I was always wondering about what could be so exciting about ’mac and cheese’ and why is it so delicious and so addictive that most of the americans consider it the best thing after PB&J. So I decided to try myself out the traditional mac’n’cheese recipe and experience this indulging pasta-cheese combo.
But before revealing the recipe and my score on a 1 to 10 scale here’s some historical background to know who or what is behind this not really extraordinary but delicious idea.
What is exactly mac’n’cheese?
It is actually macaroni and chees
e ( what a surprise) – also called “mac and cheese” in American English; “macaroni pie” inCaribbean English; and “macaroni cheese” in the Canada, United Kingdom and New Zealand. The dish itself consists of cooked macaroni pasta and cheese, most commonly Cheddar cheese, though it can also incorporate other ingredients, such as bread crumbs, meat and vegetables.
Traditional macaroni and cheese is a casserole baked in the oven; however, it may be prepared in a sauce pan on top of the stove. To be authentic I decided to bake the traditional one but soon I think I will have some mac’n’ cheese experiments with the other types.
Biref history
The origins are not 100% clarified, on say that it is English, the others insist on the Italian origins. What is actually known is for sure that pasta and cheese casseroles have been recorded in cookbooks as early as the 14th century’s Liber de Coquina, one of the oldest medieval cookbooks. What is controversial is that it is originally an Italian dish of parmesan and pasta but known in England since the 14th century, where a cheese and pasta casserole known as makerouns was recorded. It was made with fresh, hand-cut pasta which was sandwiched between a mixture of melted butter and cheese.
The first modern recipe for the dish was included in cookery writer Elizabeth Raffald’s 1769 book The Experienced English Housekeeper. In the United Kingdom, during the 2010s, it has become widespread as a meal and as a side order in both fast food and upmarket restaurant, furthermore in Canada the packaged Kraft mac’n’cheese is considered to be one of the national dishes.
American history
The American history of the pasta casserole goes back to the times of Thomas Jefferson who encountered macaroni both in Paris and in northern Italy, where he drew a sketch of the pasta and wrote detailed notes on the extrusion process. He was such a mac’n’cheese addict that in 1793, he commissioned the American ambassador to Paris to purchase a pasta machine for making it. Afterwards, a recipe called “macaroni and cheese” appeared in the 1824 cookbook The Virginia Housewife one of the most influential cookbooks of the 19th century.
In the United States, July 14 has been branded as “National Macaroni and Cheese” day.
Also macaroni and cheese pizza can be found on restaurant menus and the original recipes has also changed a lot since the 14th century by adding extra ingredients sometimes including tomatoes, onions, tabasco, sautéed mushrooms, cooked gorund brief, hamburger meat, fried bacon, lobster, canned tuna or salmon, peas or broccoli.
The Canadian Mac
Macaroni and Cheese was brought to Canada by British immigrants, coming from other parts of the British Empire. Macaroni and cheese recipes have been attested in Canada since at least in 1845, which suggests a puff pastry lining (suggesting upper-class refinement) and a sauce of cream, egg yolks, mace, and mustard, and grated Parmesan or Cheshire cheese on top. Canadian Cheddar cheese was also becoming popularized at this time and was likely also used during that era. Currently a variety of packaged mixes mixes which are prepared in a sauce pan on the stove or in a microwave over are available. They are usually modeled on Kraft Macaroni & Cheese (known as Kraft Dinner in Canada), which was introduced in 1937.
Other side of the world
In Austria mac’n’ cheese is called Älplermagronen (Alpine herder’s macaroni), which is made of macaroni, cream, cheese, roasted onions, and in some recipes, potatoes. The cheese is often Emmental cheese or Appenzeller cheese and it is usually accompanied by apple sauce.
In Scotland, the dish is often presented in a pastry shell as macaroni cheese pie.
The recipe
Traditional Americam Mac and Cheese recipe :
- 2 cups of macaroni
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 1 big onion, chopped fine
- 2 minced garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons of flour
- 5-6 dl milk
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 15 dkg shredded young cheddar
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 250 °C.
- While making cheese mixture, cook pasta
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan and add the onion and garlic in butter until translucent.
- Add flour to saucepan and stir to combine, leaving no dry flour bits.
- Add milk all at once to saucepan along with black pepper and some salt.
- Stir in the chedda until melted, and mixture is smooth.
- Place cooked pata in a casserole dish. Stir in cheese mixture until combined and hint put some shredded cheddar on top.
- Bake for approx. 20- 30 minutes or until top is lightly browned.
- Cool for 10 minutes and serve.
Personal impression
After having the traditional recipre prepaired I would not say that it is going to be my favourite food but it definitely worth trying. If you are a cheddar lover and you need an easy to cook meal for you and maybe your flatmate, other half or anybody else, than it is going to be your life saving dish.
My opinion is that the recipe is good, delicious and filling but the taste is not a gastronomical breakthrough. If you like cheese that smells and have a really strong taste than I would recommend you to add extra goat or sheep cheese ( that is what I actually did, I added extra sheep milk cream cheese) and it would not desecrate the original recipe but will give you a satisfying feeling and will make you crave for some more.
What is your opinion? Let me know… 😉
Sources:
- www. foodnetwork.com
- Wikipedia
- http://www.tarasmulticulturaltable.com/alplermagronen-swiss-alpine-macaroni/
- http://www.allrecipes.com
the funky cheese blog 