Cawl facts for kids
Cawl with unthickened stock
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| Type | Soup Stew |
|---|---|
| Course | First and/or second |
| Place of origin | Wales |
| Region or state | Southwest |
| Serving temperature | Hot |
| Main ingredients | Potatoes, rutabagas, carrots, leeks, meat (lamb, mutton, beef, bacon) |
Cawl is a famous and delicious Welsh dish. It's a bit like a hearty soup or stew, packed with vegetables and meat. For many years, especially in the colder months, families in southwest Wales would enjoy this warm and filling meal. Today, many people think of cawl as a dish made with lamb and leeks. However, in the past, it was often prepared with salted bacon or beef, along with potatoes, carrots, and other fresh vegetables. Cawl is so important to Welsh culture that it's widely known as the national dish of Wales!
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What Makes Cawl Special?
Cawl is known for its simple yet tasty ingredients and how it's traditionally prepared. It's a comforting meal that has been enjoyed for centuries.
Cooking Up a Pot of Cawl
To make cawl, the meat is usually cut into medium-sized pieces. These pieces are then boiled in water along with lots of vegetables. The vegetables often include potatoes, carrots, and leeks. Sometimes, the cooking liquid, called the stock, was made thicker using oatmeal or flour.
How Cawl is Served
Traditionally, cawl was served in two parts. First, the thick, flavorful stock would be served on its own as a starter. Then, the cooked vegetables and slices of meat would be served as a second course. Today, most people prefer to eat cawl as a single, complete meal, with all the meat, vegetables, and stock together in one bowl.
Cawl is quite similar to a dish called lobsgows, which is popular in North Wales. The main difference is that in lobsgows, the meat and vegetables are cut into smaller pieces. Also, the stock in lobsgows is not usually thickened.
Different Kinds of Cawl
You can find different versions of cawl. For example, "Cawl cennin" means leek cawl. This version can be made without meat, but it still uses a tasty meat stock for flavor. In some parts of Wales, cawl is often served with a side of fresh bread and cheese. These are usually placed separately on a plate, ready to be enjoyed with the warm cawl.
Traditional Cooking Methods
In the old days, cawl was often cooked slowly in a large iron pot or cauldron. This pot would hang over an open fire, letting the stew simmer and develop its rich flavors. People would eat their cawl using simple wooden spoons.
The Story Behind the Word "Cawl"
The word cawl itself has an interesting history. It first appeared in the Welsh language around the 14th century. Experts believe it comes from the Latin word caulis. This Latin word means the stalk of a plant, especially a cabbage stalk or a cabbage itself.
Interestingly, in Welsh, there's a saying: gwneud cawl o [rywbeth]. This literally means "make a cawl of [something]". But it's actually an idiom, and it means to mess something up or make a big mess!
