Hachee is a traditional Dutch stew made with diced or minced meat, onions, flour, stock, vinegar or wine, bay leaves, and cloves. It is believed to have originated in North Brabant and is usually served with red cabbage, potatoes, applesauce, or rice. The recipe can be adapted with different meats or additional ingredients.
Hachee is a type of stew or gravy from the Netherlands that is based on minced or diced meats. The Dutch have been preparing and eating this food since at least the Middle Ages in Europe. The word is of French origin; hacher means to chop, mince, or grind, so hate was adopted as a way to describe the way the meat for the dish was prepared. Today, hate is one of the simplest and most common recipes in traditional Dutch cuisine.
The exact origin of the hatred is not known. Some people, however, theorize that it originated when people used meat they’d already cooked in thick-walled pots made of cast iron called Dutch ovens with some vegetables. In addition, they added liquids with a high acidity, such as vinegar and wine, to the meat to make them even more tender.
The recipe is believed to have originated in North Brabant, which is a southern Dutch province that shares its southern borders with the neighboring country of Belgium. The earliest evidence of the stew’s existence can be found in descriptions of medieval European meals placed in public arenas for self-service. There is no record, however, of how hate was made during the Middle Ages.
The typical hachee recipe calls for diced or minced meat or steak, which is seasoned with salt and pepper, then browned in a pan greased with oil or butter. The chopped onions can be introduced to the pan moments later to be browned with the beef. Flour is then added. When this too turns brown, stock is added to the mix, followed by vinegar or wine, bay leaves and cloves. The heat is then turned down to allow the stew to simmer for just over an hour.
The resulting gravy has a thick texture and a dark brown color. Hachee is usually served as a main with lightly fried and slow stewed red cabbage, boiled potatoes, apple or applesauce, or rice. Another food that usually accompanies the stew is hutspot, which is Dutch for hotchpotch, or a dish consisting of boiled and mashed potatoes with carrots and onions. Also medieval in origin, Hutspot’s rich background rivals that of hate, as said to have originated during the failed 1574 French siege of the southern Dutch city of Leiden during the Eighty Years’ War.
Despite the standard ingredients to make hate, cooks are free to swap some for others or make additions. For example, some people use fish or chicken instead of their usual beef. Others might add ingredients like soy sauce or raisins.
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