A block away from Broadway Panhandlers, I spotted a Financiers, a French coffee/pastry shop, on Astor Place. There’s a Financiers around the corner from my school and I had stopped in there just about every week for a cup of Saturday afternoon coffee, but I had never tried one of their baked goods. So, here was my opportunity. I walked in and checked out the selection in the display case, and found it oddly sparse. I don’t know if this was normal for a Saturday afternoon or if they had gotten a huge influx of people stopping in for something warm and a bite to eat on this bitter January day, but there was not much of a selection. I almost walked out.

Then something caught my eye. Something labeled a galette de rois. With my very limited knowledge of French, I knew that this meant “king cake,” which was reinforced in my mind when I realized what time of the year it was.

King Cake is puff pastry filled with frangipane cream and is associated with the Christian festival of Epiphany. The feast of the Epiphany, traditionally falling on January 6, is the celebration of the revelation of Christ in human form. For Christians in the Western world, this more specifically celebrates the visitation of the Three Kings on the Baby Jesus, which is why the holiday also goes by the name of Three Kings Day. In the East, it revolves around the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River. In the United States, the king cake is also eaten in celebration of Mardi Gras, as it is wherever Carnival takes place. Traditionally, a little ceramic baby (representing the Baby Jesus), or some other trinket, is baked inside the cake. The person who gets the little prize is responsible for hosting the following year’s Epiphany celebration. The English tradition is to put a bean in the cake, which is why it also goes by the name Bean Cake. (By the way, there’s a different kind of king cake that is actually a stuffed bread and which is decorated with bright Mardi Gras-type colors. That’s not the kind of king cake I’m talking about.) In the French tradition, a large king cake is topped with a paper crown.

Love Live the King

When I stepped onto my train, I sat down and reached into my bag for a bite of my galette de rois. I tried to break off a mouthful but as I pinched the crisp pastry, I discovered that it was so flaky that it crumbled in my fingers. And it was so buttery that my fingers came away with the pastry glued to my fingers. I knew that if I made any further attempts at breaking off a piece, I would be covered in puff pastry flakes. My king cake had to wait until I got home.

So, now I was home. I made myself some espresso and cut into my cake. The flakey layers crackled slightly as the knife went through them, which promised me a light crunch between my teeth. I wasn’t disappointed. The puff pastry was indeed light, flaky, and buttery, but not sickeningly so (when something is too buttery, it makes me nauseated). The frangipane cream was sweet but not cloying, and had floral, fruity notes. Frangipane is an almond pastry cream made from butter, eggs, sugar, and almonds. It is sometimes enhanced by almond or vanilla extract, or other flavorings. It was really a delicious dessert.  

If you want to try making king cake yourself, it’s really quite easy, and here’s a recipe that I made up myself. Although king cake is usually for the Epiphany, I think it will go over very well any time of year.

Galette de Rois (King Cake)*

Frangipane Cream
1/2 cup ground almonds
½ cup softened butter
2/3 cup organic sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract

1 package puff pastry (thawed if frozen)
1 egg

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Combine all frangipane cream ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth and creamy.

3. Cut four 4-inch circles in the puff pastry sheet. Place two of them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

4. Place equal amounts of the cream in the center of the two circles. Top each one with the remaining puff pastry rounds. Pinch them gently around the edges to seal.

5. Beat the egg with a little water and brush the egg wash over the tops of each galette.

6. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown. If it gets too dark too fast, lower the heat to 350 and continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes.

* For a traditional celebration, make several batches and place a little ceramic baby, bean or trinket in one of them. Share them with family and friends and whoever gets the prize will have to make them next year. You can also make little paper crowns and top each cake with one.

chicken tandoori

First, we had the usual lecture to introduce us to the cuisine of India and how it varies from region to region, and we were introduced to some of the common elements, seasonings, and utensils of Indian cooking. Indian cuisine has evolved over thousands of years and influenced by many cultures that passed through the country.

The most common seasonings used are black mustard seeds, chiles, cumin, cardamom, fennel, coriander, turmeric, coriander, and fenugreek. Common herbs are cilantro, kaffir lime leaves, curry leaves, and mint.

