It is unfamiliar and, in its lack of density and heft, gravy and soothing mash, the comforting qualities of the UK original are absent. Objectively, at its best, this US interloper may be a tastier dish, a superior creation, but it is not what we commonly expect of corned beef hash. It is now frequently rendered as a mess of hard-fried potatoes, onions and salt beef. Talking of transatlantic confusion (nay, cultural imperialism), in the aftermath of Britain’s early-2010s obsession with trashy US diner food, be careful when ordering corned beef hash. Mashed potato v fried potatoesĪmerica first … the prettied-up US version of corned beef hash, complete with the dread parsley. That is a very different food to canned corned beef: salted beef offcuts, minced and suspended in their own fat, sterilised and shipped to Europe from South America. * Not to be confused with what Americans (and, historically, the Irish) call “ corned beef”, known in Britain as salt beef.
#CORNED BEEF HASH NEAR ME HOW TO#
But only if it is done right, which is where How to Eat – the series examining how best to eat Britain’s favourite foods – comes in. Corned beef hash satisfies something deep in the freezing northern European soul.
Yet, despite all that baggage, say the words: corned beef hash, and, immediately, a significant proportion of Britain will begin to drool – transported by a meal that can provide comfort in even the bleakest of mid-winters. Dogged consumers are left digging meat out from between razor-sharp edges with a kitchen knife, having finally prised open that obtusely shaped can with a tin opener … or a hammer and chisel. Look past that dread PR and find a corned beef brand that reports a firm commitment to sustainability, and, even then, you have to wrestle your shopping into submission due to a bizarre insistence among manufacturers on using those weird tapered tins, opened with tiny keys that frequently do not work. In recent years, it has been embroiled in scandals about deforestation and slave labour in South America, and the contamination of beef supplies with horsemeat and veterinary painkillers. Over the centuries, it has been blamed for exacerbating everything from the Irish potato famine to obesity levels in Tonga. It is a food dogged by an aura of crisis, deprivation and controversy.
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