Just because I am ghost hunting around the Scottish English borders does not make me an expert on all things English or Scottish. But I was asked what I knew about Mr. Brains Pork Faggots. NOTHING! Until now. we will all be an expert on them.
Mr. Brain
Herbert Hill Brain, born in 1864 was a butcher from Bristol. Bristol is in Southwestern England (the side near Ireland not France). His father was a grocer. In 1890 he started his own grocer business. In 1927 he bought a building on York Street and started curing and smoking pork for bacon and ham In 1925 he started making packaged family meals, like a TV dinner using his secret recipe for gravy. After a suggestion from an employee he created the pork faggots and they were very popular during WWII food rationing.
Pork
It is a pig.
Faggots
This is food made from pork cuttings and offal. Yeah, that sounds bad. Offal can be described as "variety meat or organ meat". ( I so do not want to continue this chat!!!!) Organ meats are the internal organs and entrails of a butchered animal excluding muscle and bone. Faggots are made from the pigs heart, fat belly meat, liver, bacon bits, herbs, and bread crumbs. Sometimes the faggots are wrapped in caul. Caul is the thin membrane that surrounds the stomach and other internal organs. Think - sausage casings.
Faggots were a cheap ordinary food of country people of Wales and Western England. In the Midlands and Yorkshire area they are called Savoury Ducks. They are often wrapped in bacon and cooked in a savoury gravy and served with mashed potatos and peas. The faggot mixture is formed into small balls, wrapped in the caul (pig membrane) and baked.
If this does mot appeal to you; you can always have this variety instead. . .
Pig fry is minced or ground together with boiled onion, bread crumbs or diced potatos, seasoned with sage, hebs and pepper, all mixed together, formed into balls wrapped in pig caul, baked, cooled and served cold. This does not sound so bad you make think but do you know what pig fry is? You are about to. . .
Fry are testicles. Before cooking they are scalded, skinned, and soaked in cold water. They can be cooked many ways; saute`ed, deep fried, sauced, poached, roasted and used in casseroles, pies or minced to make faggots.
Mr. Brain's faggots are made from pork cuts, pork rind, liver, breadcrumbs and herbs.
In October November 2013 Mr. Brain's Pork Faggots created an international frenzy when their facebook friends started chatting and using the word faggot.
So now you know...it is food!
Enjoy!
Across the pond.....
Have you ever enjoyed some Pon Haw? I discovered a 151 year old recipe for this amazing dish.
Boil 1 hog's head. Drain off broth. By the way do NOT google Boil hog head!!! ewwwww
Grind a little meat and liver together until you get enough, about the size of two large tomatoes; boil this in the broth. Add sage and pepper to taste. Thicken with meal (corn meal?) and cook well. When done, put into a large crock (huge bowl made from pottery, crockery) and let stand in the cellar until good and cold. Slice and serve cold, or fry slices of this in a pan with a little shortening.
Sounds like Spam. I cannot even find a photo on google! However after looking for a photo of faggots google is now bringing me photos of men in various acts of------ that may have anything to do with any word I submit. NOT helpful!!
Enjoy!!
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