SC - Bread

[Stephen Bloch]

Gideanus Adamantius Tacitus writes (not so tacitly):
> Period European breads would also have been heavier in texture, since
> through most of Europe the wheat grown and eaten was much softer (read
> lower in gluten) than what we are accustomed to today.

There is reason to believe that at least in al-Andalus, they were
growing very hard (high-gluten, low-moisture) wheat.  If I remember
right, one of the secondary sources I was reading (sorry, I forget which
one!) mentions more than one surviving will that lists a storehouse of
wheat among the valuables to be bequeathed.  The editor interprets this
to mean the wheat was being stored for months or years, which in turn
means it must have been very low in moisture.

Incidentally, I think bread in medieval Europe often contained not only
grain flour but flour from various beans (presumably fava or chickpea)
as well.  I can't cite sources off the top of my head, except for a
recipe in the Andalusian manuscrito anonimo calling for chickpea flour,
but I'm sure somebody here can. :-)

					mar-Joshua ibn-Eleazar ha-Shalib
                                                 Stephen Bloch
                                           sbloch at panther.adelphi.edu
					 http://www.adelphi.edu/~sbloch/
                                        Math/CS Dept, Adelphi University
============================================================================

To be removed from the SCA-Cooks mailing list, please send a message to
Majordomo at Ansteorra.ORG with the message body of "unsubscribe SCA-Cooks".

============================================================================