a verb which has been used in a culinary sense since the 17th century, but not much since Victorian times. The collar originally referred to the joint from the neck of the pig and its meaning was then widened to describe the preferred method of dealing with it, which was to salt it, remove the bones and gristle, flavour it with herbs and spices (parsley, sage, thyme, allspice), then roll it up tightly, wrap it in a cloth, and bind it with broad tapes. The now collared joint was boiled and left to cool under a weight. Latterly, flank of beef was the most common cut of meat subjected to this treatment.
Alan Davidson was a distinguished author and publisher, and one of the world's best-known writers on fish and fish cookery. In 1975 he retired early from the diplomatic service—after serving in, among other places, Washington, Egypt, Tunisia, and Laos, where he was British Ambassador—to pursue a fruitful second career as a food historian and food writer extraordinaire. Among his popular books are Seafood of South-East Asia, North Atlantic Seafood, and Mediterranean Seafood. In 2003, shortly before his death, he was awarded the Erasmus Prize for his contribution to European culture.
