A Taste of the Food System

Remember how I said it was “FOOD. ALL. THE TIME.” these days? Well, not only do I eat food (obviously), study it and constantly think about it, I also get to have extra special tastings of it in my Food Systems class, as students regularly prepare treats to share and talk about. Back in September, I made challah, and each week my taste buds are excited for the next items to come. Everything has seriously been so good, and I’ve finally been able to take a couple pictures before eating it all!

Check ‘em out:

Irish Colcannon - cabbage, potatoes and buttery goodness!

According to my classmate, “Colcannon is Irish for white-headed cabbage. It is a common Irish food prepared for Halloween. Cabbage is central to many Irish Halloween customs; so important, in fact, that Halloween is often called Colcannon Night or Cabbage Night in Ireland. Until recently, October 31st was a day of fasting on which no meat was eaten—hence the potatoes and cabbage.

The cabbage and potatoes can be simply boiled and then mixed together, but Colcannon is not complete without a generous addition of butter, salt, cream, and a sprinkling of green onion.”

This was my first (and very pleasant) experience with Colcannon. The things you learn!

Chips with tomatillo salsa and poppyseed strudel

This perfectly roasted and mild tomatillo salsa was made by my classmate using fresh and organic tomatillos from our school’s garden! I had two plates full

And this heavenly strudel had just the right balance of sweetness, seeds and dough for a desserty touch after savory salsa. SO happy!

There have been so many great food items shared so far; everything from refreshing Chia Pudding to inspiring Chakalaka to ridonculous Grape Pie. So far, my favorite has to be Hungarian Palacsinta, for its special place in my heart. Both of my grandmothers made this Eastern European “pancake” (a.k.a. crepe, a.k.a. blintz), and my paternal grandmother was able to cook with me and teach me the impressive wrist technique to perfect the paper thin canvas that is palacsinta. When my classmate made a jam-filled, sour cream-topped version, I thought “why didn’t I make this?!” It’s so special to me

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