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This is for the Ladies of WSCO -- Wouldn’t it be great (and fun) to have a “real Welsh Tea time” or party with friends or family members? Here is what could be served and enjoyed –
Welsh Marinated Cucumber Sandwiches
| 1 large cucumber, pared, thinly sliced | 1/8 tsp. white pepper | |
| 1 tbsp. salt | 6 slices whole wheat bread, crusts removed | |
| 1 tbsp. vinegar | 6 slices white bread, crusts removed | |
| 1 tbsp. vegetable oil | Creamed butter |
Sprinkle cucumber slices with salt. Set aside in strainer to drain, about 1 hour. Place drained cucumber slices in bowl. Mix in vinegar, oil and pepper. Spread bread with creamed butter. Place cucumber slices on half of the bread slices. Cover with remaining slices. Cut sandwiches diagonally in half.
BRECHDAN EOS AFON GWY
Welsh River Wye Salmon Tea Sandwiches
| 1 can (16 oz.) red salmon, boned and drained | 8 slices whole wheat bread, crusts removed | |
| 1 tsp. salt | 8 slices white bread, crusts removed | |
| ¼ tsp. white pepper | Butter | |
| 1 tsp. white vinegar |
Flake salmon with a fork, mix in salt, pepper and vinegar. Spread bread with butter. Place salmon on half of the bread slices, cover with remaining bread slices. Cut sandwiches diagonally in half.
If more consistency is desired, stir 3 tbsp. whipping cream into the salmon mixture.
Don’t forget to finish with our famous Welsh Tea Cakes!
Editor’s note: Some of you may remember that Peggy, along with WSCO members Margaret Lloyd and Joe Sooby, presented a cooking seminar during the WSCO St. David’s Day celebration in Feb. 1993 at Trinity Lutheran Church. Your editor came home with some great recipes from that enjoyable afternoon session.
Jeanne Jones Jindra
While going through the process of giving our new home a Welsh name using the house name generator on BBC/Wales, I came across a lovely little book in the library of the Madog Center for Welsh Studies that helped me understand a little more about the process of Welsh naming. Many people are interested in Welsh place names and their meanings. Wherever you go in Wales you are surrounded by them, as they often serve as a link between the past and the present. There is no country able to boast of more beautiful place names, and they are a sign you are in a country which values language and culture.
This small book is Welsh Place-Names and Their Meanings by Dewi Davies (printed by The Cambrian News, Aberystwyth, Ltd.). The author has gathered over 2,500 place names including parishes, towns, villages and farms as well as many other geographical features. Many of the names are very old, thus making it difficult to arrive at their true meanings. Long usage has played havoc with them in both spelling and pronunciation. A note on the pronunciation of Welsh letters has also been included as well as an explanation as to why words in the place names some-times change.
Under the section on “Towns and Parishes” I found our Jones farm name Pen-twyn with the meaning “end of the top of the hill”. One of my Trinity Welsh exchange students translated the farm name for me last year so I was happy to see it included in this book. Someone doing family and/or genealogical research would find this book valuable in locating place-name meanings from early parish records in Wales. I also used it as a reference for ideas during the process of naming our home. The author includes a short 20 question quiz at the end of the book. It was fairly difficult but I did get question 5 correct. It was “The word pen has a number of meanings. How many do you know?” I know that pen can refer to “top”, “head”, “brow”, and even “headland” depending on what other word is used with it.
If you can’t find this book in a library or on the Internet, you can always contact me with specific questions. I’ll be happy to look anything up.
Jeanne is the Director of the Madog Center for Welsh Studies at Rio Grand University in Rio Grande, OH. She can be reached at (800) 282-7201, ext. 7186 or welsh(at)rio(dot)edu.
Be sure to read the related story written by Jeanne in our “Do You Speak Welsh?” column on page 15.