Vegetable Curry

The nice thing about Indian food is that it’s great for vegetarians. Thanks to Buddhism, Hinduism, and Janism, vegetarianism is commonplace throughout the country and anywhere one goes in India, a vegetarian will always find plenty to eat.

India has a very distinct flavor profile—complex flavors and lots of spices—but it is similar to other countries in that the use of spices and heat levels vary from region to region. The more south you go, the hotter the food, which is the same way it is in Italy, the U.S., and many other countries. That’s because the more south you go, the hotter it is and eating spicy foods make you sweat, which cools you off. See, it all makes sense.

For the class, we concentrated on Moghul (or Mughlai) cuisine, which is the upscale Northern Indian cuisine that is most commonly found in Indian restaurants in the Western world. The Moghul Empire in India was extremely influential in many areas. This is from Cuisinenet.com:

The Moghuls were Persian Muslim princes, descended from both Genghis Khan and Tamburlaine, and nothing they did was anything less than glorious. They built the lavish and ambitious palace fortresses, mosques, and tombs that have become emblematic of the country, the most famous example of which is the Taj Mahal, the tomb built by Shah Jahan to honor his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. At its height, the Moghul dynasty was known for its cultured tolerance, even enthusiastic support of and participation in, local customs, arts, and religions.

Chapati

This lavishness extended to food as well, and to this day, Northern Indian cuisine reigns as the standard Indian cuisine.

So, we spent the next few hours cooking dal, vegetable biriyani, golden cabbage, vegetable curry, spiced spinach and mushrooms, spiced chickpeas, sambaar, dosai, masala dosais filling, raisin tamarind sauce, pakoras, mint relish, cucumber raita, cilantro-onion relish, chicken tandoori, chapati, almond milk fudge, firni, chai tea, and mango punch.

Makind Dosai

I made the cucumber raita and cilantro-onion relish and tried my hand at a dosa, which is like a crepe. It’s filled with various ingredients, or it’s rolled up and used much like we would use bread. Learning to make dosai is a tricky thing—you have to make the batter the right consistency, then spread it in a pan with a ladle-like spoon (they have a special utensil just to do this) to the proper thickness, then flip it over. In between dosas, we greased the pan with an onion half dipped in oil for extra flavor.

I think my favorite dish of the day was the spiced chickpeas.

Dosai

And because it’s one of the easiest Indian dishes to make, I’m offering you the recipe below.  Enjoy!

Note: If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can cook the chickpeas in a pot. If you don’t want to make chickpeas from scratch, use two 15- or 16-oz. cans.

Cilantro-Onions Relish

Spiced Chickpeas

Copyright ©Jenny Matthau/NGI

2 cups chickpeas, soaked and drained
6 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded* and chopped
6 tbsp coconut oil
2 onions, cut into small dice
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp turmeric
1 large pinch cayenne
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ground cloves
Salt
½ cup bean liquid
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 bunch cilantro, minced

1. Rinse chickpeas thoroughly and place in pressure cooker with 2 inches of water to cover. Bring to full pressure, lower heat and cook for 30 minutes or until very soft. Reserve bean liquid.
2. Fry onion in oil until soft.
3. Add garlic and spices. Cook a few more minutes
4. Add tomatoes, tomato juice and salt. Cook for 5 minutes.
5. Add chickpeas and bean liquid. Simmer, covered for 15 minutes.
6. Remove cover and cook on medium flame until thickened, if too thin.
7. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice and cilantro.

* Press seeds through a sieve and reserve the juice; discard seeds.

Spiced chickpeas

First plating

This week, my class at the Natural Gourmet Institute began our recipe testing on our entrees for Friday Night Dinner. My team (group B) has decided on Peruvian. We were originally going with a winter harvest theme, since our dinner night is so close to the holidays. I had been thinking Peruvian all along but everyone seemed so into the harvest theme that I didn’t say anything in the initial planning class. Then, afterward, I casually mentioned my idea, and everyone really got into it. So I’m pleased that the team liked my idea; however, if it ends up sucking, I will feel so responsible. But I think we’re going to rock Friday Night Dinner. For our first recipe test, we did a pretty awesome job.

