- ice box
The 'ice box' was the forerunner to the refrigerator and was simply an insulated box. The military has always used 'hay boxes' to keep food hot or cold and the ice box was a domestic version of the hay box.
Ice boxes were made from wood, or from tin, and filled with ice.
The little compartment at the top of every fridge is still called the ice box, though we discourage ice to form in there, so perhaps its from the pre-electricity days when such a compartment actually contained ice.
See also: 'hay box', 'ice house' and 'ice merchant'.
- ice cream
Ice cream is familiar to us all and used to be just that frozen whipped cream, with sugar, but slightly more sophisticated recipes evolved involving eggs.
Sadly most of the ice cream eaten in Britain today is synthetic and contains no cream. The law states that something can be called ice cream if it contains just 2.5 percent dairy fat which means processed ice creams couldn't be further from the original, containing vegetable fats, colourings, stabilisers, emulsifiers, additives, preservatives, etc.
Real ice cream, made to the original recipes, can be called 'Dairy Ice Cream' and it is these you should be seeking out, look for the word 'dairy'.
Another thing you should look out for is the weight. Ice cream is a food which is unusual in that it is sold by volume, not weight, which has encouraged processors to whip air into the ice cream, up to 200%, so pick it up and have a feel. If its heavy then a certain pride has gone into its making. And if it's heavy and says the word 'dairy' on the front then its likely to be good.
Its not all bad new though because we are in the middle of a dairy ice cream revival as dairy farmers experiment with diversification due to the low prices paid on their milk, and there will be a fairly new ice cream company near you, selling delicious, natural, dairy ice cream.
Many of these new ice creams makers are experimenting with natural ingredients (such as fresh fruit), with old traditional ingredients, and with imaginative new flavours creating interesting and exotic ice creams.
Historically ice cream was the preserve of the rich, made from ice stored in their 'ice houses' and the required low temperature was achieved by adding salt to the ice which lowers its temperature dramatically.
The practice of eating ice cream spread and eventually mechanical ice cream making machines appeared, utilising ice, and were very popular. These, of course, eventually became electrically operated and cooled.
Ice cream took off with the working class often through the hard work and enterprise of Italian immigrants and everyone of a certain age remembers ice cream vans with Italian names even though the occupants might speak with local accents.
See also: 'ice cream cone', 'ice cream van', 'ice merchant' and 'ice house'.
- ice cream cone / twists
The invention of the ice cream cone, the 'twist', is credited to an Italian, Antonio Valvona, living in Manchester. He may have been the first to commercialised the process, or to mass produce cones, but there are accounts of well off people eating ice cream using cones, in England, from as early as 1770.
Prior to the widespread use of the cone all ice cream was sold in glasses known as 'licking glasses' some of which were licked clean by the purchaser and then refilled by the vendor without being washed properly, or at all. The practice led to the threat of a ban on ice cream sales and this inspired Italian ice cream makers in England to sell their ice cream with edible holders, made from biscuit, as an alternatives to the licking glass. As a result all classes became familiar with wafers, shells and cones.
The original brown coloured cone was known as a 'twist' or a 'sugar twist' giving a clue to the manner of manufacture but these gave way to the boring and tasteless moulded mass produced cones so popular today. Twists are still available but give one to your grandparents and listen to them moan about how tasteless they are.
Lane's Extinction Grading: Very Safe
Culturally exported so globally produced and consumed (i.e. its fate does not rest soley in our hands).
- ice cream van
Ice cream vans are brightly coloured, high topped vans fitted with a side window (sliding glass) in order to serve ice cream and ice lollies. They can be any make, model or year and have been built onto anything from a mini to a truck. Some are purpose built whilst others are clearly unique 'home conversions'. They pop up everywhere, even in the middle of winter.
The instant excitement caused by ice cream van music will be automatic within many of us. When you were a kid you would sometimes imagine that you could hear him (the ice cream man) streets away, the 'tinny' music drifting on the breeze, and sometimes, after a disappointing spell of silence the loud 'twangs' and 'boings' of the music will suddenly burst into the house signalling his imminent approach, or even that he has actually turned in to your street. Panic then ensues as you badger your parents for money so that you can run out and stop him before he drives away.
Some of the music favourites are 'Popeye the Sailor Man', 'Greensleeves', 'I Love To Go A Wandering' and 'You Are My Sunshine'. Henry the VIII is reputed to have written Greensleeves for a young lover but according to Jack Dee is was written for an ice cream man.
There is a move, by clever marketing people, to replace the traditional tinny music with modern pop songs because "they will be more recognisable". I think they are missing the point. Tinny ice cream music was effective because it was distinctive, because there was nothing else like it. Nobody cared what the tune was. If you give ice cream vans normal music then how will we tell the difference?
