For decades eggs have been in the doldrums, this has been attributed to the fact that less of us bake and also that we are less likely to eat an evening meal of egg and chips (once a staple in our diets) because convenience meals have become so popular.
However, consumption of eggs is on the rise and sales are back to levels of the 1980s. Eggs are healthy and provide high levels of protein, vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids and they're cheap!
Time was that people on lower incomes were resourceful, in Victorian times, much of the population could only afford to eat bread and potatoes. Prior to ready-meals, we existed for generation upon generation by cooking simple ingredients such as stews bulked out with dumplings, given the option now between peeling vegetables and preparing dumplings (so simple) many people would rather pierce cellophane and pop a ready-meal in the microwave for 5 minutes.
Personally I think much of it boils down to a general lack of skill and imagination, we can eat healthily for not very much money, (my mother's generation managed it very well,) but the more a food is processed the more profitable it becomes for the western food industry and the cheaper it becomes for us to buy.
A real awareness of what we eat seems to be escaping us? A large processed lasagne can be bought for under a fiver, frozen pizzas a pound a pop, huge bags of frozen chips for pence.....but none of these things are true value for money, they just provide us with the quickest way to load ourselves with calories. A cheap pizza offers no nutrition or sustenance and for practically the same price 6 free-range eggs and a couple of vegetables will provide a healthy filling meal.
Throughout history, the most resourceful food in the world has been produced by communities under huge financial pressure yet the attitude of many British people is that they can't afford to cook from scratch. The simple fact is that convenience has become the easy option.
Food has always been an indicator of social and class distinction, yet it was the poorer classes, who through ingenuity and resourcefulness, provided us with many of the recipes used for generations. It's not that those on a lower-than-average-income can't afford to cook from scratch, sadly it's that many can't be bothered and have become addicted to the sugary, fatty, chemically enhanced alternatives.
My friend Linda, who was no stranger to making ends meet and providing for her family on a tight budget when her children were young, is an example of a woman using skill but more importantly love, in her kitchen. This next recipe is hers, and as Linda rightly says: 'The truism is: what we eat matters!'
Potato tortilla
Recipe
10-12 free-range eggs
3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
2 onions, peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper
Boil potatoes rapidly for 5 minutes until soft but not mushy
Fry onions until soft, 5 minutes
Drain potatoes and add to onions, fry for 5 minutes
In a bowl break up eggs with a fork
Add potatoes and onion to eggs and combine, season well
Return mixture to the pan, cook on a medium heat for 15 minutes
Place a large plate over pan, turn tortilla onto plate
Slide uncooked side back into pan and cook for a further 8 minutes
'Tell me what you eat, and I'll tell you who you are.'
- Jean Anthelme Brillat Savarin
Love Donna xxxxxxxx
No comments:
Post a Comment