Xigua and Xouba…

If you have seen my Theme Reveal for the A2Z Challenge 2022, then you will know that I am writing about becoming Vegetarian gradually as a response to the crisis in food supply chains sparked by the pandemic and made worse by the WAR in Ukraine. As well, I am keeping to the theme I originally planned of food which can be eaten in its own right as well as becoming an ingredient in other dishes…

Well I bet there has been a lot of head-scratching all over the A”Z Challenge as to what words to come up with for the last three days, and for X in particular – fortunately, there are always foreign names for familiar things even if I did have to resort once again to “foods beginning with X” to find them!

Xouba

Xouba, or Sardines, are eaten in many countries and are delicious eaten simply grilled or pan-fried so they meet my criteria of foods that can be eaten on their own, but although I have never made it, I will one day try the magically named, Stargazey Pie. Since I haven’t made it, I am going to direct you to this BBC Food recipe by Tristan Welch for a version of this famous Cornish recipe. Stargazey pie is famous because it is made with the fish heads poking through the pastry topping as if gazing up at the starry sky… A romantic notion and although many might find the fish heads disturbing, but I think that we are so often divorced from the reality of the animals we eat, by dint of pre-packaged, filleted pieces from the supermarket, that there is an honesty about Stargazey Pie.

Xigua

After ruling out Watermelon in yesterday’s post in favour of Water as an ingredient, it pops up again as the Chinese name for it, the name translates as “Western Fruit” meaning it is not native to China but like so many foods, has been spread around by globalisation. Watermelon, especially chilled is a most refreshing fruit in Summer and can be eaten on its own or served in salads or as an accompaniment to savoury dishes since it is not so sweet as other melons like Cantaloupe or Honeydew. Not that sweetness is a barrier to mixing foods which are sweet and savoury – far from it! However the recipe I am going to link to (since again, it is not one I have made), is for Xi Gua Lao and although it is mentioned on several sites and the yummy looking photo also appears in several places on the www, the same rather thin description appears, suggesting that everyone is referencing the same source. At least this site gives some quantities and basic directions. The idea is to extract the juice of the watermelon, and thicken it with agar (A vegan substitute for gelatine made from seaweed) and sugar to form a jelly in which cherries suggest the watermelon pips (that have been removed) and the jelly is set to resemble slices of watermelon. The result is shown in this much-travelled image below and very pretty it is!

And here is the real thing…

And that’s X done – phew!