SC - Food Service Order---More info, Pls.

[L Herr-Gelatt and J R Gelatt]

Adamantius, Intoned:
>The general medical theory would be that a sugared aperitif would open
the chest and stomach prior to the more serious eating, for better
digestion. 

>Opinions varied, of course, from place to place and between times, but
the general theory, if it has to boil down into one, might be loosely
interpreted that you eat stomach- and chest-openers at the beginning of
a meal, then eat the more "neutral" foods, to be followed by cheese and
other dairy dishes, which were often believed to cause the stomach to
close up again, with a draft of hippocras or some kind of candied spices
going in just as the stomach is closing. [The spices provide the "heat"
necessary for good digestion, apparently...]

And I reply:
This reminds me of the diet craze of a few year ago: Fruit and grain in the
morning. Fruit, grain, and vegetables, in the afternoon. In the evening, eat
your meat and dairy first, then your bread, then your vegetables, then your
fruit. It seems the food that breaks down the quickest (fruits and
vegetables)should not have been eaten BEFORE the food that breaks down the
slowest (meats and proteins).

On a more serious note, however:
Could you give me a better idea of what were considered "neutral foods"?
Grains,       sweets, fruits, etc. I can see. Where do meats, and the
"remove"  (meat and accompanying dishes) theory figure into the recipe,
however? Is there a prescribed order to the dishes, as served, in general?

Adamantius continues:
>I never really thought of my stomach as a pressure cooker, to be honest,
but I can speak with a fair authority when I say that sugar in most
forms, especially rock candy, does seem to act as an expectorant, and is
still used for that purpose in China and India, which might lead one to
believe it opens the chest...

And I remark:
I remember the only feast of mine that you attended, Adamantius, at which I
served Sauce Galantine (with real, fresh galingale) with roast beef during
the          second remove of the feast. I got a lot of remarks downstairs
later that folks          thought they couldn't eat another morsel until the
beef was brought out and they        tried a bite with the sauce. No beef
came back to the kitchen! I was just               relieved the feast was
edible, given the kitchen it was prepared in (it was a           closed up
school kitchen from the 30's-40's: dark, and had a 30-year old
professional stove, no pots or utensils, had to be scrubbed top-to-bottom,
and          we hade to fuel the 15 year old Pizza Oven ourselves,
improvising the fittings).        But it was amusing to see that the claims
for the sauce were indeed correct!

This, I supose, is an example of the medicinal food theory, since I read
Taillevant's recipe and informational index, which said that Sauce Galantine
would quicken the appetite (and make one brave, to boot!). Guess I'm doing
something right, eh?

Seriously, does this theory carry over to, say, the Mid-east, or is it a
European thing? I recently found a confectioner who sells comfits on the
net, and I am wondering if it would be appropriate for my upcoming
Europe-meets-Byzantium? I intend to develop this as a seasonal type thing.
There will be preserved foods present, since it is taking place in the winter.


>Adamantius
>troy at asan.com

Aoife

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