[Ansteorra] BBQ? (a little on the long side...)

[Cat Clark]

I suppose that any arguments one might make as to the period-ness of BBQ 
would depend on one's definition of BBQ.  If BBQ were defined in the 
strictest Southern Food sense, then no, BBQ is not at all period.  The 
OED has the origin of the word itself dating back to late 17th century 
Haiti, a real hot bed of medieval culture (not!).   My food history 
sources indicate that Southern BBQ has its origins in the 18th southern 
American colonies (what became the "The South" (tm)).  You might argue 
that spitted meat on a hearth or meat roasted in a medieval muffle oven 
is sufficiently close to meat slow-smoked in a Southern-style BBQ pit, 
but personally I think they are quite different methods and result in 
different textures and flavors.  Spitted meat comes closest but to my 
eyes, it still lacks the essential slow-smoked nature of true Southern 
BBQ that takes the collogen in the meat and transforms it from gristle 
to something chewable and tender.  I did a brief review of medieval pork 
and beef recipes during this all-too-short lunch break of mine and 
really saw nothing that really fit the slow-smoked Southern method of 
cooking barbeque.  (Note that I am making a distinction here between 
"barbeque" and meats grilled or roasted without the slow-smoking 
technique.  Also note that "BBQ" means different things in different 
places as exemplified by the two "barbeques" I was invited to in 
Australia a few months ago, where I watched in awe as Viscount Kane 
"barbequed" a dozen eggs along with the sausages, prawns, beef and real 
rashered bacon.)  

(By the way, have you noticed that in The South, barbeque is a noun but 
everywhere else it's a verb?)

Let's move on...

Now about sauces.  I would maintain that there is no medieval equivalent 
of modern American BBQ sauce in all of its variations (which are 
substantial).  I suppose one could make a case that the vinegar and 
mustard style BBQ sauces that you find in the Carolinas is are 
descendents of the ubiquitous late Gothic cameline (variant: gamelyne) 
sauces but there is one essential ingredient of all cameline sauces that 
is absent from the modern American BBQ sauce line up, even it its huge 
variety - and that is cinnamon/cassia.  Depending on year and country, 
your cameline sauces from the period sources can take or leave sugar, 
clove, mustard seed or ginger. They can be sweet, tangy or both. Some 
have a wine base, some have verjus and some use vinegar.  But all of 
them use bread crumbs and cinnamon.  I really can't make a case that 
cameline is equivalent to American BBQ sauces in any permutation.  
Essentially, there is a distinct disconnect between the taste of sauces 
used for meats, medieval vs. modern.  The same can safely be said for 
condiments and spices.  Would you consider doing your pot roast at home 
with a hard cheese, gallingale, ginger and cinnamon/cassia?  A late 
Gothic cook, however, would think that spice mix rather normal for a 
medieval dish.

Do I really need to say anything about the periodicity of outlaw chili?

So, onwards and downwards...

[[[ Outrageous Opinion Alert!  Don't say I didn't warn you in advance! ]]]

Consider for a moment what our founders were trying to do that May 
afternoon so long ago now in 1966.  They were trying their best to 
experience the essence of the medieval romance of knight errantry, 
championship and chivalry as embodied in the rite of the marshaled 
tourney.  By the year AS 2, they were including the medieval feast with 
dancing and music in their efforts to reach out and explore the medieval 
experience. The first laurel in the SCA was given for period consort 
music. The second laurel, given a minute later, was for a man whose 
entire "kit" was all handmade or handsewn using period material and 
methods, all supported by scholar-level research. The SCA was all of a 
year and a half old.  Later in the year 2, Duke Henrik came to crown 
tourney wearing the sprangenhelm and hand-riveted chain mail haulberk 
that took him a year to make, the first to bring real armour onto the 
list field.  How many of us can claim to doing anything even close to 
that in as short a time period?

Given that a BBQ contest can be a lot of fun, and I'm certainly all in 
favor of fun, I am still left wondering what in the world people are 
thinking here. Why is it a BBQ contest is something that can be 
preferable to a competition based on medieval foods?  Is placating the 
modern pallette more important than exploring the taste of period food?  
What happened to attempting to explore the medieval experience of the 
High to Late Gothic?  Just where did the pursuit of the medieval romance 
of knight errantry go that our founders were so keen on rediscovering?  
Granted, the SCA is full of compromises and many of those are necessary 
ones if we want to maintain the inclusive nature of the Society.  It is 
this inclusive culture in the SCA that makes us distinct and a 
friendlier place to play than the narrowly-defined reenactment groups 
trapped in just one little slice of historical time (I know this first 
hand, having spent a fair bit of time in reenactment groups before I met 
the SCA).  So, yeah, sure, there's some plastic in my armour but not 
where anyone could see it.  Yes, there are compromises in most 
everything we do in the SCA.  We're not perfect historically and we will 
never be perfect.  But there is a flip side and it can be ugly in that 
we lose sight of trying to pursue that medieval experience "as it should 
have been."

So, I ask you to take a minute to ponder the following question, not 
because I think everyone is doing everything wrong, but because it is 
good to give some thought, now and then, on how and why we play this SCA 
game that we have made for ourselves.  Here it is:

Just where is the line between doing "living history" and being in a 
live-action role-playing game?

Mind you, this is all just my poor opinion - and let me take this 
opportunity to point out that opinions are like sphincters - everybody's 
got one...  As always, YMMV!  ;-)

ttfn
Therasia's grumpy evil twin

brief references:
Oxford English Dictionary
Oxford Companion to Food (Davidson, 1999)
Fast and Feast (Henisch, 1986)
www.medievalcookery.com
www.daviddfriedman.com/Medieval/Cookbooks
HL Sean Clierech's Medieval Food Database (2001-2008)
"There are No Scrolls" T. von Tux, TI 144 (2002)
history.westkingdom.org