One of the few benefits of the holiday sleazon for me is the month and a half of eggnog as an option in the dairy section at stores. I am an eggnog fan... in small doses, of course, because when I drink it, I feel like I'm drinking paint. I've never drank paint before, but I imagine it to be as rich and filling as eggnog (if not more). Probably not as delicious.
After years of eggnog-filled Decembers, I have yet to know what a "nog" is. Everyone hears it and knows what it is, but if asked about its origins, you'd be hard pressed to not get an answer containing a head scratch and something like "um... I don't know.. Grandma used to make it with alcohol."
This morning I will roll my sleeves up and do some investigating in an attempt to solve the mystery of what makes a nog a nog. Where nog came from.
www.dictionary.com says this:
nog. (noun) Eggnog.
Gee, thanks - that really helps. Oh - wait:
Nog, (noun) [Abbrev. fr. noggin.]
1. A noggin.2. A kind of strong ale. --Halliwell.
#1 - mm-hmmm. Yeeeeeea. next. #2 - ah HAH. Now we're getting somewhere. But that's not enough to put my sleepless nights to an end. Here's something a little more thorough that I found:
Egg Nog Origins
Eggnog (some write egg Nog), a North American concoction derived from older European drinks. As early as the 17th century, strong ale simply called "nog" was popular in British beer halls. In a Dublin, Ireland pub, celebrating with a pint must be done before Christmas day, when the pubs are closed. An eggy beer named Biersuppe was a favorite in German alehouses. In the 19th century, North Americans took the French drink, "Lait de Poule," a mixture of egg yolks, milk, and sugar, and added spirits such as sherry, rum, and brandy, thus creating our modern day eggnog. Today eggnog is often thought of---
yaaaaaaaawn. BORING. Okay - that helps, but it lacks something. It's not exciting enough. Looks like I'm going to have to take matters into my own hands and just make some shit up.
Egg Nog Origins (revised by yours truly)
Eggnog (some write egg Nog), is a North Pole concoction derived from expired dairy drinks and frozen penguin eggs. The fermented ale, simply called "nog" was popular in North Pole beer halls. "Nog" is a shortened version of "noggin" - which is a slang term for a head. Elves celebrating with a pint of nog traditionally drank it out of a reindeer's head, which was always done before Christmas day for good luck. In the 19th century, elves and Eskimos alike took the French drink, "North de Poule," a mixture of penguin egg yolks, milk, snow, and sugar, and added spirits such as moonshine, Colt 45, and Listerine thus creating our modern day eggnog. Today eggnog is often thought of as the traditional drink of the holidays.
That's much better.
Now can anyone explain to me what a "nougat" is?
