Traditional cucumber sandwich consists of thin slices of cucumber placed between two thin slices of crustless white bread, light butter (or oats in some cases).
Because the thinness of the bread is a point of pride in the kitchen, the solid textured Pullman bread is cut with a wide bladed knife, which guides the pieces; during the day must pass through the resulting smooth pores. Cucumber skin is removed or printed lengthwise with a fork before the cucumber is sliced. The slices of bread are carefully applied to the edges in a thin layer, which is only to prevent the bread from damp with cucumber juice, and cucumber slices, which have been crushed with salt and lemon juice, are placed in a sandwich just before serving to prevent the sandwich from becoming wet enough to moisten the fingers of the eater. Bread crumbs clean cut, make tea sandwich.
The traditional cucumber sandwich comes from England. Modern variants (mostly from America) exist, which involves cream cheese, dill or chopped herbs, brown bread, salmon, and even bread with the remaining crumbs. One particular American variant includes benedictine, soft spread green based on cucumber and cream cheese.
Cucumber sandwiches are most often served for light snacks or tea in the afternoon, formal snacks are served at four in the afternoon or late afternoon before the main dinner. In addition, cucumber sandwiches can be served at tea breaks in club cricket matches in England. Due to the influence of English on Indian culture, cucumber sandwiches are very popular during cricket and picnic weekend matches. The Indian variant is seasoned with green chutney and sometimes contains sliced ââboiled potatoes.
Due to the cooling nature of cucumbers, cucumber sandwiches are often eaten in summer or in warm climates, as in some parts of India. Until the devastation in 2011, Indian Airlines used to serve cucumber sandwiches as part of regular vegetarian food on domestic short-haul flights.
Video Cucumber sandwich
Cultural and historical associations
The cucumber sandwich forms an integral part of stereotypical afternoon tea business. (By contrast, people from lesser working class in that era were thought to prefer sandwiches containing rougher but more satisfying proteins, in "meat teas" that might supersede dinner.)
Some authors have tried to draw an association between the admiration of sandwiches and the sense of ferocity felt by the British aristocracy. Cucumber sandwiches are often used as a kind of short article in novels and films to identify upper class people, sometimes in a condescending way. In the first action of Oscar Wilde The Importance of Being Earnest (1895), the cucumber sandwich that had been ordered and prepared clearly for the visit that Lady Bracknell had expected was all eaten greedily by her niece and host, Algernon Moncrieff; consequently he was forced to tell a little lie, with the confidentiality of his maid: that "there is no cucumber in the market this morning... not even for ready money". In addition, the sandwich was once considered a delicacy worthy of offering to visiting ministers, at a time when the visit was still a common feature of British middle class life.
In the James Bond film, Moonraker, Hugo Drax asks James Bond, "can I put you in a cucumber sandwich?"
The popularity of cucumber bread reaches its upper class peak in the Edwardian era, when cheap labor and lots of coal allows cucumbers to be produced in hotbeds under glass throughout the year. With the declining popularity of tea as a food in the UK, there is a corresponding decrease in the popularity of cucumber sandwiches, but they are still often served in tea, lunch, and meetings. Most English cricket clubs provide malted vinegar and pepper to get into the sandwich, and this is the simplest form commonly used in the UK.
Maps Cucumber sandwich
See also
References
Further reading
- Southern Southern Cooking - Damon Fowler . p.Ã, 72 . Retrieved 2013-07-04 .
Source of the article : Wikipedia