ANST - medieval cooking

[Decker, Terry D.]

> Pray tell,
> What are some of the differences in seasoning between modern and period
> foods?
> Not much of a cook, but a most excellent eater,
> Martel
> 
Medieval cooks used a number of spices that have been largely dropped from
Occidental cooking, long pepper, mace, cubebs, grains of paradise, and
galangal come to mind.  They are still used in Oriental and Middle Eastern
cooking.

We tend to use rosemary, thyme and majoram for meats.  Medieval cooks used
these plus cinnamon, ginger, coriander and caraway seeds.  Meat sauces
include cameline (cinnamon), black sauce (charred bread and pepper), etc.

One fine spice mix contains pepper, cinnamon and ginger in equal amounts, a
quarter of saffron and an eigth of cloves.  A sweet spice mix used on fish
and in sauces might contain equal amounts of ginger, cinnamon and powdered
bay leaf and a quarter cloves.  Black spice, 1/4 cup black pepper, 1/4 cup
long pepper, 3/4 teaspoon cloves and 1 grated nutmeg.  All these proportions
are for the ground spice.

Allspice and the capsicum peppers are absent from medieval cooking being New
World.  For the SCA, their use is limited to late Renaissance cooking and
specific locations.

Truly describing the differences might take a book or ten.  The best way I
know to learn about the difference is find someone who does historical
cooking and taste the difference.

Bear
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