Cawl () is a Welsh dish. In modern Welsh, the word is used for any soup or broth; in English, it refers to a traditional Welsh soup, usually called () in Welsh. Historically, ingredients tended to vary, but the most common recipes are lamb or beef with leeks, potatoes, swedes, carrots and other seasonal vegetables. Cawl is recognised as a national dish of Wales.

History

With recipes dating back to the fourteenth century and prehistoric culinary roots, cawl is widely considered to be the de facto national dish of Wales. Cawl was traditionally eaten during the winter months in the south-west of Wales. Today, the word is often used to refer to a dish containing lamb and leeks, due to their association with Welsh culture, but historically, it was made with either salted bacon or beef, along with swedes, carrots, and other seasonal vegetables. and eaten with wooden spoons.

Etymology

The word cawl in Welsh is first recorded in the 14th century, and is thought to come from the Latin , meaning the stalk of a plant, a cabbage stalk or a cabbage. An alternative suggestion is that it is from Latin ', sometimes already in Classical Latin shortened to ', meaning "warm", as this is the source of Spanish ', with the senses of broth or gravy. The second suggestion seems more likely because of the sense, but in favour of the first theory, it is true that one of the reflexes of Latin AU can be AW in Welsh, while the short A of calidus would normally give A.

See also

  • Fårikål
  • Irish stew
  • Lancashire hotpot
  • List of lamb dishes
  • Scotch broth
  • Scouse

Notes

Further reading

  • BBC recipe for Cawl Cennin
  • recipe for cawl and other Welsh food