Who's hungry??

Well,  hello again.   Have you been out in the sunshine this week? No, me neither, it’s hateful. 

For those who have been playing along with the new Sherlock “The Game is Now” thread I hope you’re all super excited about the Sherlock escape room that’s now booking in London.  It seems now you can put your sleuthing to the test and try to get out of your own locked room murder.  I wonder if it it’s something akin to the S4 Sherlock finale…if so, I hope I don’t have to shoot anybody in the face. Check out the website www.thegameisnow.com

As you know I am contractually obliged to mention my soon to be published book: The Adventure of the Wordy Companion: The Handy A-Z of Sherlockian Phraseology.

 
And so with that done, on with my word selections.  

This week I’m going for a food theme with words about food, people who snarf food or just Victorian food.  I’m also going to gift you a delightful Victorian recipe at the end, please do send pictures of your own attempts at making it.   

On we go…

Inanition — exhaustion caused by having little or no nourishment. Watson comments, In The Adventure of the Norwood Builder, about the singular eating habits of Sherlock Holmes. “...he would permit himself no food, and I have known him presume upon his iron strength until he has fainted from pure inanition.”

Epicurean — references a person who derives sensual joy from food and drink. In The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor, Watson uses the phrase to describe the food delivery which is made to Baker Street for himself, Holmes and their guests. “...to my very great astonishment, a quite epicurean little cold supper began to be laid out upon our humble lodging-house mahogany”

Voraciously — an eager craving for consuming large quantities of food. How Watson describes Holmes in The Five Orange Pips as he enthusiastically eats after, what seems to have been, a long and difficult day of detective work. “He walked up to the sideboard, and tearing a piece from the loaf he devoured it voraciously, washing it down with a long draught of water.”

Let me throw in a couple of general Victorian slang words…

Bow wow mutton - a naval term referring to meat so bad “it might be dog flesh.”

Bags o’ Mystery – this was slang for sausages simply because nobody but their maker ever knew what on earth it was that was inside them.

And now you’re good and hungry, here’s a winning recipe from the most Victorian of all cookery books - Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management, by Isabella Beeton, 1861

SHEEP'S BRAINS, EN MATELOTE  

INGREDIENTS.--6 sheep's brains, vinegar, salt, a few slices of bacon, 1 small onion, 2 cloves, a small bunch of parsley, sufficient stock or weak broth to cover the brains, 1 tablespoonful of lemon-juice, matelote sauce

MODE.--Detach the brains from the heads without breaking them, and put them into a pan of warm water; remove the skin, and let them remain for two hours. Have ready a saucepan of boiling water, add a little vinegar and salt, and put in the brains.

When they are quite firm, take them out and put them into very cold water. Place 2 or 3 slices of bacon in a stewpan, put in the brains, the onion stuck with 2 cloves, the parsley, and a good seasoning of pepper and salt; cover with stock, or weak broth, and boil them gently for about 25 minutes.

Have ready some crotons; arrange these in the dish alternately with the brains, and cover with a matelote sauce, to which has been added the above proportion of lemon-juice.

Time.--25 minutes.
Average cost, 1s. 6d.
Sufficient for 6 persons.
Seasonable at any time.