Bursting at the seams: interesting beginnings - stuffings

Art Culinaire, Winter, 2002

the first colonists, or Pilgrims, as they are better known, founded Jamestown, Virginia, in May of 1607. Faced with the ever-present danger of attack by Spanish ships venturing close to shore, the settlers chose a site away from the coastline that was less vulnerable. Located on the banks of the James River, the newly formed English colony was located approximately sixty miles from the mouth of Chesapeake Bay. However, little did the new settlers realize that the Spanish would be the least of their worries: The colonists were under attack from their on and off-again enemy, the Algonquin natives. Disease harsh winter conditions, famine, as well as continuing battles with the Algonquins took their toll on the settlers. During this time, the Powhatten Indian tribe sporadically provided the colony with food supplies in return for copper and iron implements. Unfortunately, the settlement finally succumbed to overwhelming adversities and the colonists abandoned the site in the spring of 1609.

another group of English settlers landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1620. Unlike their counterparts in Jamestown, who primarily sought economic gain in the New World, these pilgrims left England to escape religious persecution. But despite their different motivations for immigrating to the New World, the two colonies shared a common thread when it came to the foods they ate; they both brought to America "preconceived tastes and culinary customs of the British Isles." However, plants and animal species, as well as customs in a new land, were very different from those in their native country. Although they were able to preserve some of their British culinary traditions, they were also forced by necessity to establish new ones. Relying on an abundance of game, fowl, and fish and--thanks to the Native Americans--new techniques for cultivating the land, English colonists adapted to Indian fare. Wild fowl was an integral part of their cuisine, and turkey was a prime choice for stuffing and eating. A turkey fill ed to the brim with savory stuffing was destined to become a staple of Thanksgiving dinner, which most of us still enjoy to this day.

Four and twenty blackbirds

Nearly every culture has its own stuffing recipe file replete with long lists of provocative ingredients. These stuffings incorporate distinctive flavors and are prepared and cooked according to each culture's unique culinary heritage and style. Initially, stuffings in sixteenth century England were used as pie fillings. Often, fowl meat was mixed with gooseberries, sugar, cinnamon, butter, egg yolks, salt, and verjuice, and then poured into a pie shell and baked. A short time later, these types of stuffings were packed into the cavities of fowl before cooking. Besides adding flavor to pies and birds, stuffing had other useful benefits. Rich-in-fat blends added moisture and extra flavor to drier meats and game, while, in contrast, starch-based mixtures soaked up flavorful juices from the inside of a bird, and these juices added to the taste of the stuffing itself.

culinary intrigue

Along with the practical uses and advantages of stuffings comes a bit of anticipation, mystery, and perhaps a bit of suspicion. When looking at a tray of pastry-wrapped hors d'oeuvres, one can't help wonder what flavored mixture lies just below the surface. What isn't a mystery, though, is that stuffings have found a welcome place in all cuisines and their variations are limitless. Moving on from the simple act of placing stuffing inside the cavity of a turkey or a chicken before roasting, we've progressed to the delicate art of placing stuffing just below the skin of many other types of fowl, as well. We also butterfly veal chops, pork chops, and salmon filets and place aromatic combinations of rice, nuts, grains, and fruits within. Savory stuffings also find their way inside of apples, pears, peppers, tomatoes, onions, pumpkins, artichokes, pastas, and even breads. Rendered mushrooms, with their natural juices, are the perfect foils for puff pastries; sweet, whisked creams and soft-colored custards add anot her dimension to these delicate shells as well as to curled-when-warm tuiles. We stuff strudel dough with apples, sugar, raisins, and cinnamon, and phyllo beggars' purses with tropical fruits. Even chocolate shells aren't immune to being filled with soft ganache, flavored with a hint of liquor.

Stuffings have been around for ages in many forms--be they sweet or savory. As a part of a chef's repertoire, stuffings, with their wide variety of ingredients and versatility, add interesting and flavorful dimensions to even the most unexciting dish.

cressotti & kobayashi bios

michael cressotti hiroyuki kobayashi

SUSHISAMBA

New York, New York

fusing the flavors of three different countries is no ordinary feat but one that chefs Michael Cressotti from SUSHISAMBA 7 and Hiro Kobayashi from SUSHISAMBA Park, respectively, have successfully accomplished. While on a culinary expedition to Peru and Brazil, Cressotti and Kobayashi discovered the cultural and culinary parallels between Peru, Brazil, and Japan. How did Japan get into this mix? Brazil has the largest population of Japanese outside of Japan, while Peru has a large population of Japanese-Peruvian chefs known as "Nikkei" chefs.