His own Dad, seemed rather nomadic. Came from Europe at 16 just in time to attend the Columbian Exposition, 1892/93 in Chicago. My Grandpa was a skilled tailor, a trade he used in that big city owning his own tailor shop for a few years, which he then traded for a farm in some relatively far-off place. That exchange happened at least three times that I recall it being told, two farms were lived on by my Dad along with his folks and two brothers and two sisters, in Wisconsin. He was 10 at one place, and 16 at the other, and learned quite a bit about crops, and good eating. He always had a yearning for "Buckwheat Pancakes", among other unusual requests made of my Mother. I recall not caring for them very much. Also, "Potato Pancakes", which I actually disliked. Then, too, there were the cattle brains, tongue, and finally, once, kidneys. I told my wife I would like some Buckwheat something-or-others, pancakes, or bread, or any baked good. We have looked locally, and cannot find Buckwheat flour. We did find a mix of flours containing Buckwheat, how much I do not know. Is Buckwheat flour something that is passé, or what?? Frank
I love roasted buckwheat Frank, have it at least twice a week when in Russia, just boil it till it fluffs up and then stir fry it with chopped onions, mushrooms and red peppers, with a dash of sour cream, it's really yummy. Buckwheat is on most menus of Russian fast food food chains as well, usually as a stir fry with crispy bacon and mushrooms, I often have it with a local beer they serve, it's a cheap lunch out. Being gluten free it's good for me as well, because any wheat products cause my eczema to flare up. It's also classed as a super food. I also like buckwheat pancakes they make great savoury dishes, and both my own and Lisa's grandchildren love them, so I am often making them. The flour and the buckwheat is readily available where I live. partly because we have several Polish and Eastern European shops. Buckwheat is a superfood that you may not know about. It’s definitely under-appreciated and under-utilized in the US, but everyone should know how healthy and scrumptious it is! I love it more than rice or quinoa. It’s also completely gluten free! It’s name is a little deceiving because it’s called buckwheat but there is no relation to wheat – none whatsoever! It’s also just as simple to make as white rice. Buckwheat Nutrition info: Buckwheat is a great source of Potassium, Fiber, Protein, Iron, and Vitamin B6. It is also a good source of manganese, magnesium, copper, and zinc, which are great for the immune system. Yeah it’s definitely good for you and much healthier than white rice. full article here
@Holly Saunders Holly, every now and then, I must qualify all of my bull-roar with a non-incriminatory statement. Self-preservation instinct, perhaps. Frank
@Terry Page Terry, thank you much for the Buckwheat info. It would seem, then, that my Dad had the right idea! And we cannot even find 100% Buckwheat flour around here! Will try a health foods store. Frank
There are many brands on Amazon, @Frank Sanoica , and much of it is on Prime. I've seen organic and gluten-free, and many brands. It would take some research to see which is healthiest, if there are additives, etc., but it definitely exists. Oh, and those... uh... "delicacies" you mentioned... I've had some. Oh, how I can gag at the memory! But pickled tongue... yes. And kidney. I didn't live on a farm, but my grandparents did.
@Mari North Thank you, Mari! Not real accustomed to on-line buying, but getting there! I guess it stems from wanting to look over a product first, then decide whether or not to buy it. Can't look inside of cans, though, as seen in the tuna fish ad I am going to post, under Food and Drinks, probably. Frank Edit: Oh, yes, gagged we did, both my Mother & I, when she finally cooked beef kidneys for my Dad. House stank like a sewer for several days. He ate 'em voraciously, we could not stand to watch!
I remember a smell like that once. My daddy took my brothers hunting... and they were so proud to bring a squirrel back. My mama didn't want to disappoint them, so found a recipe and cooked it for them. It's probably been 40 years and I still remember that smell. I'm glad your Daddy liked the kidneys... I don't know if anyone ate the squirrel meat or not... I was too busy fleeing the scene. @Frank Sanoica
I still have and eat every winter wild meat that some of the hunters give me.. I am given.. Moose meat in various forms Deer meat, steak form and strips Beaver meat, chunks and strips Bear meat, usually in a roast or minced These are readily available in my area and are eaten by many folks.. Great meat...
I may be wrong, but eating game meat (which I've done) is on a different level from eating brains, kidneys, and tongue which is what gagged Frank, his Mama, and me. And now I've gone and turned my stomach again! Or do you mean you like those things, too, Steve? My favorites: venison with lots of garlic... and shark, although not game. Oh, and jerky from things like ostrich and alligator. @Frank Sanoica @Steve North
Ostrich and Alligator?? A step beyond those was located years back in Vegas, when I lived there, a little strip-mall store had a huge selection of weird canned foods. I remember elephant meat, a variety of types of snake meat, large stock of rattlesnake meat, ants, variety of insects. A good place to visit when hungry and trying not to eat! Frank
EEEEWWWW! I've heard of them all except elephant. People eat elephants? Ugh! Ever try that one, @Frank Sanoica ?
My Grandmother used to make me a stew using heart and lungs.. it was delicious.. Especially with Mamaliga.. I often eat calf liver.. Calf heart.. Chicken hearts & giblets.. Beef tongue..
@Steve North Calves liver is certainly superior to older beef, my Dad always said a calf slaughtered before it began eating grass, tasted much "sweeter" than older beef. My wife shudders when I eat the Turkey's gizzard and heart when the Thanksgiving bird is being prepared. She cooks them up in broth. She does this for me, as she knows my Mother always did. Wife's folks, old-line Hoosiers, found much to raise their eyebrows over, when we started dating, and even beyond. They never really got to "know" me well. Her mother once asked her, early-on, in [private, if my Mother and I "talk to each other in a foreign language! Hoosiers, are, well...........not quite as strange, I guess, as Middle-European transplants! Frank Edit: My own Grandmother made the most wonderful liver dumplings using chicken livers, the broth being chicken soup. I have never succeeded in duplicating the wonderful taste of hers.