sca-cooks Creativity
Mark Schuldenfrei
schuldy at abel.MATH.HARVARD.EDU
Fri Apr 11 07:38:13 PDT 1997
> >IMHO, I'd be very cautious about creating recipes and I certainly
> >wouldn't bill them as period. But I certainly have done it, and will
> >do it again, in areas where I feel I'm sufficiently
> >experienced and knowledgeable on the subject.
>
> IMHO, a modern cook who "normally" doesn't use recipes,
> myself included, could feasibly cook an entire feast without
> using recipes in period, if they have an understanding of
> period foods, spices, ect.
I guess that's where I question people's (not anyone specifically!)
knowledge/understanding of period foods, spices, etc. I've been
researching medieval food for my entire adult life and I'm to the stage
in a couple of areas where I feel comfortable rearranging ingredients or
recombining them. But only barely. And I don't often see a need to -
I'm more intrigued by the challenge of preparing the existing recipes to
the best of my ability.
(Mind you, mundanely I'm a quite successfully-inventive cook!)
> You don't see recipes for
> roasting meat, but we know they ate it. You don't see
> recipes for many breads, however, they baked it.
Um, actually there are a *lot* of recipes for roasting meats, and
several for breads....
> There are
> many good, easily prepared, very eatable foods which are
> period that can be served at a feast without using heavy
> spices and such. I did the feast for Knowne World Academy
> of Arts and Sciences last year in the Steppes, and except
> for the carrots, the menu didn't have any recipes. It
> included roast beef, grilled chicken, beef and barley soup,
> corned beef and cabboge, a rice pilaf, assorted cheeses and
> breads, fruit compote, fresh berries, and shortcake. The
> carrots were a dish my laurel had made and I used the
> general ingredients from the recipe she gave me, but I never
> follow one to the "T". I got many compliments on the feast
> and a lot of positive feedback. I believe some dishes were
> so common in period that there was never a need to write
> them down.
I think that as Genevieve says, we must simply agree to disagree. To
me, part of the joy of preparing and serving a feast (or even dinner in
my encampment at a camping event or nibbles for lunch during a tourney
or whatever!) is knowing that I am, in some small way, contributing to
the broader knowledge of medieval food, and providing my diners and
myself with a small experience of the Real Middle Ages.
Keilyn
The least-stuffy Authenticity Mavin I know....
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