a term which has greater use in N. America than in Britain. It comes from the French hacher, meaning ‘to chop’, and entered the English language in the 17th century. Mariani (1994) remarks that it was found in America soon thereafter as a ‘form of shepherd's pie or other melange of meat and vegetables’. This remains its general meaning. It has often had a derogatory sense, thus explained by Mariani:
By the middle of the nineteenth century hash became associated with cheap restaurants called ‘hash houses’ or ‘hasheries’ (an 1850 menu from the Eldorado Hotel in Hangtown, California, lists ‘Low Grade Hash’ for seventy-five cents and ‘18 Carets Hash’ for a dollar) and the workers in such places were called ‘hash slingers’. By the turn of the century ‘corned beef hash’ was being ordered, sometimes called ‘cornbeef Willie.’
Although a hash was thus perceived as a dish of low quality, it has not lacked supporters who give generous praise to well-prepared hash, counting it as a dish which is outstanding for its tastiness as well as economy. John Thorne (1996) is one such and his book is the best resource for a historical conspectus of hash in the USA, for lyrical prose on the topic, and for a highly detailed recipe for ‘Maine boiled beef hash’, unrivalled in his view.
‘Hash browns’, a relatively recent abbreviation of fuller phrases such as ‘hashed brown potatoes’, refers to small rissole-like fried cakes of cooked and finely chopped potato.
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.
Mariani, John (1994), The Dictionary of American Food and Drink, 2nd rev edn, New York: Hearst.
