A spread is a prison meal made by inmates. Spreads are often made with commissary ingredients, such as instant ramen and corn puffs. Spreads can be simple meals, or elaborate and inventive combinations of ingredients. Spreads may be used to supplement or replace the government-mandated meals provided to prisoners by the prison, due to the unpalatable and insubstantial nature of many prison meals. [1]
The preparation and consumption of evening "spreads" can be a social bonding experience. Although the term "spread" was coined in US prisons, similar improvised meals are made in prisons around the world, including in the United Kingdom and many Asian countries. [2]
A study on self-catering in Danish prisons found that being able to make choices and exercise responsibility regarding their foods had a positive impact on prisoners. The study concluded that the ability to prepare their own food according to personal preferences and cultural affinity could have a positive impact on prisoners' social re-integration after prison. [3]
The importance of spread and other commissary foods has led to the use of ramen as a currency in some prisons in the United States. [4] [5] The Michigan Department of Corrections reported that ramen was the most sold commissary item in 2016, ahead of coffee, rice, soap and razors. [6] A 2016 study of a male state prison in the United States indicated that Top Ramen noodles were one of the most valuable prison commodities, due to the declining quality and quantity of food in many prisons. [7] Diminished access to commissary food during the COVID-19 pandemic has caused inmates in some prisons to have anxiety over their ability to obtain adequate food. [8]
Spreads are often created using ingredients purchased from prison commissaries or saved from meals provided by the prison. Prisoners are forced to use substitutes for cooking appliances and tools due to prison safety regulations. Common substitutions include hot plates which do not reach boiling point in place of stoves, and ID cards in place of knives or other cutting tools. [9] Some prisoners create heating elements by improvising a "stinger" by using electricity and metal nail clippers to heat up a pot of water. [10]
The base ingredient for most spreads is cooked instant ramen noodles, to which other ingredients are added for flavor and nutritional value. [11] Shelf stable snack ingredients like pork rinds, corn puffs, drink mixes and canned tuna are often combined into improvised recipes. Some dishes are approximations of common meals enjoyed by inmates such as dumplings, tamales, or soups, while others are more experimental. [2] [12] Inmates are limited in the ingredients available to them because of the expense of commissary food, often relying on money sent from relatives outside of prison. [13]
Japanese cuisine encompasses the regional and traditional foods of Japan, which have developed through centuries of political, economic, and social changes. The traditional cuisine of Japan is based on rice with miso soup and other dishes; there is an emphasis on seasonal ingredients. Side dishes often consist of fish, pickled vegetables, and vegetables cooked in broth. Seafood is common, often grilled, but also served raw as sashimi or in sushi. Seafood and vegetables are also deep-fried in a light batter, as tempura. Apart from rice, a staple includes noodles, such as soba and udon. Japan also has many simmered dishes, such as fish products in broth called oden, or beef in sukiyaki and nikujaga.
Ramen is a Japanese noodle dish of Chinese origin. It consists of Chinese-style wheat noodles served in a broth; common flavors are soy sauce and miso, with typical toppings including sliced pork, nori, menma, and scallions. Ramen has its roots in Chinese noodle dishes and is a part of Japanese Chinese cuisine. Nearly every region in Japan has its own variation of ramen, such as the tonkotsu ramen of Kyushu and the miso ramen of Hokkaido.
Soba are thin Japanese noodles made from buckwheat. The noodles are served either chilled with a dipping sauce, or hot in a noodle soup. The variety Nagano soba includes wheat flour.
Oatmeal is a preparation of oats that have been de-husked, steamed, and flattened, or a coarse flour of hulled oat grains (groats) that have either been milled (ground), rolled, or steel-cut. Ground oats are also called white oats. Steel-cut oats are known as coarse oatmeal, Irish oatmeal, or pinhead oats. Rolled oats were traditionally thick old-fashioned oats, but can be made thinner or smaller, and may be categorized as quick oatmeal or instant oatmeal depending on the cooking time required, which is determined by the size of the oats and the amount of precooking.
