Angels on horseback
Encyclopedia
Angels on horseback is a hot appetizer made of oyster
s wrapped with bacon
. In the United Kingdom
they can also be a savoury
, the final course of a traditional British formal meal. They are somewhat similar to Devils on horseback
and the Midwestern version of pigs in a blanket
, a traditional dish of the American Midwest.
Strictly speaking angels on horseback (and the original UK form of pigs in a blanket) are an hors d'œuvre, unlike the US variant of pigs in a blanket, which are canapé
s, since the latter always involve a bread base or wrapping, and angels on horseback are not by necessity served on toast
.
and other sources, is in 1888, in Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management
. However, it must be noted that there is a reference in a New Zealand
newspaper to the dish, which includes a brief recipe, from 1882. There appears to be no significance in the connections between oyster/angel and bacon/horse. While sometimes referred to as a traditional English dish, the dish has its Irish fans also: most recently, they featured as part of the menu that won Danny Millar the Irish regional crown in the Great British Menu
challenge.
Angels on horseback are also served in the United States, where the dish never seems to have become as well-known as in its country of origin. It seems to have been introduced in the mid- to late 1890s.
One of the earliest references in an American newspaper is an 1896 article from the New York Times, where the dish is suggested as an appetizer; according to the Times, the dish is to be credited to Urbain Dubois, the chef of the German emperor. In this version, they are skewered, sprinkled with a bit of cayenne pepper
, and broiled, and then served with lemon
and parsley
(without toast). Oddly, the earliest occurrence cited in the Dictionary of American Regional English
is from 1909. In the 1930s, they are suggested, for instance, as part of the picnic menu, and in 1948 again as an appetizer. In the 1950s, a number of articles appear in American papers whose very titles suggest that the dish is little known--"For Oyster Treat, Try Angels on Horseback: They're Delectable Appetizer Sunday Menu "Angels on Horseback, English Monkey? Those Are Recipes!", and "These Angels on Horseback Are Oysters."
Angels on horseback did achieve a certain popularity in the 1960s in Washington, D.C.
; Evangeline Bruce, wife of US ambassador and diplomatic envoy David K.E. Bruce and renowned for her "Washington soirees," served them regularly during the Kennedy administration
--but even there, the name itself was not commonplace, as suggested by the words of gossip columnist
Liz Smith
: "Sometimes the oysters were raw, sometimes they were grilled and wrapped in bacon. Then Mrs. Bruce called them Angels on Horseback." As late as the 1980s, the Chicago Tribune
calls the dish "intriguing," suggesting the dish hadn't yet become commonplace in the United States.
. The dish is often served on toast, though if prepared on skewers and broiled, it can be eaten straight from the skewer.
Joanna Pruess
's book Seduced by Bacon
includes a recipe for Angels and Devils on horseback. She wrote that "a little hot red pepper sauce can transform them from heavenly to hellishly hot tasting, or somewhere inbetween."
The Maltese
variant uses pieces of chicken liver wrapped in slices of streaky bacon.
. Nurses working for the Frontier Nursing Service
who served remote areas of Kentucky
also bore the name. It is also the title of a 1957 collection by English cartoonist
Norman Thelwell
.
In north central Iowa, the name is also used to refer to s'mores, which consist of a roasted marshmallow and a layer of chocolate on top of a piece of graham cracker
.
Oyster
The word oyster is used as a common name for a number of distinct groups of bivalve molluscs which live in marine or brackish habitats. The valves are highly calcified....
s wrapped with bacon
Bacon
Bacon is a cured meat prepared from a pig. It is first cured using large quantities of salt, either in a brine or in a dry packing; the result is fresh bacon . Fresh bacon may then be further dried for weeks or months in cold air, boiled, or smoked. Fresh and dried bacon must be cooked before eating...
. In the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
they can also be a savoury
Savoury (small dish)
A savoury is the final course of a traditional British formal meal, following the sweet pudding or dessert course. The savoury is designed to "clear the palate" before the Port is served. It generally consists of salty and plain elements....
