Time to weigh in on a divisive topic
It’s no secret that the populace seems more divided than ever, and given the current goings-on this month it’s hard to imagine too many minds can be changed at this point.
But, as a thoughtful and passionate consumer of the season, I feel like it is my responsibility to take a stand and make my thoughts known. I know some readers will share my opinion and be thankful that I spoke out, and I also understand that a lot of readers will disagree with me, some quite enthusiastically, but I’ve been passive for too long.
I am prepared for the fallout. I am ready to read the angry retorts and listen to the vitriolic voicemails. But what I need to say has to be said, so, if you must, bring it on.
After much consideration, as well as consultation with people whom I trust, it is time for me to finally say: I love eggnog. Wait. What?
Were you thinking I was about to write about politics? Not on your life, friend.
Eggnog may not be dominating the national headlines, but it seems to be just as divisive as anything the talking heads on cable news are currently yelling about. Everyone I’ve ever spoken to about my fondness for the holiday dairy drink has one of two opinions: They either love it or hate. Rarely does anyone fall in between.
With a splash of bourbon or without, store-bought or homemade, I love the stuff.
As such, I decided to learn more about it this week, and now I am going to share with you what I’ve learned, because it’s fairly interesting.
As gleaned from wikipedia: “The origins, etymology, and the ingredients used to make original eggnog drinks are debated. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, nog was ‘a kind of strong beer brewed in East Anglia.’ The first known use of the word ‘nog’ was in 1693. Alternatively, nog may stem from noggin, a Middle English term for a small, carved wooden mug used to serve alcohol. However, the British drink was also called an Egg Flip, from the practice of ‘flipping’ (rapidly pouring) the mixture between two pitchers to mix it. One dictionary lists the word ‘eggnog’ as being an Americanism invented in 1765-75.”
There were a couple of other theories in there as well, but let’s skip ahead.
“While culinary historians debate its exact lineage, most agree eggnog originated from the early medieval British drink called posset, which was made with hot milk that was curdled with wine or ale and flavored with spices. In the Middle Ages, posset was used as a cold and flu remedy. Posset was popular from medieval times to the 19th century. Eggs were added to some posset recipes; according to Time magazine, by the ‘... 13th century, monks were known to drink a posset with eggs and figs.’ A 17th century recipe for ‘My Lord of Carlisle’s Sack-Posset’ uses a heated mixture of cream, whole cinnamon, mace, nutmeg, eighteen egg yolks, eight egg whites, and one pint of Sack wine (a fortified white wine related to sherry). At the end, sugar, ambergris and animal musk are stirred in. Posset was traditionally served in two-handled pots. The aristocracy had costly posset pots made from silver.”
“The drink crossed the Atlantic to the British colonies during the 18th century. Since brandy and wine were heavily taxed, rum from the Triangular Trade with the Caribbean was a cost-effective substitute. The inexpensive liquor, coupled with plentiful farm and dairy products available to colonists, helped the drink become very popular in America. When the supply of rum to the newly founded United States was reduced as a consequence of the American Revolutionary War, Americans turned to domestic whiskey, and eventually bourbon in particular, as a substitute. In places in the American colonies where even bourbon was too expensive, homemade moonshine spirits were added to eggnog. Eggnog ‘became tied to the holidays’ when it was adopted in the United States in the 1700s.”
Among the early fans of eggnog was George Washington, the first president of our great country. He liked to serve a version that included rye, Jamaican rum and sherry.
So, raise a glass of nog and toast to ole George. Unless you’re one of those weird people who doesn’t enjoy the stuff.
Which is fine, I guess, because that leaves more for me.