Before Left Over

On the mention of leftovers most people think first of food and of the possibilities for the next day’s dinner. Most cultures of the world have ‘classic’ dishes, made from leftovers, that help define their distinctive cuisine and often contribute solid notes of robust and rustic fare – simple, frugal, wholesome stuff. These recycled dishes are the invention of applied domestic science and good kitchen management, the avoidance of waste, a celebration of resourcefulness and inventiveness, the creation of grandmothers and far beyond, of know-how passed down through generations, not only the result of austerity, abstemiousness or former hard times but also of good sense, thrift and the application of cooking techniques to transform waste into nourishment. Sometimes the dish made from leftovers is often thought to be better, tastier, more flavoursome and satisfying than the ‘original’ meal this parasitic supplement matured from. And in consumption there is also the satisfaction of prudent and economic measures, a two-for-the-price-of-one accomplishment, a domestic act of magical transubstantiation.