Squid Ink

[Bapopik at AOL.COM]

   "Squid ink" seems to be all over.  There are 7,430 Google hits.  However, the databases don't seem to have anything before the 1980s.
   OED ("your source for food etymologies") has no entry.
   Maybe the OED can consult Dan Goodman?


(GOOGLE)
http://www.wonder-okinawa.jp/026/e/column2.html
Squid Ink Cuisine

Italian food is very much in vogue in today's Japan, but in fact Okinawa has been "eating Italian" since the days of the Ryukyu Kingdom. Maybe. There is a dish in Okinawa called "Ika Sumi" (squid ink) made with squid, pork, and Sojina (a bitter vegetable) in Katsuo Dashi soup and squid ink.  Called Shinji cuisine in general, the dish is eaten as a soup with high medicinal value, following the philosophy of "food as medicine". The origins of this dish are not clear, but one explanation has it that it was introduced to Okinawa by Christian missionaries who came to propagate the faith.  It is amusing to think that while the Christian religion itself failed to take root, Okinawans readily took to the cooking and it became closely connected to their diet.

This is still true, but squid soup does not make a regular appearance on the dinner table.  The so-called Shinji cuisine mentioned above is not cooking that is frequently eaten.  It is  to be eaten for its healthy effects when one is anemic or slightly feverish, or perhaps suffering extreme fatigue. In the old days, the medicines we now have did not exist, so people used what are now called "folk medicines, " readily available foods and ingredients that they learned had curative or restorative qualities.

However, nowadays squid ink itself is used in a variety of ways in Okinawan cooking.  The ink is found in Okinawa soba noodles; there is squid ink bread, squid ink curry, and many Ryukyu Izakaya (Japanese-style pubs) feature original squid ink menus. When the owner of an Italian restaurant in Okinawa was interviewed, he told this story with a laugh: "When I was young, I gave the Italian chef I was training under some squid ink soup. He said 'Such a delicious dish doesn't exist in Italy itself! Give me the recipe!'"  No doubt the warm climate of the Mediterranean Sea and the seafood eaten there are very similar to those of Okinawa.

Since ancient times, Okinawa has absorbed the cultures of other countries and made them bloom into its own unique one.  In the case of food, too, this squid ink cuisine is an example of absorbing the best tastes of other countries and giving them a distinctive development.


(GOOGLE)
http://www.chachich.com/mdchachi/jpizza.html
   Of course, no intro to Japanese pizza would be complete without mention of the  Squid Ink Pizza.  In these pizzas (and pastas) the tomato  sauce is replaced with a black-as-sin squid ink sauce.  To be honest, squid ink sauce doesn't taste all that bad but tomato sauce is ten times better.  Plus squid ink looks terrible & stains your mouth black, so I have never found a reason to eat more than a spoonful of the stuff.


(GOOGLE)
http://www.farawayfoods.com/rdasquidink.html
This delicious squid ink spaghetti is perfect for seafood dishes, including scallops and other shellfish.


(GOOGLE GROUPS)
 From: Dan Goodman (dsgood at visi.com)
Subject: Squid Ink Pasta Salad - Specialita al Nero di Seppia (fwd)
 Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking
Date: 1997/06/24

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 24 Jun 1997 07:57:30 -0400 (EDT)
From: BGood82853 at aol.com
To: DSGood at visi.com
Subject: Squid Ink Pasta Salad  -  Specialita al Nero di Seppia

Dear Dan.

Here is the translation you asked for. I improvised with a few words which I
couldn't find in my dictionary.  Few measurements were given,  but I think
that hardly matters, as this is undoubtedly a cold salad.

Add the squid ink pasta to a generous amount of (boiling ?) salted water,
then. when
al dente, drain and chill.

Place in a china (?) terrine with a splash of oil.

Drop in the garnishings (guarnitura) cut into small pieces,  dice the
mozzarella,  then peel the avocado, remove the pit, and slice the pulp
(polpa).  Add to the terrine of pasta.

Pour into a bowl three teaspoons of oil, three tablespoons of lemon juice,
the mustard, salt, and pepper.

Emulsify the dressing well, then pour it over the pasta,  mix well, and
sprinkle with the thyme.



(PROQUEST HISTORICAL NEWSPAPERS)
      ENTERTAINING: Pasta a la Squid Ink
       By Susan Dooley.       The Washington Post  (1974-Current file).       Washington, D.C.: Jun 11, 1984.                   p. B5 (1 page)

      A Farewell From Cam
       By Phyllis C. Richman.       The Washington Post  (1974-Current file).       Washington, D.C.: Jun 27, 1982.                   p. G1 (2 pages)


(PROQUEST HISTORICAL NEWSPAPERS)
      DARK DELICACIES OF THE SEA
       BY PAULA WOLFERT.       New York Times  (1857-Current file).       New York, N.Y.: May 18, 1986.                   p. SM67 (2 pages)

      Food Notes
       |Florence Fabricant.       New York Times  (1857-Current file).       New York, N.Y.: May 7, 1986.                   p. C7 (1 page)

      Those Old, Familiar Italian Dishes
       M.H. REED.       New York Times  (1857-Current file).       New York, N.Y.: Mar 9, 1986.                   p. WC27 (1 page)

      Fricesssee de coquillages Le Bernardim (Le Bernardin's shellilsh stew)
              New York Times  (1857-Current file).       New York, N.Y.: Apr 29, 1984.                   p. SM96 (2 pages)


(PROQUEST HISTORICAL NEWSPAPERS)
      The Foodie Elite Put On the Feedbag
       By PHILIP REVZIN.       Wall Street Journal  (1889-Current file).       New York, N.Y.: Oct 29, 1984.                   p. 30 (1 page)