Peasant foods are oft-reported to be the simplest meals on the bill of Fare with specific cultural connotations to the food. NY Times‘ food columnist Celia Barbour exemplifies on her experiences on peasant foods.
The point made here is that ingredients used in peasant foods might be frivolous, inexpensive and what you hit in the kitchen cupboard by chance, but the taste of peasant foods by default are ethnic in nature. Facts provide that haggis, sausages, soups, puddings, cassoulet and its likes are made with extreme precision and disciplined recipes and skills but with humble ingredients.
The columnist has picked up bread pudding, cranberry beans, cheese and apples to compare with foodstuffs like tacos, sauces, ground beef, sour cream and sophisticated flavors to show the direction where peasant foods are actually heading.
Taking into account the availability of fancy flavors reaching the countryside and the desire of diners to take a break with them, the choice of eating and preparing tough peasant foods with good and basic ingredients is slowly dwindling away to the backyard barns.
Moreover, the appearance of gourmet foods everywhere, it is high time to sit back and think. Is the simple, hearty, reasonable and healthy peasant meals going gourmet today?