Sauteed Greens

Our menu so far consists of causa as the main entrée. Causa is a Peruvian potato pie with layers of different ingredients and topped with the ever-present black olives and egg slices. I created a version for my next cookbook and offered it to the class. We modified it to suit the class requirements and everyone’s tastes. And, of course, no eggs on top, since the meal has to be totally vegan. On the side, we’re having a couple sauces—one green, one red—sauteed greens, and curly sweet potato strings for garnish.

Entree in progress

After much debate and discussion about form, we finally decided to try a terrine mold. We layered each element (more on that later) and flipped it over. There are some things we need to tweak, but overall, the dish was pretty and delicious.

We haven’t settled on an appetizer or dessert yet. I’m a little disappointed that no one

really wanted to go with my dessert suggestion of Suspiro de Limeña, woman’s (from Lima) sigh, a traditional Peruvian dessert parfait made with dulce de leche and whipped cream. It’s a beautiful dessert and unique. And traditional. But we’ll work it out.

Suspiro de Limeña (Marian Blazes)

I’m sure we’ll come up with a great menu.

Rambutans are grown in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Australia, and can be found usually in Asian markets.

Sea Urchin

The “shell” of a rambutan looks like a sea urchin, with spindly “tentacles,” and

it’s usually reddish or yellowish. The inside is very much like a lychee, except that it is firmer. The texture of a rambutan is also like a lychee, but its flavor, although also similar, is milder and less perfumed. And, also like a lychee, the flesh surrounds an almond-like pit.

Rambutans are high in vitamin C, and have some copper, manganese, and trace elements of potassium, calcium, and iron, among other nutrients.

If you have a hard time finding rambutans locally, Melissa’s produce will ship them overnight to you.

Here are a couple of recipes that Melissa’s offers for rambutan. Have fun and let me know what you think of them.

Rambutan and Longan Salsa

By Ida Rodriguez

Ingredients
8 ounces Rambutan peeled halved and seeded
8 ounces Longans peeled halved seeded
1/2 each Organic Bell Pepper (use Red and Yellow Bell Peppers) diced
1 Jalapeno Chile minced
3 Organic Green Onions chopped
3 tablespoons Lime Juice
Salt to taste

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, gently toss to mix. Season with salt.

Rambutan, Pineapple And Tofu Curry

By Andrew Faulkner

Ingredients
18 ounce Organic Tofu, cubed
5 tablespoons Peanut (Groundnut) Oil
12 pieces Organic Ginger
2 Red Fresno Chiles
2 Cardamom Seed Pods
3 cloves Organic Garlic
2 tablespoons Garam Masala
2 teaspoons Coriander ground
2 tablespoons cumin – ground
1/2 teaspoon Turmeric
1 teaspoon Salt
1 small South African Baby Pineapples
5 Rambutan (or Lychees)
1 Pineapple Juice
7 ounces Coconut Milk

Directions
Fry the tofu and set aside. Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan. Add the ginger, chiles, cardamom pods and garlic and sauté. Add the garam masala, coriander, cumin and turmeric and lightly fry. Add the salt, tofu, pineapple, rambutan and pineapple juice and simmer. Add the coconut milk. Serve with rice when cooked.

So, she came up to my desk and pulled out one of these fruits and handed it to me.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Mangosteen,” she responded.

Mangosteen?! No way. I’d been hearing about this exotic fruit for years but had never actually had one. The reason is that up until 2007, mangosteens were banned from the U.S. The FDA feared that mangosteens harbored the Asian fruit fly and would damage American crops. The ban was lifted because —and here’s the sad part—the FDA approved irradiated mangosteens, which means that gamma rays are shot through the fruit to kill bacteria and pests. So, while it’s great to have access to this fruit, there’s a price we pay for it.

