Christmas Countdown 20 .... St Nicholas' Day Ribnik

http://margatyna.blogspot.com.au/2010/11/stuffed-carp-baked-in-dough.html

Today is the feast of St Nicholas. In Bulgaria, the day is called "Nikulden." There his role as protector of fishermen and sailors is emphasized. Food is left on the dining table all day for visitors.
Carp, cooked in dough, called " ribnik", is traditionally served in Bulgaria. Why carp? Becasue carp has been seen as the servant of St Nicholas.
To make ribnik, the carp is scaled first, then the fins cut off and it's cleaned. A small bone at the top of the carp's head, called the "bitter bone" or "pearl button", must be removed or the fish will acquire a bitter taste when cooked. (You don't throw the fish bones in the garbage; you have to burn them or bury them or return them to water, so that you will have a good harvest next year.) The fish is then washed, dried, brushed with lemon juice and let stand an hour, then wrapped in yeast-risen dough, and baked. You then take the ribnik to church to get it blessed.

The ribnik is served with cabbage or grape leaves stuffed with vegetables, boiled bulgar wheat, peppers, beans and breads.

St Nicholas, often referred to as Sinterklaas, a forerunner to our modern Santa Claus is mostly depicted as a protector and supporter of children and the needy as he was most well known for his kindness and generosity to others. There are many many stories of the kindness and goodness displayed by Bishop Nicholas including miracles.One story which firmly establishes Nicholas as a friend to sailors is this one retold on the St Nicholas Center website

A ship in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, caught by a storm, became grounded. The sailors were unable to manoeuvre it back into deeper water. Accounts of Bishop Nicholas' help to distressed sailors had already spread far and wide. The sailors called on Nicholas for aid, even though they were distant from him, as they believed they might be saved by his prayer and intervention.

Nicholas actually appeared on the ship and gave the sailors a helping hand. Together they retied and strengthened the ropes holding the masts and worked with poles to pry the ship away from the threatening rocks into deeper water. As soon as the boat was freed and able to again set sail, the image of Nicholas vanished.

The ship took refuge in a calm harbour and the sailors went looking for a church where they could thank God for their rescue. It so happened that they had taken shelter in Myra and made their way to the cathedral church. Seeing a number of priests, they were suddenly startled to see Bishop Nicholas himself, whom they recognized from the image they had seen on shipboard, giving them assistance. They asked Nicholas how he had heard them and been able to come to their rescue. Nicholas replied that a life devoted to God allows a person to be so clear-sighted as to be able to actually see others in danger and hear their calls for help.... It is not wonder a fish dish is the special food is part of the pre-Christmas celebrations today.

And a special happy birthday to our granddaughter today on St Nicholas' Day.

Bilby Infatuation

Wrapped wire and fabric bilby sculpture : Wilma Simmons 2016 Over the years I have been fascinated with the plight of the bilby and it has inspired quite a few of my cloth creations... With long pinkish-coloured ears and silky, blue-grey fur, the Bilby has become Australia’s version of the Easter Bunny. Unlike the rabbit, bilby numbers are falling rapidly. There were originally two species but the Greater Bilby is now commonly referred to simply as ‘the Bilby’ as the Lesser Bilby (Macrotis leucura) is thought to have become extinct in the early 1950s... Bilbies are nocturnal, emerging after dark to forage for food. Using their long snouts, they dig out bulbs, tubers, spiders, termites, witchetty grubs and fungi. They use their tongues to lick up grass seeds. Bilbies have poor sight and rely on good hearing and a keen sense of smell. To minimise threats from predators they’ll mostly stay within 250m of their burrows, but sometimes roam further afield depending on the food...

"Temari Or Not Temari?" Tutorial

Background Information: Temari (literally translated “hand ball”) is a Japanese folk craft that is alleged to have originated in China and was introduced to Japan five or six hundred years ago. Traditionally, the balls were constructed from wrapped kimono fabric remnants and silk threads. They were made by mothers and grandmothers for children to play with. Nowadays, decorative embroidered temari represent a highly valued and cherished gift symbolizing friendship and loyalty. Recently I've wondered if your don't use traditional techniques whether you should call what you create "temari". That is an ongoing debate but today I share what I do to make a "non-traditional temari".... 1.I start with a polystrene ball ( traditionally the balls were wound silk scraps or other organic materials) and begin to wrap with approx 4 ply wool, turning the ball as I wrap. 2. I then wrap another layer of wool in a similar fashion , this time a 3 or 2 ...

Non-Committal Collage Anything Goes

Have you heard of non-committal collage? I hadn't until one of the other participants of the 100 Day Project started doing this each day and showing the results.... Here are Peggy's rules : 1. S elect 9 scraps of paper from collage box/stash 2. Make three different compositions using each scrap at least once. (some pieces can be used more than once) 3. Do not alter the scraps of paper in any way. 4.Do not use glue. 5.Take photo, disassemble and return scraps to box. I thought this would be a fun and quick exercise to do for Tag Tuesday's theme , Anything Goes... so here are my "non-committal collage" tags.... Did you spot the nine pieces? Would you like to suggest some titles? And I repeated the exercise before putting back the 9 scraps of paper, so these are different items. Hope you will try this exercise - it is lots of...

Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

Search This Blog