All through Europe traditions of a time of cheerful mischief and "misrule" after Christmas abound -- memories of the role reversals that were part of the ancient Roman solstice feast of Saturnalia. Right down to our modern day, memories of this annual crazy time are preserved...sometimes in the food.

This is the original, much-loved, much-missed dish that Irish immigrants of the nineteenth century tried to make when they came to North America...and when they couldn't get the pork they really wanted, they made do with salted (corned) beef instead. (See the article here for the details. The facts may surprise you.)