But even after the ban, I still never saw any because they are very hard to find, and if you do find them, be prepared to pay a hefty price. My friend paid $20 for the bag she brought in, which probably held about 10 mangosteens. However, it’s not unheard of to see $45 a pound. Originally from Southeast Asia, the mangosteen is believed to be an antiinflmmatory, and it can be found as a juice, in cans, and frozen.

I didn’t try the mangosteen right then and there. I decided to take it home, where I could really experience it (and take pictures of it). The outer shell looks thick and hard, and it is. But you’d be surprised and how fragile it is. I was told to smash it with the palm of my hand to break it open, but it took a lot less force that I thought was needed. The shell is a purplish color, much like an eggplant (although, it also comes in reddish hues). The inside of the shell is ruby red, and the flesh is white and separated into segments, like an orange. A couple of my segments were smashed from the force of my hand, but its flavor was unaffected. And what was its flavor?

It was like nothing I’ve ever tasted. It was creamy, juicy, and delectably sweet with a flavor that was―to me―a cross between a sweet plum and a ripe strawberry. It was truly a treat for my tongue. And although it’s called The Queen of Fruit because Queen Victoria offered 100 pounds sterling to anyone who could deliver to her fresh mangosteens, it’s tempting to think that it was nicknamed that because it truly deserves royal status.

For some great mangosteen recipes, visit Samartfoods.com. They have a Mangosteen Yogurt Panna Cotta, Mangosteen and Lime Sorbet, and Mangosteen Jelly. Below is their recipe for Mangosteen Mousse. But before you try out any recipes, have a mangosteen fresh. It truly is the Queen of Fruit.

Mangosteen Mousse

Ingredients:
1 envelope (1/4 ounce) unflavored gelatin
¼ cup mangosteen juice*
2 cups Mangosteen Puree
1 1/2 cups chilled heavy cream
1/3 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

In a medium saucepan, combine gelatin with ¼ cup of the mangosteen juice. Stir to soften, about 1 minute

Cook over low heat 1 to 2 minutes until gelatin dissolves. Add Mangosteen Puree and cook, stirring, over medium heat for 5 minutes.

Remove mixture from heat and set aside to cool completely.

In a large bowl, beat the cream, sugar, and salt until the mixture holds stiff peaks.

Whisk in vanilla extract.

Whisk about ½ cup of the cream mixture into the cooled mangosteen mixture until fully incorporated.

Add about a quarter of the mangosteen mixture to the whipped cream, whisking until fully incorporated.

Repeat 3 more times until all of the mangosteen mixture has been incorporated into the cream.

Spoon mixture into small individual serving dishes and chill until set, at least 2 hours. Makes about 8 cups.

*Note: This is not in the original recipe ingredients list, but it appears in the instructions, so I added it. To make the puree, juice put puree mangosteen (or frozen, thawed mangosteen) in a blender until smooth.

Quiche Lorraine has become a classic staple of French cuisine. However, its origin is known to be Germany—specifically, Lothringen—in1586. It is recorded to appear at the court of Charles the 3rd, Duke of Lorraine.

The French renamed the town Lorraine. The word quiche—as French as it may sound—is actually derived from the German word for cake, kuchen. (If you’re interested in linguistic evolution or word origins, this is from Wikipedia: “The Lorraine Franconian dialect of the German language is historically spoken in much of the region, where German Kuchen, “cake”, was first altered to “küche”. Typical Alemannic changes unrounded the ü (/y/) and shifted the fricative “ch” (/ç/) to “sh” ([ʃ]), resulting in “kische”, which in standard French orthography became spelled “quiche.” Got that?)

Photo: Cookstr.com

The original recipe consisted of eggs, cream, bacon, and bread dough for the crust. Later on, the French brought it up a notch in sophistication by exchanging the bread-dough crust for a flakier pastry crust. Cheese was also added later.

Quiche became popular in the U.S. in the 1950s with the widespread introduction of French cuisine in the home, and this was when the notion that “real men don’t eat quiche” was born. Why? Probably because quiche was, and is, often a lunch or main entree dinner option, alongside a salad or perhaps some soup. Women seem to be satisfied with this kind of meal. Men aren’t. Or weren’t. Now that men (in some places and circles) have moved away from that big meat-and-potatoes-with-lots-of-gravy-and-biscuits kind of diet, they are more open to lighter fare.

