Stuffing

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It is not known when stuffings were first used. The earliest documentary evidence is the Roman cookbook, Apicius De Re Coquinaria, which contains recipes for stuffed chicken, dormouse, hare, and pig. Most of the stuffings described consist of vegetables, herbs and spices, nuts, and spelt (a cereal), and frequently contain chopped liver, brains, and other organ meat.{{cite web|url=http://www.foodreference.com/html/artstuffing.html |title=Stuffing – Food Facts & History|website=FoodReference.com}}{{Unreliable source?|date=August 2009}}

Names for stuffing include "farce" (~1390), "stuffing" (1538), "forcemeat" (1688), and more recently in the United States, "dressing" (1850).{{cite OED|dressing|8377848974|access-date=2024-03-17}}{{cite web|url=http://marthaandtom.com/2009/11/stuffing-or-dressing/ |title=Stuffing or dressing? |website=Marthaandtom |date=2009-11-22 |access-date=2015-12-02}}

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File:Piroshki.JPG stuffed with meat, mushroom, rice and onions]]

In addition to stuffing the body cavities of animals, including birds, fish, and mammals, various cuts of meat may be stuffed after they have been deboned or a pouch has been cut into them. Recipes include stuffed chicken legs,{{cite web|author=C |url=http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2546/chicken-ballottines-with-sage-and-pancetta |title=Chicken ballottines with sage & pancetta |publisher=BBC Good Food |date=2015-07-24 |access-date=2015-12-02}} stuffed pork chops,{{cite web|url=http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/stuffed-pork-chops-recipe1.html |title=Stuffed Pork Chops Recipe |publisher=Food Network |date=2003-10-21 |access-date=2015-12-02}} stuffed breast of veal,{{cite web|url=http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/anne-burrell/stuffed-braised-veal-breast-recipe.html |title=Stuffed Braised Veal Breast Recipe : Anne Burrell |publisher=Food Network |date=2011-10-03 |access-date=2015-12-02}} as well as the traditional holiday stuffed turkey or goose.

Many types of vegetables are also suitable for stuffing, after their seeds or flesh has been removed. Tomatoes, capsicums (sweet or hot peppers), and vegetable marrows such as zucchini may be prepared in this way. Cabbages and similar vegetables can also be stuffed or wrapped around a filling. They are usually blanched first, in order to make their leaves more pliable. Then the interior may be replaced by stuffing, or small amounts of stuffing may be inserted between the individual leaves.{{cite news|author=Olia Hercules |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/may/17/delicious-recipes-ukraine-and-beyond-borshch-stuffed-cabbage-olia-hercules |title=Eight delicious, rich and nourishing recipes from Ukraine and beyond | Life and style |newspaper=The Guardian |date= 17 May 2015|access-date=2015-12-02|author-link=Olia Hercules }}

Purportedly ancient Roman, or else Medieval, cooks developed engastration recipes, stuffing animals with other animals. An anonymous Andalusian cookbook from the 13th century includes a recipe for a ram stuffed with small birds. A similar recipe for a camel stuffed with sheep stuffed with bustards stuffed with carp stuffed with eggs is mentioned in T. C. Boyle's book Water Music.{{cite web |url=http://lit.konundrum.com/features/boyletc_intv.htm |title=Konundrum Engine Literary Review - TC Boyle Interview |website=Lit.konundrum.com |access-date=2015-12-02 |archive-date=5 February 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100205173337/http://lit.konundrum.com/features/boyletc_intv.htm |url-status=dead }} Multi-bird-stuffed dishes such as the turducken or gooducken are contemporary variations.

Almost anything can serve as a stuffing. Many American stuffings contain a starchy ingredient like bread or cereals, usually together with vegetables, ground meats, herbs and spices, and eggs. Middle Eastern vegetable stuffings may be based on seasoned rice, on minced meat, or a combination thereof. Other stuffings may contain only vegetables and herbs. Some types of stuffing contain sausage meat, or forcemeat, while vegetarian stuffings sometimes contain tofu. Roast pork is often accompanied by sage and onion stuffing in England; roast poultry in a Christmas dinner may be stuffed with sweet chestnuts. Oysters are used in one{{cite web |url=http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/oyster-dressing-recipe.html |title=Oyster Dressing Recipe : Paula Deen |publisher=Food Network |date=2011-10-08 |access-date=2015-12-02 |archive-date=3 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151203010218/http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/oyster-dressing-recipe.html |url-status=dead }} traditional stuffing for Thanksgiving. These may also be combined with mashed potatoes, for a heavy stuffing. Fruits and dried fruits can be added to stuffing including apples, apricots, dried prunes, and raisins. In England, a stuffing is sometimes made of minced pork shoulder seasoned with various ingredients, such as sage, onion, bread, chestnuts, dried apricots, and dried cranberries. The stuffing mixture may be cooked separately and served as a side dish. This may still be called stuffing or it may be called dressing.{{Cite web|url=http://www.kctv5.com/story/30604359/turkey-day-turmoil-is-it-stuffing-or-dressing|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151128014655/http://www.kctv5.com/story/30604359/turkey-day-turmoil-is-it-stuffing-or-dressing|url-status=dead|title=Turkey day turmoil: Is it stuffing or dressing?|archivedate=28 November 2015}}

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) states that cooking animals with a body cavity filled with stuffing can present potential food safety hazards. Even when the meat reaches a safe temperature, the stuffing can still harbor bacteria, and if the meat is cooked until the stuffing reaches a safe temperature, the meat may be overcooked. For turkeys, for instance, the USDA recommends cooking stuffing separately from the bird and not buying pre-stuffed birds.{{cite web|url=http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Factsheets/Turkey_Basics_Stuffing/index.asp|title=Turkey Basics: Stuffing|website=USDA Factsheets|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081109080411/http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Factsheets/Turkey_Basics_Stuffing/index.asp|archive-date=9 November 2008}}

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• Breadcrumb
• Breading
• Forcemeat
• Kousa mahshi, squash or zucchini stuffed with rice and meat
• List of stuffed dishes
• List of bread dishes
• Panada
• Paxo
• Sarma and dolma
• Stove Top stuffing
• Stuffed pepper

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• {{Wiktionary-inline|stuffing}}

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Category:Cooking techniques

Category:Food ingredients

Category:Poultry dishes

Category:Christmas food

Category:Culinary terminology

Category:Bread dishes

Category:Rice dishes

Category:Thanksgiving food