Jellied eels
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jellied eels is a traditional English dish that originated in the 18th century, primarily in London's East End. The dish consists of chopped eels boiled in a spiced stock that is allowed to cool and set, forming a jelly. It can be eaten hot or cold.
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[edit] History
The eel was a cheap, nutritious and readily available food source for the people of London; European eels were once so common in the Thames that nets were set as far upriver as London itself, and eels became a staple for London's poor.
The first "Eel Pie & Mash Houses" opened in London in the 18th century, and the oldest surviving shop - M Manze - has been open since 1891.[1]
Although jellied eels are nowhere near as popular today as they were - at the end of the Second World War there were as many as a hundred Eel Pie & Mash Houses in London[2] - they can still be found in the Eel Pie & Mash Houses that remain, and in some supermarkets. The water quality of the Thames has improved since the 1960s and is now conducive to recolonisation by eels[3] - indeed, the Environment Agency supports a Thames fishery, allowing nets as far upriver as Tower Bridge[4] - but lessened demand for cheap nutrition, competition from other foods and changing tastes mean that they have been marginalised.
[edit] Preparation
The dish is traditionally prepared using the freshwater eels native to Britain. Typically, the eels are chopped into rounds and boiled in a fish stock with nutmeg, lemon juice and a mirepoix before being allowed to cool. The eel is a naturally gelatinous fish so the cooking process releases fats into the liquid which solidify on cooling to form a jelly, though gelatin may be added in order to aid this process.
Jellied eels are often sold with pie and mash - another traditional East End food - and eaten with chilli vinegar.
[edit] Regional variations
Italy has a similar dish known simply as anguilla (simply "eel"), which is eaten with balsamic rather than chilli vinegar; in France the dish is known as aspic d'anguille.
[edit] Notes
- ^ "FACT SHEET - East End Food & Drink" (Doc). VisitEastLondon.co.uk. VisitEastLondon.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2007-10-26. http://web.archive.org/web/20071026063140/http://www.visiteastlondon.co.uk/business/factsheets/Food+and+Drink.doc. Retrieved on 2008-12-11.
- ^ Copping, Jasper (2007-06-18). "Eels in danger of slipping off the menu". The Telegraph (Telegraph Media Group Ltd). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1554758/Eels-in-danger-of-slipping-off-the-menu.html. Retrieved on 2008-12-11.
- ^ Naismith, I. A.; B. Knights (2005-04-04). "The distribution, density and growth of the European eel, Anguilla anguilla, in the freshwater catchment of the River Thames". Journal of Fish Biology 42 (2): 217-226. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.1993.tb00323.x. http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/119293128/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0. Retrieved on 2008-12-11.
- ^ "Commercial Fisheries in the Thames Estuary". ThamesWEB. ThamesWEB.com. Archived from the original on 2006-11-27. http://web.archive.org/web/20061127050408/http://www.thamesweb.com/page.php?page_id=48&topic_id=8. Retrieved on 2008-12-11.
[edit] External links
- Background
- Jellied eels story at The Guardian, 8 April 2002
- Jellied Eel is also the name of the quarterly magazine of London Food Link , the network for food businesses, writers and campaigners promoting healthy and sustainable food in London (UK on the website of Sustain: The alliance for better food and farming