, the final course of a traditional British formal meal. They are somewhat similar to Devils on horseback
Devils on horseback
Devils on horseback are a hot appetizer or savoury.Recipes vary but in general they are a variation on angels on horseback, made by replacing oysters with dried fruit. The majority of recipes contain a pitted prune stuffed with mango chutney and wrapped in bacon...
and the Midwestern version of pigs in a blanket
Pigs in a blanket
Pigs in blankets Pigs in blankets Pigs in blankets (also known as worstenbroodjes or saucijzenbroodjes (dutch), kilted sausages (UK), pølse i svøb (danish) refers to different sausage-based foods in the United States, United Kingdom, Denmark, Australia, Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands, Russia,...
, a traditional dish of the American Midwest.
Strictly speaking angels on horseback (and the original UK form of pigs in a blanket) are an hors d'œuvre, unlike the US variant of pigs in a blanket, which are canapé
Canapé
A canapé is a small, prepared and usually decorative food, held in the fingers and often eaten in one bite.- Details :...
s, since the latter always involve a bread base or wrapping, and angels on horseback are not by necessity served on toast
Toast
Toast is bread that has been browned by exposure to radiant heat. This browning reaction is known as the Maillard reaction. Toasting warms the bread and makes it firmer, so it holds toppings more securely...
.
History
Though the dish is English in origin, the name most likely derives from the French anges à cheval; its first occurrence, confirmed by the Oxford English DictionaryOxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...
and other sources, is in 1888, in Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management
Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management
Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management was a guide to all aspects of running a household in Victorian Britain, edited by Isabella Beeton. It was originally entitled "Beeton's Book of Household Management", in line with the other guide-books published by Beeton.Previously published as a part...
. However, it must be noted that there is a reference in a New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
newspaper to the dish, which includes a brief recipe, from 1882. There appears to be no significance in the connections between oyster/angel and bacon/horse. While sometimes referred to as a traditional English dish, the dish has its Irish fans also: most recently, they featured as part of the menu that won Danny Millar the Irish regional crown in the Great British Menu
Great British Menu
Great British Menu is a BBC television series in which top British chefs compete for the chance to cook one course of a four course banquet. The first series banquet was for the Queen on her 80th birthday. The second series was to cook for the British Ambassador to France at the British Embassy...
challenge.
Angels on horseback are also served in the United States, where the dish never seems to have become as well-known as in its country of origin. It seems to have been introduced in the mid- to late 1890s.
One of the earliest references in an American newspaper is an 1896 article from the New York Times, where the dish is suggested as an appetizer; according to the Times, the dish is to be credited to Urbain Dubois, the chef of the German emperor. In this version, they are skewered, sprinkled with a bit of cayenne pepper
Cayenne pepper
The cayenne pepper—also known as the Guinea spice,cow-horn pepper, aleva, bird pepper,or, especially in its powdered form, red pepper—is a red, hot chili pepper used to flavor dishes and for medicinal purposes. Named for the city of Cayenne in French Guiana, it is a cultivar of Capsicum annuum...
, and broiled, and then served with lemon
Lemon
The lemon is both a small evergreen tree native to Asia, and the tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit. The fruit is used for culinary and non-culinary purposes throughout the world – primarily for its juice, though the pulp and rind are also used, mainly in cooking and baking...
and parsley
Parsley
Parsley is a species of Petroselinum in the family Apiaceae, native to the central Mediterranean region , naturalized elsewhere in Europe, and widely cultivated as an herb, a spice and a vegetable.- Description :Garden parsley is a bright green hairless biennial herbaceous plant in temperate...
(without toast). Oddly, the earliest occurrence cited in the Dictionary of American Regional English
Dictionary of American Regional English
The Dictionary of American Regional English is a record of American English as spoken in the United States, from its beginning up to the present...
is from 1909. In the 1930s, they are suggested, for instance, as part of the picnic menu, and in 1948 again as an appetizer. In the 1950s, a number of articles appear in American papers whose very titles suggest that the dish is little known--"For Oyster Treat, Try Angels on Horseback: They're Delectable Appetizer Sunday Menu "Angels on Horseback, English Monkey? Those Are Recipes!", and "These Angels on Horseback Are Oysters."
