Cornish cuisine
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Cornish cuisine encompasses the cooking styles, traditions and recipes associated with Cornwall and the Cornish people. It has been heavily influenced by the geography of the county as well as its social history.
Cornwall, being a peninsula surrounded by seas historically well-stocked with fish, has meant that fish dishes form a major part of the historical and modern recipes in Cornwall. The fishing industry has played a major part in the economy of the county. The iconic dish of Cornwall,[1] the pasty, has its roots in another historical industry within the county, this being mining.
Certain Cornish food dishes have been granted
Larger commercial producers of characteristically Cornish products include the bakers, famously
Dishes
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Cornwall has a strong culinary heritage. Surrounded on three sides by the sea amid fertile fishing grounds, Cornwall naturally has fresh seafood readily available; Newlyn is the largest fishing port in the UK by value of fish landed.[4]
Traditional dishes in the
Cornish food and drink was promoted in the Houses of Parliament in April 2009 following intervention from Mark Prisk MP, then Shadow Minister for Cornwall, as part of the Commons plans for a South West regional food week.[6]
Fish dishes
![A blue ceramic dish containing a stargazy pie, with six fish poking out of a shortcrust pastry lid, looking skywards](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2c/Stargazy_pie_prebake.jpg/220px-Stargazy_pie_prebake.jpg)
Television chef
One famous local fish dish is stargazy pie, a fish-based pie in which the heads of the fish stick through the piecrust, as though "star-gazing". The pie is cooked as part of traditional celebrations for Tom Bawcock's Eve.[citation needed]
Pasties
Cornwall is perhaps best known though for its pasties, a savoury baked dish made from pastry. Today's pasties usually contain a filling of beef steak, onion, potato and swede with salt and white pepper, but historically pasties had a variety of different fillings. "Turmut, 'tates and mate" (i.e. swede, potatoes and meat) describes a filling once very common. For instance, the licky pasty contained mostly leeks, and the herb pasty contained watercress, parsley, and shallots.[8] Pasties are often locally referred to as oggies. Historically, pasties were also often made with sweet fillings such as jam, apple and blackberry, plums or cherries.[9] The Pasty Shop[10] and West Cornwall Pasty[11] are among the Cornish chains that have popularised traditional oggies around the UK.
Meat pies
In recent times, Ginsters Bakery has become a large-scale producer of meat pies.[citation needed]
Dairy products
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The wet climate and relatively poor soil of Cornwall make it unsuitable for growing many arable crops.[12] However, it is ideal for growing the rich grass required for dairying, leading to the production of Cornwall's other famous export, clotted cream. This forms the basis for many local specialities including Cornish fudge and Cornish ice cream. Cornish clotted cream is protected under EU law,[13] and cannot be made anywhere else. Its principal manufacturer is Rodda's, based at Scorrier. Clotted cream is a principal ingredient of a Cornish cream tea.
- Cheese
See also List of Cornish cheeses
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a2/Welsh_hewa_cakes.jpg/170px-Welsh_hewa_cakes.jpg)
In 2004 there were nearly 60 varieties of cheese produced in Cornwall, and Cornish cheeses have won many awards.[14]
Cakes, sweet dishes and fruit
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ed/Cornish_fairings.jpg/220px-Cornish_fairings.jpg)
Local cakes and desserts include
Stoves and ovens
The Cornish stove (commonly known as the "slab") was found in most kitchens in west Cornwall. These stoves were supplied by a number of foundries in the district and were made of cast iron with brass knobs. The ironwork was kept looking fine with black lead. The foundries included Sara, Jenkins & Barnicoat of Camborne, Tippet, Terril & Rodgers of Redruth, Luke's of St Ives, Hill's and Radmore & Dart at Truro, Roberts's at Praze, and Toy's and Williams's at Helston. The doors to the firebox were either closed to heat the oven, or opened to provide a cheerful fire. Above the oven and firebox was the hotplate and some stoves had a built-in boiler to supply hot water. Once a week the blackleading would be renewed and the brasswork would be polished.[22] The exhibits of the St Ives Museum include a reconstruction of a traditional Cornish kitchen.[23] The predecessor of the Cornish range was the open hearth of which three still existed in the 1970s in the parishes of Feock and Kea. At that time several ranges by different makers were to be found at a house in St Agnes.[24]
A clome oven (or cloam oven) is a type of masonry oven. It has a removable door made of clay or alternatively a cast iron door, and was a standard fitting for most kitchen fireplaces in Cornwall and Devon. The oven would be built into the side of the chimney breast, often appearing as a round bulge in the chimney. This bulge consisted of the masonry surrounding the oven, and was intended to be dismantled should the oven ever need to be replaced. During installation, they are surrounded by packed clay to prevent the actual oven cracking. As cast iron range cookers were brought into common use, it became standard practice to build a dividing wall to split the fireplace into two separate fireplaces, thus allowing access to the clome oven, as well as providing a space of the correct dimensions to fit a Cornish stove or similar. Bricks were the most common building material for this task, since the installation of a Cornish stove required a brick flue to be built up the back of the fireplace. Many clome ovens were preserved in situ in this way.
