THE GROANING BOARD

[HostDave]

It’s an archaic term but also one that was in popular use during the heyday of steamboats in the 1800s. A table laden with delectable dishes was often called a “groaning board” which, given the preponderance of choices available to American Queen Steamboat Company guests, seems like a rather appropriate description. It turns out that “groaning board” is a holdover from the Middle Ages when most rooms in a house did not have a designated purpose. There was no room set aside for dining, living or, in many cases, sleeping. Therefore, when it came time to eat, space was cleared in a common area and a form of table had to be set up. “Board” is an old English term for “table” and the word “table” was reserved for a piece of furniture with four legs as opposed to a sideboard or buffet that might serve a similar purpose.

Although if the truth be told, in most households in the Middle Ages the “table” consisted of nothing more than boards set on sawhorses, thus the reason that a table was known as a board. And the more food that was placed on the boards, the more they warped since they weren’t built specifically for the serving of food. Laden with heavy cast iron pots and skillets, the board bent and groaned and the popular (at the time) term “groaning board” came into use. The more abundant the culinary offering, the more the boards groaned under the weight.

As a fun side note, the origins of the words “groaning board” also are where we get the phrase “above board” to mean something that is visible to the whole world. “Under the table” meant something that took place out of sight, of course.

On the American Queen (and as will be the case on the upcoming American Empress in 2014), the “groaning board” is an impressive collection of dishes tailored for every taste. But one thing our chefs noticed when creating our menu selections is that one segment of diners was often ignored by many restaurants and other ships and riverboats: vegetarians. In a lot of cases, vegetarians have had to make do by ordering vegetable side dishes served with entrées created for meat-eaters. We decided that was both unfair and unacceptable and set out to create vegetarian dishes worthy of praise in their own right.

Each night in the elegant two-deck J.M. White Dining Room, the menu features a vegetarian entrée created from scratch for the herbivores on board. Our guests tell us the selections are so good that you don’t have to be a vegetarian to be compelled to order one. For example, who doesn’t love Saffron Risotto with Spinach and Pine Nuts? We take creamy Arborio rice flavored with saffron threads, add fresh spinach and then sprinkle the plate with toasted pine nuts. Our other risotto, a Mushroom Risotto, takes creamy short grain rice and adds a variety of mushrooms, fresh herbs, shaved Reggiano and roasted peppers.

Our Stuffed Bell Pepper gets rave reviews as well. We start with garden-fresh sweet red and golden peppers, fill them with hearty lentils, and then for the crowning touch, bake them with a Creole-style tomato sauce. Take some creamy macaroni and blended cheese sauce with roasted cauliflower, add a spinach stuffed tomato and you have our delectable Cauliflower and Macaroni au Gratin.

Just as in our regular entrees, we create more than just Southern-inspired dishes. A taste of India is present in our Vegetable Curry with Chick Peas. Green curry seasoned vegetables with potatoes and chick peas are served with steamed jasmine rice, and are full of flavor. Head south of the border with our Stuffed Roma Tomato Rellano, a flavorful dish composed of a Poblano pepper-cheddar mashed potato, Mexican red rice, black beans, spinach quesadilla and green chili cream sauce.

Even “regular” vegetables are elevated to a higher standard on the American Queen. Our Vegetable Gratin takes seasonal grilled vegetables and bakes them in a casserole with a sprinkle of aged cheese. A popular choice inspired by that quintessential Southern kitchen staple, the cast iron skillet, is our Cast Iron Style Vegetables. In a perfectly-seasoned skillet we sear eggplant, yellow squash and zucchini, smoked tomato coulis, and shredded red cabbage.

Thanks to our talented chefs, vegetarians will not only find lovely choices, they will find them every bit as carefully crafted as those with red meat, fish or chicken. At the American Queen Steamboat Company, we believe that every dish we serve is a reflection of our commitment and dedication to our guests and our vegetarian dishes are the perfect example. Our philosophy is really quite simple and reflects the attitude in kitchens across the South: create something with love, and people will love it.