[Sca-cooks] treacle RE: German Breads

Terry Decker t.d.decker at worldnet.att.net
Mon Mar 31 02:27:15 PDT 2008


Treacle and molasses come out of the sugarmaking process, so my argument 
against their use in period German bread is same.  First, sugar is a easily 
transportable, high value good with wide application.  Molasses has less 
value, has limited application, and costs more to ship with greater risk of 
leakage.  Second, quantities of sugar and molasses were limited and 
primarily controlled by the Arabs until the late 15th Century, when supply 
and demand for sugar spiralled upward, leading to rise of the sugar industry 
in the Caribbean during the 17th Century and the decline of the 
Mediterranean sugar trade.  Molasses may have been making its way into the 
German States in the 16th Century, but I think it would have been limited 
and probably meant for use in something like Schwarzbier rather than as a 
bread additive.

Let me say that this is my analysis and interpetation of the situation and 
that I have no direct evidence of the use or non-use of molasses in the 
German States during the 15th and 16th Centuries.

Bear

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "otsisto" <otsisto at socket.net>


> Would treacle have been used?
<clipped> 




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