn't mind, though, because it was the only time she got to
drink Coke at dinner. The would have been the 1930s - 1940s.

Cindy Hamilton




My family was from southern Indiana and they also would never drink milk
with fish. There was always bread with fish . It could be in case you
swallowed a bone the bread might cushion it.

On Mon 22 May 2006 06:00:07a, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Peter A?

In article 9, Wayne
Boatwright wayneboatwright_at_gmail.com says...
When my grandmother cooked blackeyed peas, she usually added a small
chunk of bacon, fatback, or a smoked ham hock, along with a pinch of
dried red pepper flakes or a chopped hot pepper, and an onion. The
*odd* ingredient she *always* added was 1 whole English walnut *in the
shell*. The walnut was discarded after cooking. Any idea what purpose
that served?


It served to puzzle her grandson!


Indeed it did. :-)

--

Wayne Boatwright
__________________________________________________ ___________

"How can a nation be great if it's bread taste like Kleenex?"

Julia Child

"Phyllis Stone" wrote in message
et...

"Cindy Hamilton" wrote in message
oups.com...

Wayne Boatwright wrote:

That theory probably makes the most sense, albeit ineffective. Funny
what
folks used to think. "-)

My grandmother wouldn't let my mother drink milk when eating fish, on
the
grounds that the fish would make the milk curdle in her stomach. (Not
the
sharpest knife in the drawer, my grandmother.) No idea how widespread
an idea this might have been.

My mother didn't mind, though, because it was the only time she got to
drink Coke at dinner. The would have been the 1930s - 1940s.

Cindy Hamilton




My family was from southern Indiana and they also would never drink milk
with fish. There was always bread with fish . It could be in case you
swallowed a bone the bread might cushion it.

Phyllis - whereabouts in Southern Indiana? My people are from Jackson
County, primarily.

That being said...I don't recall ever drinking milk with fish, but neither
do I recall anyone saying that I *couldn't*. We just usually had tea or
water with dinner. (No Coke - Gramma was convinced that stuff rotted your
teeth and et out your insides.)

I really don't recall any odd-ball kitchen traditions when it came to
cooking, but I still follow Gramma's rule for washing dishes...first the
glasses, then the silverware, then the bowls/plates, and last the pots and
pans. It makes me nuts to see other people wash dishes an any old order,
and I'm convinced that *my* way is the *only* way they'll get clean!
Dishwashers, I've learned, usually settle that argument to everyone's
satisfaction.

Lisa Ann

In article 9, Wayne
Boatwright wayneboatwright_at_gmail.com says...
On Sun 21 May 2006 07:43:33p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it zxcvbob?

itsjoannotjoann wrote:
Wayne Boatwright wrote:
When my grandmother cooked blackeyed peas, she usually added a small
chunk of bacon, fatback, or a smoked ham hock, along with a pinch of
dried red pepper flakes or a chopped hot pepper, and an onion. The
*odd* ingredient she *always* added was 1 whole English walnut *in the
shell*. The walnut was discarded after cooking. Any idea what
purpose that served?

Hmmmmm, beats me. I'd like to know, too.


Perhaps it was a generational practical joke. She *always* added the
walnut (with a flourish) when Wayne was watching.

Best regards,
Bob


Sort of like that family tradition of cutting the roast into two pieces to
put in the pot because it was *always* done that way. Turned out that
originally it was the only way the roast would fit in the pot.

Actually, my mother told me that my grandmother and great grandmother both
added a walnut to the peas, but nobody seems to know why. I never actually
knew about it until I looked in the pot one day.

I happen to love brussel sprouts. Found a recipe that had walnut meats
and brussel sprouts that was just fantastic. Keyron didn't like it all
that much but I love bitter stuff, he doesn't.

Wayne Boatwright wrote:

*odd* ingredient she *always* added was 1 whole English walnut *in
the shell*. The walnut was discarded after cooking. Any idea what
purpose that served?

Maybe originally (at the times of your grand-grand-grandparents) it was a
non-dry walnut, and the distinction between dry and fresh has been forgot? A
fresh walnut could have added some tannins and other vegetable flavours, or
even some astringency / acidity. I'm guessing this because a dry walnut can
do just nothing for a recipe, so it looks senseless.
--
Vilco
Think pink, drink rose'

"Vilco" wrote in message
...
Wayne Boatwright wrote:

*odd* ingredient she *always* added was 1 whole English walnut *in
the shell*. The walnut was discarded after cooking. Any idea what
purpose that served?

Maybe originally (at the times of your grand-grand-grandparents) it was a
non-dry walnut, and the distinction between dry and fresh has been forgot?
A fresh walnut could have added some tannins and other vegetable flavours,
or even some astringency / acidity. I'm guessing this because a dry walnut
can do just nothing for a recipe, so it looks senseless.
--
Vilco
Think pink, drink rose'

I have to admit that my first image was of a "dried" whole pomegrante, the
kind that you buy in a middle-eastern grocery. It is possible that grandma
found one of these where she lived?
Dee Dee

"Lisa Ann" wrote in message
et...
Phyllis - whereabouts in Southern Indiana? My people are from Jackson
County, primarily.



I'm going to say Spencer County because that is the only one I remember, I
grew up in Tx., but as far back as there was family they lived in
Boonville, Gentryville and Evanville.

On 22 May 2006 03:31:37 +0200, Wayne Boatwright
wayneboatwright_at_gmail.com wrote:

When my grandmother cooked blackeyed peas, she usually added a small chunk of
bacon, fatback, or a smoked ham hock, along with a pinch of dried red pepper
flakes or a chopped hot pepper, and an onion. The *odd* ingredient she
*always* added was 1 whole English walnut *in the shell*. The walnut was
discarded after cooking. Any idea what purpose that served?

The only thing I've heard is that adding a whole walnut to the pot is
supposed to cut the smell of cabbage cooking.

Inviato da X-Privat.Org - Registrazione gratuita http://www.x-privat.org/join.php

On 23 May 2006 21:56:09 +0200, Ms.B Haven wrote:

On 22 May 2006 03:31:37 +0200, Wayne Boatwright
wayneboatwright_at_gmail.com wrote:

When my grandmother cooked blackeyed peas, she usually added a small chunk of
bacon, fatback, or a smoked ham hock, along with a pinch of dried red pepper
flakes or a chopped hot pepper, and an onion. The *odd* ingredient she
*always* added was 1 whole English walnut *in the shell*. The walnut was
discarded after cooking. Any idea what purpose that served?

The only thing I've heard is that adding a whole walnut to the pot is
supposed to cut the smell of cabbage cooking.

Inviato da X-Privat.Org - Registrazione gratuita http://www.x-privat.org/join.php