scum
Scum is created when protein-containing ingredients are cooked in liquids, e.g. B. in the preparation of meat broth or legumes . It consists of protein that has leaked out of the cells and is mainly formed at the beginning of the cooking process. It is initially whitish and then turns gray, as it binds suspended matter from the liquid to itself. If the protein in the skimmings has completely coagulated , it flocculates and can cloud the liquid. To avoid this, it must be repeatedly skimmed off with a slotted spoon . This process is called skimming in the kitchen language .
Further use of the term
Since the 15th century, the term scrap has also been used colloquially for “ bad, outcast people ”, “ mob ”, in the broadest sense: “garbage”. Even in the present, the word, when used to denote people, is a grave insult.
The phrase " scum of the world " is the translation from the 1st letter to the Corinthians of the Apostle Paul . It refers to the apostles who are despised by the world. In the original Greek text it says: περικαθάρματα τοῦ κόσμου - perikatharmata tou kosmou.