Below are a couple of recipe for a traditional Quiche Lorraine, courtesy of Emeril Lagasse, and a vegetarian version, courtesy of Jewishfood-list.com. Plus, I’m throwing in a Broccoli Quiche, just because quiche is a great thing.

Enjoy!!

Quiche Lorraine

Ingredients:

Flaky Butter Crust, recipe follows
6 ounces thick cut bacon, cut into narrow strips (or “lardons”)
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 1/4 cups half-and-half
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup grated Gruyere or Swiss

Directions:

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to an 11-inch circle. Fit into a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom and trim the edges. (Alternatively, a 9-inch pie pan can be used.) Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Line the pastry with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until the crust is set, 12 to 14 minutes. Remove the paper and weights and bake until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.

In a medium skillet, cook the bacon until crisp and the fat is rendered, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Discard the fat or reserve for another use.

Arrange the bacon evenly over the bottom of the baked crust.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs, yolks, and half and half. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk to combine. Pour into the prepared crust and bake until the custard is golden, puffed, and set yet still slightly wiggly in the center, 30 to 35 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before serving. Serve with Simple Salad.

Flaky Butter Crust:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces
1 to 2 tablespoons ice water, or more as needed

To make the dough in a food processor, combine the flour, salt, and butter in the processor and process until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about 10 seconds. With the machine running, add the ice water through the feed tube and pulse quickly 5 or 6 times, or until the dough comes together and starts to pull away from the sides of the container. Gather the dough into a ball, flatten it into a disk, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

To make the dough by hand, combine the flour, salt, and butter in a medium bowl, and mix with a pastry blender or your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the water 1 tablespoon at a time and mix until the dough comes together and is no longer dry, being careful not to overmix. Form into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface according to the recipe, fit it into the pan, and allow to rest again in the refrigerator before baking.

Yield: one 9-inch tart or pie crust.

Quiche Lorraine, Vegetarian

Serves: 6 to 8

1 deep 9″ pie tin, lined with an unbaked pastry shell
4 large or extra large eggs, plus 1 extra egg white
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) freshly grated Gruyere cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 pound diced soy Canadian “bacon”
2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, peeled, sliced, and separated into rings
1 3-ounce can (1/2 cup) broiled, sliced mushrooms in butter sauce, drained (obviously, you can slice and sauté fresh mushrooms instead of using canned)
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch of cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 450°F. Prick bottom and sides of unbaked pastry with tines of fork. Bake 5 minutes. Slightly beat one egg white. Slightly brush over pastry. Bake 2 minutes longer. Remove pan from oven. Place on wire rack to cool.

Pour Gruyere cheese, Parmesan cheese, and flour into mixing bowl. Lightly stir with fork. Evenly sprinkle over pastry shell. Evenly sprinkle with “bacon.” Set aside.

Melt butter in skillet. Add onion rings. Sauté over low flame until golden. Turn off flame under pot. Evenly spread layer of onions over “bacon.” Evenly sprinkle with mushrooms. Set aside.

Beat eggs in mixing bowl. Add cream, salt, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper. Blend thoroughly. Pour into pie shell.

Place pan on center shelf of oven. Bake 15 minutes. Lower oven temperature to 350°F. Bake until puffed and golden, and knife inserted in center of custard comes out clean (about 10 to 15 minutes longer).

Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Poster’s Notes:
All this talk about vegetarian bacon reminds me of this wonderful quiche recipe, which was given to me by a former colleague (who was from France), and everyone has always raved about it.