There has traditionally been fierce competition between ice-cream companies, and disputes over a particular patch has resulted in skulduggery sometimes escalating into violent 'ice-cream wars', particularly in Scotland.
Lane's Extinction Grading: Very Safe
Culturally exported so globally produced and consumed (i.e. its fate does not rest soley in our hands).
- ice house / ice cave / ice safe / cold store
'Ice houses' or 'ice caves' were cold stores built underground, or partially underground, often into a slope (preferably north facing), and were designed to be kept cool by insulating on all sides (or as many sides as possible) with stone and earth. They came about in the 1700's and were built mainly on large estates next to big houses and many still exist today. Occasionally one will be uncovered during renovation work in grounds or after research into a newly acquired property. They usually have domed or arched ceilings and the way into them was often down steps to preserve the cold (which descends).
During the winter they would be stocked with slabs of ice harvested from lakes and ponds (often close by). The ice would slowly melt during summer but would preserve food and characteristically the ice house would have a drain hole to allow the water to escape.
Sufficient quantities of ice would keep the ice house cool throughout summer but ice boats from Norway, carrying ice harvested from glaciers, was regularly brought to British sea ports from where it was shipped inland to replenish the ice caves of wealthy houses.
See also: 'ice merchant', 'ice box', 'thrawl' and 'larder'.
- ice merchant
5a
The practice of storing ice started in the 1700's, in ice houses or ice caves on big estates so that rich people could have cold drinks and ice cream. The demand increased with the growth of the catering industry and ice merchants sprang up.
Ice merchants met summer demand by importing ice from Norway in ice ships, harvested from that countries permanent lakes, fjords and ice caps. When artificial ice was produced in the 1890's the ice importing business faded but ice merchants continued to deliver on their horse and carts up to the 20th century.
See also: 'ice house' and 'ice box'.
Lane's Extinction Grading: Extinct
Extinct but a useable recipe, knowledge or appropriate experience exists.
- imperial units of measure
Imperial units of measure were the standard units of measure used in the British Empire and in countries under the British influence and were defined by the Weights and Measures Act of 1824.
Previous to this most of Britain used English units of measure however Scotland, Ireland and Wales also had a few of their own . Some English and Imperial units have survived the ravages of European influence and people still defiantly order a pint of beer, or a pound of potatoes, they drive for miles, weigh themselves in stones and pounds, describe fuel consumption in miles per gallon, and move things a couple of inches (or feet). Horse racing still measures length in furlongs and measure the size of a horse in 'hands'.
Imperial units of measure were largely (and forcefully) superseded by metric units of measure due to the Weights and Measures Act (1985) and by law all foods and drinks must be labelled in metric. That doesn't mean to say that you have to omit imperial or make it the smallest lettering as pounds and ounces are still lawful.
The Americans adopted the Imperial system and then changed it but kept the same name, much as they've done with many things including our language.
See also 'obscure weights and measures'.
- inch
The 'inch' is a linear unit of length and there are 12 inches to the foot.
Though the inch is rarely used by modern planners and engineers the word is very much in use in common language and is still very much used in the building trade, which is why tape measures have both metric and imperial graduations, and even tradesmen born after metrification still make use of the inches scale when measuring.
Things still grow "a couple of inches" or are moved "a few inches" and something which moves slowly is said to be "inching along".
- Incredible Edible Todmorden
IET (Incredible Edible Todmorden) is a campaign, based around the Yorkshire town of Todmorden, in the Calder Valley. Its aim is to encourage local people and businesses to get involved with local food.
Their stated aim is to make the town self sufficient and locals are rising to the challenge by growing vegetables and keeping chickens. Short term their goal is to make the town, of approximately 10,000 people, self sufficient in eggs through their 'Every Egg Matters' campaign and egg map.
All the local schools are involved especially Todmorden High School which has been growing its own vegetables and is now getting involved with fish farming and hydroponics.
The campaign is increasingly acting as a focul point, not only for individuals wishing to get involved in growing but for businesses and for people with land they wish to convert to allotments/smallholdings.
The Calder Valley has also given rise to the 'Totally Locally' organisation which works closely with 'IET'.
- India pale ale
Or simply known as 'I.P.A.'. A solution to the problem of transporting English beer to the colonies during the Empire days. A light, very hoppy, beer which travels well, at least as far as the urinals anyway, which is as far as I ever intend to travel with it.
Invented in London by a Mr. Hodgson, near India docks but production moved to Burton-on-Trent. Based on very alcoholic beers made for 'laying down' in cellars of big houses (like wine). The beer had to survive for 6 months, endure a temperature change of 30 degrees Celsius, and experience many storms, including rounding the Cape of Good Hope. Amazingly it not only survived the journey but improved. In the early days it was considered a high class drink (on a par with wines) but eventually became the drink of troops (so as low as you can get really). IPA's are undergoing something of a revival, displacing lager (at last).