Angels on horseback did achieve a certain popularity in the 1960s in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
; Evangeline Bruce, wife of US ambassador and diplomatic envoy David K.E. Bruce and renowned for her "Washington soirees," served them regularly during the Kennedy administration
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
--but even there, the name itself was not commonplace, as suggested by the words of gossip columnist
Gossip columnist
A gossip columnist is someone who writes a gossip column in a newspaper or magazine, especially a gossip magazine. Gossip columns are material written in a light, informal style, which relates the gossip columnist's opinions about the personal lives or conduct of celebrities from show business ,...
Liz Smith
Liz Smith (journalist)
Mary Elizabeth "Liz" Smith is an American gossip columnist. She is known as The Grand Dame of Dish.- Early life and career :...
: "Sometimes the oysters were raw, sometimes they were grilled and wrapped in bacon. Then Mrs. Bruce called them Angels on Horseback." As late as the 1980s, the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
calls the dish "intriguing," suggesting the dish hadn't yet become commonplace in the United States.
Preparation
According to the classic recipe, shucked oysters are wrapped in bacon. Sometimes scallops are used in place of oysters. This is then baked in the oven, about 3 minutes per side, or prepared with any other source of dry heat, such as broiling. An early recipe, from 1902, suggests frying the skewered oysters and bacon in butterButter
Butter is a dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented cream or milk. It is generally used as a spread and a condiment, as well as in cooking applications, such as baking, sauce making, and pan frying...
. The dish is often served on toast, though if prepared on skewers and broiled, it can be eaten straight from the skewer.
Joanna Pruess
Joanna Pruess
Joanna Pruess is a food and travel writer and a consultant to the food industry. She is the author of nine cookbooks including Seduced by Bacon and most recently Griswold & WagnerWare Cast-Iron Cookbook.-Personal life:...
's book Seduced by Bacon
Seduced by Bacon
Seduced by Bacon: Recipes & Lore about America's Favorite Indulgence is a cookbook about bacon written by Joanna Pruess with her husband Bob Lape...
includes a recipe for Angels and Devils on horseback. She wrote that "a little hot red pepper sauce can transform them from heavenly to hellishly hot tasting, or somewhere inbetween."
The Maltese
Maltese cuisine
Maltese cuisine refers to the dishes identified as Maltese. Reflecting Maltese history, it shows strong Sicilian and English influences as well as influences of Spanish, Maghrebin and Provençal cuisines.-History:...
variant uses pieces of chicken liver wrapped in slices of streaky bacon.
Other uses of the name
"Angels on Horseback" is also the name of a 1977 episode of the 1970s American TV show Charlie's AngelsCharlie's Angels
Charlie's Angels is a television series about three women who work for a private investigation agency, and is one of the first shows to showcase women in roles traditionally reserved for men...
. Nurses working for the Frontier Nursing Service
Frontier Nursing Service
The Frontier Nursing Service provides healthcare services to rural, underserved populations and educates nurse-midwives.The Service maintains six rural healthcare clinics in eastern Kentucky, the Mary Breckinridge Hospital, the Mary Breckinridge Home Health Agency, the Frontier School of Midwifery...
who served remote areas of Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
also bore the name. It is also the title of a 1957 collection by English cartoonist
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
Norman Thelwell
Norman Thelwell
Norman Thelwell was an English cartoonist well-known for his humorous illustrations of ponies and horses. Born in Birkenhead, as a promising young student from Liverpool College of Art, he soon became a contributor to the satirical magazine Punch in the 1950s, and earned many lasting devotees by...
.
In north central Iowa, the name is also used to refer to s'mores, which consist of a roasted marshmallow and a layer of chocolate on top of a piece of graham cracker
Graham cracker
The graham cracker was developed in 1829 in Bound Brook, New Jersey, by Presbyterian minister Rev. Sylvester Graham. The true graham cracker is made with graham flour, a combination of fine-ground white flour and coarse-ground wheat bran and germ. Graham crackers are often used for making s'mores...
.
External links
- Angels on Horseback Recipe from The Foody
- Recipe by Marcus WareingMarcus WareingMarcus Wareing , is an English chef, currently Chef Patron of "Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley" in Knightsbridge, and previously the Grill Room at the Savoy Hotel on the Strand....
from the BBC's Great British MenuGreat British MenuGreat British Menu is a BBC television series in which top British chefs compete for the chance to cook one course of a four course banquet. The first series banquet was for the Queen on her 80th birthday. The second series was to cook for the British Ambassador to France at the British Embassy...