When large parts of Lanhydrock House were destroyed by fire in 1881 a new kitchen block was built next to the old house. It was unusual for a large Victorian kitchen to be housed in a new building like this. The house has been a National Trust property since 1953 and is open to visitors.[25]
Alcoholic beverages
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There are many types of beers brewed in Cornwall – those produced by
Overseas
Australia
Cornish food, like the
In the 1880s, Henry Madren Leggo, whose parents came from St Just, Cornwall, began making vinegar, pickles, sauces, cordials and other grocery goods based on his mother's traditional recipes. His company, now known as Leggo's, is wrongly believed by many to be Italian.[27]
A boutique brewery operation in South Australia, Copper Coast Wines, produces traditional Cornish Swanky beer, a
United States
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/17/Grass_Valley_Cousin_Jacks_Pasties.jpg/220px-Grass_Valley_Cousin_Jacks_Pasties.jpg)
Some aspects of
Mexico
In the State of
See also
References
- ^ "Cornish pasties can't be pirated". DEFRA. 22 February 2011. Retrieved 25 March 2011.
- ^ "EU Protected Food Names – UK registered names". DEFRA. Archived from the original on 25 February 2011. Retrieved 25 March 2011.
- ^ "Game cookery by top Cornish chefs". fieldsportschannel.tv. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
- ^ "Fishing Industry Leaders Back Objective One Investment". The Objective One Partnership. 30 August 2005. Archived from the original on 14 July 2011. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
- ^ Meneage and Lizard Oral History Group (ed.) (1980) Traditional Life in the Far South West. [N. pl.]: the Group; pp. 15–20
- ^ Stocks-Moore, Laurie (27 April 2009). "Chester businessman's campaign to get Cornish pasties into Parliament". Chester Chroniclee. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
- ^ "About". Nathan Outlaw. 20 June 2014. Archived from the original on 8 March 2015. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
- ^ "Cornish Recipes". Alanrichards.org. 24 September 2013. Archived from the original on 11 October 2010. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
- ^ Martin, Edith (1929). Cornish Recipes, Ancient & Modern (22nd, 1965 ed.).
- ^ "The Pasty Shop Website". The Pasty Shop. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
- ^ "West Cornwall Pasty Website". West Cornwall Pasty. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
- ^ "Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Mapping Project" (PDF). English-heritage.org.uk. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
- ^ "Cornish Clotted Cream Denomination Information". Agriculture and Rural Development. European Commission. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
- ISBN 978-0-906720-39-4
- ^ "Blue cheese made world champion". BBC News. 28 December 2010. Retrieved 28 December 2010.
- ^ "Gourmet Britain – Encyclopedia – Gevrik". Gourmetbritain.com. Archived from the original on 7 February 2012. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
- ^ Freeman, Sarah (1998) The Real Cheese Companion. London: Little, Brown; (Cornish cheeses; pp. 115–127)
- ^ "Cookbook:Figgie 'obbin – Wikibooks, open books for an open world". En.wikibooks.org. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
- ^ Mason, Laura; Brown, Catherine (1999) From Bath Chaps to Bara Brith. Totnes: Prospect Books
- ^ Pettigrew, Jane (2004) Afternoon Tea. Andover: Jarrold
- ^ Fitzgibbon, Theodora (1972) A Taste of England: the West Country. London: J. M. Dent
- ^ Meneage and Lizard Oral History Group (ed.) (1980) Traditional Life in the Far South West. [N. pl.]: the Group; pp. 5–6
- ^ Hudson, Kenneth & Nicholls, Ann (1987) The Cambridge Guide to the Museums of Britain and Ireland. Cambridge University Press; p. 328
- ^ Feock Local History Group (1977) Feock with Devoran and Carnon Downs; pt. 4, pp. 18–24: "From open hearth to Cornish range".
- ^ "Lanhydrock". Nationaltrust.org. Archived from the original on 30 April 2010. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
- ^ "Kernewek Lowender – the World's Largest Cornish Festival". Cornwall 24. 27 September 2010. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
- ^ "London Cornish Association Newsletter, Spring 2010" (PDF). London Cornish Association. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
- ^ "About Swanky Beer". Swanky Beer. Archived from the original on 16 February 2011. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
- ^ "Hot Griddle Cakes and Cherry Sauce". Freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
- ^ "Shops & Restaurants – Pendarvis". Pendarvis.wisconsinhistory.org. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
- ^ "Grass Valley's St Pirans Day Celebration". Downtowngrassvalley.com. Archived from the original on 16 February 2009. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
- ^ "Cornwall Food and Drink". cornwalldirect.co.uk. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
Further reading
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- Smith-Twiddy, Helen, comp. (1979) Celtic Cookbook: 156 traditional recipes from the 6 Celtic nations; collected by Helen Smith-Twiddy. Talybont, Dyfed: Y Lolfa ISBN 0-904864-50-2
- Graham, Jean M. (1981) The Poldark Cookery Book; by Jean M. Graham. Triad / Granada
- --do.-- London: Macmillan, 2017