Saimin is a noodle soup dish common in the contemporary cuisine of Hawaii. Traditionally consisting of soft wheat egg noodles served in a hot dashi garnished with diced green onions and a thin slice of kamaboko, modern versions of saimin include additional toppings such as char siu, sliced Spam, sliced egg, bok choy, mushrooms, or shredded nori. When Chinese dumplings are added to the noodle soup, it is seen on menus as the heartier wonton min. All saimin establishments have their own, often secret recipe for the soup base, but primarily use kombu and dried shrimp as major ingredients. Common table condiments mixed in the saimin broth are Chinese hot mustard and soy sauce, added in small quantities according to each individual's taste. Many local residents of Hawaii also enjoy barbecued teriyaki beef sticks (skewers) or American hamburgers as a side dish.
Japanese curry is commonly served in three main forms: curry over rice, curry udon, and curry bread. It is one of the most popular dishes in Japan. The very common "curry rice" is most often referred to simply as "curry".
Fruit curd is a dessert spread and topping. It is usually made with citrus fruit, though may be made with other fruits. Curds are often used as spreads and as flavourings.
Japanese Chinese cuisine, also known as Chūka, represents a unique fusion of Japanese and Chinese culinary traditions that have evolved over the late 19th century and more recent times. This style, served predominantly by Chinese restaurants in Japan, stands distinct from the "authentic Chinese food" found in areas such as Yokohama Chinatown. Despite this difference, the cuisine retains strong influences from various Chinese culinary styles, as seen in the Shippoku cooking style.
Instant soup is a type of soup designed for fast and simple preparation. Some are homemade, and some are mass-produced on an industrial scale and treated in various ways to preserve them. A wide variety of types, styles and flavors of instant soups exist. Commercial instant soups are usually dried or dehydrated, canned, or treated by freezing.
Camping food is food brought on or designed for camping, hiking, and backpacking trips. The term also encompasses ingredients that can be used to make said foods. The primary differences relate to campers' and backpackers' special needs for foods that have appropriate cooking time, perishability, weight, and nutritional content. To address these needs, camping food is often made up of freeze-dried, dehydrated, pre-cooked, pre-prepared, or otherwise preserved foods that can last extended periods.
A prison commissary or canteen is a store within a correctional facility, from which inmates may purchase products such as hygiene items, snacks, writing instruments, etc. Typically inmates are not allowed to possess cash; instead, they make purchases through an account with funds from money contributed by friends, family members, etc., or earned as wages. Typically, prisons set a maximum limit of funds that can be spent by each inmate on commissary.
Samyang Foods Co., Ltd. is an international South Korean food manufacturer and the first instant ramen company in South Korea. Samyang Food was founded on September 15, 1961 by Jeon Jung Yoon. In 1963, Samyang Food debuted the first Korean instant noodle.
Instant noodles, or instant ramen, is a type of food consisting of noodles sold in a precooked and dried block with flavoring powder and/or seasoning oil. The dried noodle block was originally created by flash-frying cooked noodles, and this is still the main method used in Asian countries; air-dried noodle blocks are favored in Western countries. Dried noodle blocks are designed to be cooked or soaked in boiling water before eating. Ramen, a Japanese adaptation of Chinese noodle soup, is sometimes used as a descriptor for instant noodle flavors by some Japanese manufacturers. It has become synonymous in the United States with all instant noodle products.
Prison food is the term for meals served to prisoners while incarcerated in correctional institutions. While some prisons prepare their own food, many use staff from on-site catering companies. Some prisons support the dietary requirements of specific religions, as well as vegetarianism. Prisoners will typically receive a series of standard meals per day from the prison, but in many prisons they can supplement their diets by purchasing additional foods, including snacks and desserts, at the prison commissary with money earned from working in the prison or sent by family and friends.
Prima Taste, is a Singaporean food and beverage brand managed by Prima Food Pte Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Prima Limited. The brand was designed for Singaporean expatriates living abroad. Its Laksa sauce kits were recommended by Singaporean chef, Janice Wong, as foodie souvenirs to take home during the 2018 North Korea–United States summit.
Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine is an assortment of cooking traditions that was developed by the Ashkenazi Jews of Central, Eastern and Northern Europe, and their descendants, particularly in the United States and other Western countries.
Karla Diaz is an American artist who collects recipes from prison inmates and recreates them in performance using only ingredients and utensils available to those incarcerated. Her multi-media participatory performance piece Prison Gourmet comments on system-impacted communities and people, the politics of food and questions about institutional power. She has been exhibited in Spain, the UK and at multiple museums in the US. She teaches at California State University Long Beach. She and her husband cofounded the artists' collective Slanguage.