Stargazy Pie

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Stargazy Pie

Stargazy pie (Sterngucker- pie ) is a dish of the cuisine of Cornwall . The ingredients of the filling include sardines (pilchard), eggs and potatoes. There are several variations of the pie, but what they all have in common is that fish heads protrude from the dough as if they are looking at the sky.

history

Ready to serve

The pie originated in the fishing village of Mousehole in Cornwall and is linked to a legend about Tom Bawcock , a courageous fisherman of the 16th century. In a particularly stormy winter, the boats could not leave the port. As Christmas approached, there was a threat of famine as fish was the main source of food. On December 23rd, Tom Bawcock decided to face the storm and managed to catch enough fish for the whole village. The entire catch was made into a pie that contained seven types of fish with the heads sticking out to prove it contained fish. Since then, the Tom Bawcock's Eve festival has been held in Mousehole every December 23rd . A huge Stargazy Pie is first led through the town in a lantern procession and then consumed.

Bawcock's story, and with it the pie, was popularized by Antonia Barber 's children's book The Mousehole Cat . In 2007, Mark Hix won the BBC's Great British Menu competition with a variant of the dish .

description

Stargazy Pie (also known as starry gazy pie or stargazy pasty in older literature ) is a pie that is traditionally filled with whole sardines. It is important that the heads of the fish protrude through the dough cover as if they were looking at the stars. This allows oil that leaks out during cooking to flow into the pie, intensifying the taste and making the pie juicier. Rick Stein recommends leaving some fishtails sticking out to give the impression of fish jumping.

Although the British Food Trust rates the dish as entertaining for children, it was featured in the New York Daily News in the “Yuck! Disgusting things people eat ”based on a book by the American author Neil Setchfield. At Tom Bawcock's Eve Festival , it's served at The Ship Inn , Mousehole's only pub , sometimes after a performance of the legend.

Recipes

Stargazy Pie before baking

According to tradition, the first pie included seven types of fish, including sandeel , horse mackerel , sardine , herring , dogfish and ling . Sardine is the main ingredient in a traditional pie, but mackerel or herring can be substituted for it. Richard Stevenson, head chef at The Ship Inn in Mousehole, suggests that any white fish is suitable for the filling, while sardine or herring is shown outside. Fish is skinned and bones removed, except for the head and tail. Other traditional ingredients include thickened milk, eggs, and boiled potatoes.

There are many variants that contain hard-boiled eggs, bacon , onions, mustard or white wine, for example . Alternatively, crabs, rabbits or mutton can be used instead of fish. In any case, the pie is covered with batter, usually shortcrust (shortcrust pastry), sometimes puff pastry (puff pastry).

For serving, it is recommended to let the tails stick out towards the middle and the heads stick out from the edge of the pie. The dish can be enjoyed on its own, accompanied by crispy bread or sometimes vegetables. Other side dishes include Cornish Yarg , Rhubarb Chutney, Poached Eggs, or Lemon.

Web links

literature

  • Neil Setchfield: Yuck !: What people eat. Country cuisine with a difference. (Original title: Yuck , translated by Ulrike Kretschmer). Knesebeck, Munich 2011, p. 231, ISBN 978-3-86873-315-0 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b The Story of Tom Bawcock (English) , BBC News . December 2, 2009. Accessed January 7, 2011.  
  2. ↑ Michael Kent: Cornwall from the Coast Path . Alison Hodge Publishers, 2008, ISBN 0-906720-68-0 , pp. 103 (English).
  3. ↑ Carol Trewin, Adam Woolfitt: Gourmet Cornwall . Alison Hodge Publishers, 2005, ISBN 0-906720-39-7 , pp. 16 (English, limited preview in Google Book Search).
  4. ↑ Amy Cohn: Childrens Books: The Mousehole Cat (English) . In: The New York Times , March 10, 1991. Retrieved January 7, 2011. 
  5. ^ Caroline Stacey: Mark Hix serves up a seasonal feast (English) . In: The Times , October 11, 2008. Retrieved January 7, 2011. 
  6. ↑ Emily Dugan: champion of British food dominates the 'Great British Menu' (English) . In: The Independent , June 8, 2007. Retrieved January 7, 2011. 
  7. ↑ Jan Treenoodle: Specimens of Cornish provincial dialect, collected and arranged by uncle Jan Treenoodle, with some introductory remarks, and a glossary, by an antiquarian friend, also a selection of songs and other pieces connected with Cornwall . J. Russel Smith, 1846, p. 102 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
  8. ^ Fraser's Magazine for Town and Country . J. Fraser, 1867, p. 278 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
  9. ↑ a b Stargazey pie ( English ) greatbritishkitchen.co.uk. Retrieved January 7, 2011.
  10. ↑ Rick Stein: Rick Stein's Food Heroes . BBC Books, 2005, ISBN 0-563-52175-9 (English).
  11. ↑ Yuck! disgusting things people eat (number 9) (English) . In: New York Daily News , August 24, 2010. Retrieved January 7, 2011.  
  12. ↑ Neil Setchfield: Yuck! The things people eat . Merrell, 2010, ISBN 1-85894-524-0 (English).
  13. ↑ Oliver Berry, Belinda Dixon: Devon, Cornwall & South West England . Lonely Planet , 2008, ISBN 1-74104-873-7 , pp. 48 (English, limited preview in Google Book search).
  14. ^ A b c Cornish Fishing and Seafood . Alison Hodge Publishers, 2006, ISBN 0-906720-42-7 , pp.  243 (English, limited preview in Google Book search).
  15. ↑ Stargazy pie ( English ) In: Britain's Best Dish . ITV . Retrieved January 7, 2011.