Wizarding World Fauna, Potions, Pasties, & Pies

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 79616

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "annemehr" <annemehr at y...> wrote:
> > The Sergeant Majorette says
> > 
> > ... JKR's ...invention is so seamlessly interwoven with sometimes 
> > odd reality that you can't always tell when she's kidding:<snip>
> > 
> > I ... wondering which of her foods is real and which are part of 
> > her 'magical' universe. ...
> > 
> > --JDR
> 
> Well, what I know about pasties comes from Lilian Jackson 
> Braun's "The Cat Who ..." mysteries, so for what it's worth:
> 
> Pasties (pronounced pass-tees in L.J.B.) are apparantly a real food 
> consisting of meat, vegetables and gravy wrapped up in a shapeless 
> dough and cooked (I forget how). 
> 
> Annemehr

bboy_mn:

Here is America we call them 'Hot Pockets'.

Actually, various meats baked into a pie crust either resembling a pie
or as a self-contained sandwich like pastry is very common in Britain,
although, I know this mostly from photos. I've never actually been to
Britain. 

Pasties actually started out as Cornish Pasties. Apparently there are
coal mines in Cornwall, and the coal miners had to eat there lunch
down in the mines. So their wives would put the entire lunch into a
pastie or pie crust rolled so it was closed into a small sandwich. 

Down in the mines there is really no way to wash your hands, and there
is nothing to eat off of; no tables or chairs or anything. So the
miner just sat on the ground and ate there enclosed pie crust
sandwiches. The pie crust would not absorb dirt and grim from their
hands to the same degree that bread would, so it worked out very nice. 

Some thoughtful wives would make the pasties so that one end had the
meat, the middle had potatoes or other vegetables, and the other end
would have a bit of apple pie filling in it. So, a meal and desert all
in one neat little package.

Make Your Own Spotted Dick

The following recipe is a traditional one for making this great
pudding and will serve four normal people, two greedy ones or one pig

You need:

2 oz white breadcrumbs
2 oz self raising flour
4 oz shredded suet
8 oz prepared stoned raisins
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon mace
1 oz whole candidied peel, finely chopped
grated zest of one orange
3 eggs
3 tablespoons brandy

I know I've strayed dangerously off topic, but I've had great fun
searching out all the bizarre British foods on the internet trying to
find out what they are. 

If anyone is interested, there have been several good discussion about
British food in the Off-Topics group. Also, I posted several links in
the USA and Canada where you can by common British brand food products
like golden syrup and treacle, as well as sugar mice and acid pops
which are real candies.

Sorry for the OT.

bboy_mn