Posted by Virginia Sauer (Sir Angus), Z’L

Broccoli Quiche Recipe

Courtesy of Easy-FrenchFood.com

Prep time: 20 min – Cook time: 40 min

1 round unsweetened pie crust
2 cups small broccoli florets
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup shredded cheese (gruyere or swiss work well)
4 eggs
11/2 cups crème fraîche (or whipping cream)
pinch of nutmeg
salt and pepper

Begin by preparing the crust for blind baking. Fit the crust to a 10 inch tart pan(insert link) and prick it through with the tines of a fork in about 20 places. Place the pan in the freezer for 20 minutes and preheat the oven to 400°F. (Placing the crust in the freezer helps to keep it from slipping and bubbling when you bake it.)

Place the chilled crust directly in the hot oven and bake for 12 minutes until just golden. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes. Turn the oven down to 375° F.

Steam the broccoli for about 3 minutes in the microwave. It should be just barely tender. Don’t over steam or you’ll lose the good flavor of this vegetable.

Heat the tablespoon of olive oil in a small no stick skillet on medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally just until the onion is soft (about 5 to 8 minutes).

Spread the broccoli and onions evenly on the bottom of the cooled crust. Sprinkle the cheese on top of this.

In a medium bowl whisk the eggs, crème fraiche, nutmeg and a pinch of salt and pepper together just until blended. Pour this on top of the vegetables and cheese. Place the pan.in the oven and bake just until done – about 40 minutes.

Makes 6 servings.

Variations

Mushrooms: Substitute 1 cup of sliced mushrooms for 1 cup of the broccoli. Precook the mushrooms with the onion.

Ham: Add 1 cup of diced ham for an extra punch.

So, for those of you who are like me—chopstick impaired—here a couple of websites and a video that might help. The photo at right is of disposable chopsticks in the cafeteria of Waseda University, Japan. I just found it so interesting. A western pail would contain plastic forks, spoons, knives, and <shudder> sporks.

Itadakimasu! (that’s bon appetit in Japanese)

Japan-guide.com

ChinatownConnection.com

How to Use Chopsticks

I’ve had the good fortune of discovering Mama’s Empanadas on Roosevelt Ave. in Jackson Heights, Queens. They boast 50 different types of empanadas—wheat and corn, savory and sweet. The prices range from $1 to $1.75 (except for the seafood-filled empanada, which goes for a wallet-breaking $2.50!). The have special deals, too. I’ve tried several and enjoyed them all. Take a ride over there, try some out, and tell me what you think.

Mama’s Empanadas
76-17 Roosevelt Ave.
Jackson Heightes, NY 11372
718-899-8529

http://originalmamasempanadas.com

Coming up in the next few days, for example, is the 3rd international Fair of Food, Drinks, and Innovative Gastronomy in Croatia, in conjunction with the 16th annual Fair of Wine and Equipment for Viniculture, also in Zagreb? Or how about the Craft Brewers Conference and Expo in San Francisco? The National Barbecue Association is meeting in Greenville, SC this year. And the New Orleans Roadfood Festival is coming up this weekend.

Point is, there is ALWAYS something foodish going on. So check out Food Reference to see if anything’s in your neck of the woods.

St. Patrick’s Day is over a thousand years old, but Americans tend to commemorate the day with lots of food and alcohol. The holiday honors the 5th-century Brit who brought Christianity to Ireland, so because of its religious overtones and solemn occasion, the only treat allowed then was bacon and cabbage, because Lenten prohibitions on meat were waived on this day. Food was so not really a part of the tradition of this holiday that up ’til the 1970s Irish pubs were closed on the day, by law.

But the holiday acquired its more celebratory tone in the US. Irish immigrants started expressing their patriotism in 1762 with parades and parties. Initially shunned by non-Irish (probably fueled by a bit of bigotry), the number of Americans with Irish roots created a 20th-century surge among Irish Americans.

Authentic Irish spreads would include soda bread and stew, and though a few first-generation immigrants clung to the bacon and cabbage thing (updated to include corned beef, which was cheaper and sold by their Jewish neighbors in New York’s Lower East Side), the foods of choice were almost universally green. The struggle to find safe food dyes is a whole other story.

So if you join in on St. Patrick’s Day — even if you’re not Irish — have fun!

H/T slashfoods

Some people really get into it, as you can see:

Chicago, St. Patrick’s Day