Lane's Extinction Grading: Very Safe
Culturally exported so globally produced and consumed (i.e. its fate does not rest soley in our hands).
- Indian
The alternative name for a curry. Though many modern curry 'houses' are run by people not from the country of India they are from countries which did not exist at the time curries came to Britain (Bangladesh and Pakistan), and were in fact Indian at that time, so the term 'Indian' is appropriate and carries history in its usage. The word allows us to informally describe spiced dishes from many cultures, just as we do with the word 'curry'. However, when we use the word 'Asian', we tend to mean (without realising it) eastern Asia e.g. Thai, Japanese, Chinese, etc. and so there is a difference to us between 'Indian' and 'Asian' cuisine, a linguistic differentiation which is very peculiar to British people.
- Indian tonic water
Indian tonic water is soda water which has crystallised quinine added to produce a fizzy anti-malaria drink which was famously mixed with gin to make 'gin and tonic'. Indian tonic water is still available today.
- Infusion
An infusion is the outcome of steeping plants, with a desired flavour, in water or oil.
A less formal name for an infusion is a 'concoction' and when infused in hot water an infusion may be referred to as 'tea' even though there's no actual tea in it (e.g. camomile tea, mint tea, pine needle tea, etc.). Tea of course is historically the most famous of British infusions and loose tea should, be infused for a full three minutes in the pot before pouring. Another older word meaning 'infuse' is 'mash' and this word has survived in the brewing and distilling industry and also in Yorkshire where tea is still 'mashed'.
- interpretation
Abuse of a traditional food name and its origins. A gutless way of selling something that is not traditional thus contributing to the demise and destruction of the original dish and its method of cooking.
- invalid cookery
Invalid was a word which once described all the sick, infirm and also those we would these days call 'disabled'. Special traditional recipes and foods were once considered good for children,the sick, and for those in a weakened condition. Some were nationally favourites (e.g. beef tea and beef jelly) and others were local.
In the Pennine region of Yorkshire and Lancashire they had 'pobs' which, in that region, was pieces of bread soaked in warm sugary milk. Even the English Navy had their own 'sick bay' food called 'loblolly', a type of sloppy stew.
The Victorians took the matter of caring for invalids very seriously and always had a section in recipe books dedicated to this subject, and marketing campaigns for invalid foods took certain products, or types of product, to national prominence. Most of these seemed to be based on beef or marrow fat.
- Irish mixed grill
Roast potato, fried potato and boiled potato.
- Irish Moiled
A cattle breed which almost became extinct by the 1970's and was saved by two breeders. The Irish Moiled has a reputation for producing good milk and beef from poor grazing. The name 'moile' is derived from the Gaelic for 'dome' and which describes the distinctive rounded, horn free head. It is characteristically red in colour marked by a white line or 'finching' on the back and under parts, but can vary from white with red ears to nearly all red.
A breed conservation strategy was launched in 2008 and there are now a number of breeders throughout Britain.
- Irish potato famine / The Great Hunger (1845-1849)
The Irish potato famine, which contributed to the deaths of over a million people, was caused due to potato 'blight 'which spread more easily because every potato was the same vulnerable variety, the 'Lumper'.
The same blight affected the rest of Britain but the Irish reliance on this one crop was their downfall. A similar disaster took place in poor agricultural regions of Scotland.
See also 'blight (potato and tomato)'.
- Iron Chicken
The 'Iron Chicken' is a character who lived on a small blue planet with the 'Clangers' (1969).
See also 'Soup Dragon'.
- iron ration
The name give to emergency rations carried in case a soldier was cut off from normal supplies. It was originally and simply comprised of 'bully beef', biscuit (hard tack), tea, sugar and salt (in hot climates), but evolved into more sophisticated 'menus' (one for each climate) and more robust packaging.
My mother (the daughter of a soldier) used to ask me if I had my 'iron rations' when I went off to scout camp and I never knew what she meant, I thought it was some kind of pill.
Between the 1870's and the First World War the concept of personal standard rations for soldiers was developed by the British and the 'iron rations' were part of this development. But the idea of carrying a little extra for difficult times has continued even beyond the invention of modern 24 hour ration packs ('rat packs'), and up to the present time. Modern front line British soldiers still carry the equivalent of 'iron rations' packed tightly and hidden deep in a rucksack, just like their ancestors did, only they call them 'emergency' or 'survival' rations.
[US]
- irradiation
Low levels of ionising radiation is used to reduce parasites and slow down the ripening rates and spoilage of food.