Hash (food)

Hash is a dish consisting of diced or chopped meat, potatoes, and spices that are mixed together and then cooked either alone or with other ingredients such as onions. The name is derived from the French verb hacher (to chop).

Canned corned beef hash became especially popular in some countries including in Britain and France during and after World War II as rationing limited the availability of fresh meat. The dish may also use corned beef or roast beef.

In many locations, hash is served primarily as a breakfast food on restaurant menus and as home cuisine, often served with eggs and toast and occasionally fried potatoes such as hash browns or home fries. In the United States, hash is sometimes served with biscuits.

In 2011 it was reported that hash was making a comeback as more than just a dish for leftovers or breakfasts of last resort, with high-end restaurants offering sophisticated hashes.

The meat packing company Hormel claims that it introduced corned beef hash and roast beef hash to the U.S. as early as 1950, but "hash" of many forms was part of the American diet since at least the 18th century, as is attested by the availability of numerous recipes and the existence of many "hash houses" named after the dish. In the United States, September 27 is "National Corned Beef Hash Day."

Alternatively, in the southern United States, the term "hash" may refer to two dishes:

In Denmark, hash is known in Danish as "biksemad" (roughly translated, "tossed together food"), and it is a traditional leftover dish usually served with a fried egg, worcestershire sauce, pickled red beet slices and ketchup or Bearnaise sauce. The meat is usually pork, and the mixture is not mashed together into a paste, but rather the ingredients are coarsely diced and readily discernible in their cooked form.

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