This month we’re in love with love, or the idea of it.
How can we embody love with food this month? I like to leave surprise jars of pickles and other goodies on people’s porches: You might have another way you like to share.
Thinking about food as a gift of love + community gets me thinking about Pleasure Activism: A recommended read if you haven’t read it before. I have a list of other reads for the month, plus a warming drink recipe, in this email as well.
Upcoming events
Appalachian ferments + preserves is launching very soon, and preorders are open at this link.
It’s only $10, so you can learn some new skills or give it as a gift without breaking the bank. As always, paid subscribers get our mini-classes for free.
Mudcloth making is live, and our students are raving about it! This class is self-paced and entirely online: Sign up whenever you want, and take as long as you want to go through it. To learn more, go here.
What I’m making: Irish hot whiskey (and the non-alcoholic version)
We’ve had a handful of chilly days here in Atlanta, and the damp, overcast weather always makes me reach for a tasty Irish cure-all: the hot whiskey.
This tasty drink is ubiquitous in Dublin, and I drank more than my share when I was there to help with my cold and to warm me up from hours of wandering around in the Irish winter.
Long touted as a care to help with winter colds and flu, the hot whiskey is now also consumed by plenty of healthy people (check out this article from the 1837 Burlington Free Press, which tells you how to properly administer your hot whiskey to sick children).
Hot whiskey was not limited to Ireland—we see it in England too, both in literature and in real life. In PG Wodehouse’s books about Jeeves and Wooster (an aristocratic Englishman and his butler, set in early 20th century England), the drink appears a few times, in one instance remembered as a sleep aid. And, while I’ve heard tell that some folks consider it an ‘old fashioned drink’ (like this online forum), when I was in Ireland I saw people of all ages drinking them in bars, restaurants, and pubs.
If you’ve had hot whiskey beverages in the UK or the US, you’re probably thinking that this beverage sounds awfully like a hot toddy, and you wouldn’t be wrong. The term was used in England and Scotland (and as a result, in colonial America).
But the name ‘toddy’ most likely came from even farther afield. Many sources point to the Hindi word “taddy” (fermented beverage from pine sap, often with spices) or from Indian “toddy” (palm wine), which the English encountered as they colonized the country, bringing it back as a colonial export that then shifted meaning considerably (there are many examples of this in English culinary history, but that’s a story for another day).
The toddy (or hot whiskey, or whatever you want to call it) has been adapted to each new place it’s been imported to: In Scotland, scotch whiskey is used, while in US, we usually use bourbon or rum from the nearby Caribbean. Below is the recipe for how I make the Irish hot whiskey, based on how I learned from my friends in Ireland (we made a bunch of these sitting on their couch watching a darts championship in front of a peat fireplace. Very lovely memories!) One note: some authors recommend heating your glass a bit before adding the whiskey so it doesn't crack. I use coffee mugs, so don't have this issue, but use caution (and your best judgment!)
Hot whiskey today encompasses a range of flavors: There are grapefruit toddies and cranberry toddies, and while this would have initially been an aristocratic drink (remember that citrus was an expensive import until relatively recently), today it is widely popular across classes. Some online recipes encourage you to use other spices (like cinnamon sticks), although I’ve never encountered anything but lemon and clove in the Irish version.
Irish hot whiskey
2 oz Irish whiskey
hot water (4-6 oz)
1 round of lemon
cloves
Scant tsp of sugar or honey (optional)
-Take your lemon and push a clove into each segment. Put in bottom of glass
-Add sweetener (if using) and whiskey
-Pour hot water over whiskey to desired strength (most common is a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio)
Non-alcoholic variations: If you’re looking for a drink with the heat and zing of hot whiskey without the alcohol, you can substitute an astringent black tea or earl grey tea for the whiskey (if you want the warming effect you’d get with alcohol, add a tiny pinch of cayenne). This is also a fun place to experiment with shrubs and bitters!
What I’m reading
One thing I’m re-reading this month is my own book! As some of you know, my PhD is in Library & Information Science, and I enjoy keeping a foot in that world. I’m excited to share that my next book has been released: An edited volume on serving patrons in university libraries who are often overlooked and underserved. If you’re curious, you can see it here.
(If you’re eagerly waiting for Culture Begins Here, don’t fret: It’s in the capable hands of my publisher who are shepherding it through production as we speak).
I loved this article on the importance of getting food right, down to the little details, in fiction.
I help creative professionals do just this for all kinds of projects, from films to books to museum exhibits: if I can help make your project shine, please reach out and let’s chat!
Recently, food stalls were uncovered in the ancient city of Pompeii, and this author took a stab at making a stew inspired by them. It’s always fun to see some experimental archaeology and food history in the press, and to think about what I would do the same or differently with a dish (fish sauce rather than anchovies came to mind in this instance).
Related is this brief summary of a study on how the Vandals’ sack of Rome in 455 CE impacted Roman diets.
I’ve also been practicing the art of escapism through looking at pretty pictures of food. If you’re looking to do the same, Carvaggio in Cucina’s Facebook page and Her Dark Materials’ photo gallery are a delicious distraction.
And finally, if you’re looking for some new food crafts to do as we continue to shelter in place, I wrote this piece for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution to help you do just that.
Stay safe and warm!
xoxo,
Julia, Root’s founder