Salmagundi .. Bushcraft style.

Salmagundi is an old word dating back to at least the 17th century maybe even more, it has been postulated that it was a salad dish of English origin but this seems unlikely due to the etymology of the name, most likely being of French or Italian origin.

it was originally a dish of mixed food, mainly salted pork, poultry, sea food, cheese, vegetables, fruit, eggs, beetroot and mushrooms and sprinkled with olive oil and vinegar (though recipes are vast and varied) all arranged in geometric shapes around the plate, the idea being that every mouthful was a delicious assault on the taste buds and every mouthful was different.

overtime it changed dramatically, particularly among pirate crews of the early 18th century when the ships cook simply got a huge pot and filled it with whatever was available, and it often varied daily, even containing things like sea birds, dolphins and turtles..

Thus it leads us on to the bushcraft version, at meets its often the case that each person brings one item of food along and it's all mixed in a huge communal pot over the fire, cooked well then dished out, you never know what it's going to taste like but it rarely lets you down and is always welcome on our cold northern nights.. give it a try some time..