sca-cooks kingdom feast differances

[Erin Kenny]

At 10:30 AM 4/10/97 -0500, you wrote:

>Apparently there are different saffrons available today. This came
>up on the Rialto recently when someone gave a recipe that used 7
>tablespoons of saffron. Since I only knew of the Spanish saffron
>this seemed like a small fortune to me. Although we never got an
>answer from the original poster, some thought they must have been
>speaking of substitute safron. For instance:
>-----
>Yes, there is an "artificial", or rather a "substitute" saffron -
>the safflower, Carthamus tinctorius, was used in period as an adulterant
>for Crocus sativus.  It gives the same color, but no flavor, & is
>available for about $2.00 per ounce.  It is also called Mexican Saffron.
>    Cindy Renfrow
>-----

I think in this case there may be an additional factor. The recipe (in
answer to my post for a recipe for Pickled lemons on rec.food.historic,
which carrie dover to rec.org.sca) was egyptian, and I fully believe that
the pickling juice was meant to be used and re-used, and the pickled lemons
(which were actually fermented lemons) were to be used very sparingly.
Middle Eastern cultures use saffron so frequently in their cooking that they
must have developed an economical source for it. Thus TBSP of saffrom may
not be out of the question  
in this context. And, the original autor admitted she may have made a mistake.

>
>Any other examples?
>   
>    Stefan li Rous
>    markh at risc.sps.mot.com
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>
>How about tumeric?  It would give the color you need - but flavor?
>Is tumeric period?
>
>Janine
>
>
>
"Many things we need can wait. The child cannot."
				---Gabriela Mistral, Chilean Poet 1889-1957