Stuffing
In cooking, stuffing, also known as dressing, is usually a mixture of various ingredients used to fill a cavity in another food item. The term stuffing also refers to the process of filling a cavity with this mixture.
Encyclopedia
In cooking,
stuffing, also known as
dressing, is usually a mixture of various ingredients used to fill a cavity in another food item. The term
stuffing also refers to the process of filling a cavity with this mixture.
History
Stuffing may well be one of the oldest cooking techniques, since the body cavity of a game animal becomes suitable for stuffing as soon as its internal organs have been removed. The
Roman cookbook De re coquinaria by Apicius contains recipes for stuffed
chicken,
hare,
pig, and
dormouse. Most of the stuffings described consist of
vegetables,
herbs and
spice, nuts,
spelt , and frequently contain chopped
liver,
brains, and other
organ meat.
In the
Middle Ages, stuffing was known as farce, from the
Latin farcire , which means
to stuff. The term stuffing first appears in English print in 1538. After about 1880, the term
stuffing was replaced by
dressing in
Victorian English. Today, both terms are used.
Foods that are stuffed
In addition to stuffing the body cavity of animals, including mammals,
birds, and
fish, various joints of larger animals may be stuffed after they have been deboned or a pouch has been cut into the joint. Popular recipes include stuffed
chicken legs and stuffed breast of veal, as well as the traditional holiday stuffed
goose or
turkey. Many types of vegetables are also suitable for stuffing after their
seeds or marrow has been removed.
Tomatoes,
capsicums and vegetable marrows may be prepared in this way.
Cabbages and similar vegetables can also be stuffed. They are usually blanched first, in order to make their leaves more pliable. Then, the interior may be replaced by stuffing, or small amounts of stuffing may be inserted between the individual leaves.
Surplus stuffing may be cooked separately and served as a side dish. In
Southern US cuisine, the term
dressing is typically used, and it is generally served only as a side dish and not stuffed inside the body of the animals. Placing the stuffing underneath the skin of the breast will help ensure moistness of the breast meat in poultry.
Types of stuffing
Basically, any food that will not liquefy is suitable as stuffing. Many popular stuffing recipes contain
bread or
cereals, usually together with vegetables, herbs and spices, and eggs. Other stuffings may contain only vegetables and herbs. Some types of stuffing contain
sausage meat, or forcemeat, while
vegetarian stuffings sometimes contain
tofu. Oysters are used in one traditional stuffing for Thanksgiving. These may also be combined with
mashed potato, for a heavy stuffing.
Animals stuffed with other animals
It is occasionally claimed that the ancient
Roman, as well as
medieval cooks stuffed animals with other animals. An anonymous Andalusian cookbook from the
13th century includes a recipe for a ram stuffed with small
birds . A similar recipe for a
camel stuffed with
sheep stuffed with
bustards stuffed with
carp stuffed with eggs is mentioned in T.C. Boyle's book
Water Music.
The
turducken, a
turkey stuffed with a
duck stuffed with a
chicken is a more recent creation.
See also
- Stove Top stuffing
- Filling
External links
