SC - Re: sca-cooks V1 #209

[Terry Nutter]

Hi, Katerine here.

Anna of Dragonsmark asks whether, given that medieval sauces were designed to
balance the humors of the meats, we should be devising new sauces better to
suit current materials.

I believe not, for two reasons.  First, I'm not at all certain that I grant
the premise.  I know that Scully has a bee in his bonnet on this subject,
but other scholars by no means universally agree.  Certainly there are tracts
from the middle ages that argue for this -- Magninum Mediolensis is an
example -- but there's no evidence for it in the *culinary* literature, and
it isn't clear that the medical literature isn't rationalizing practice as
opposed to guiding it.  Further, the repertoire of sauces is stable with
respect to names and general natures of sauces -- though not at all with
respect to their details -- over a period of two centuries; and the changes
do not reflect changes in the theory of the humors nearly so much as those
we see throughout the cuisine as a whole.

Second, I'd rather use the medieval main ingredient, or as close an analog
as we can find, at which point rebalancing makes little sense.  I think, in
a sense, the quesion whether cinnamon is the most tasty spice to put on salmon
gives the show away: the desire is to have a different sauce for *flavor*, not
for any medieval reason.  In that case, I'd be far more inclined to go with a
different *medieval* sauce.  There are many suggestions of sauces to go with
fish; I would be far more inclined to find a medieval sauce I liked, and use
it.

So I don't think there's any rational argument that altering sauces for more
flavorful ingredients according to modern prejudices is a medieval practice.
Sauces *did* evolve -- but not randomly. If one wanted to study in detail the
patterns by which specific spices augmented or replaced others, and then
reproduce those patterns, that would be a medieval practice.  But I've been
engaged in a detailed study intended to reveal that kind of pattern for
over five years, and I don't think I could begin to do it competantly.  It
takes a *great* deal of work; without doing that work, you're just making a
modern sauce, and presenting it as medieval.  I don't think that's appropriate.

To be clearer: one can, of course, serve whatever tasty food one likes.  If 
one wants to serve modern created dishes because one knows them, and does not
know medieval dishes one would rather serve, well and good.  That, in itself,
is perfectly reasonable, though it is not what I would prefer to see.  But
I think we have a responsibility not to try to rationalize it, or "pretty"
it over for SCA consumption, but claiming that it is in any way a 
reflection of medieval practice.  It's a deliberate move away from medieval 
cuisine, based on a personal preference.

I don't think there's any moral imperative to stick to the medieval repertoire
(although I prefer to do so, and prefer meals where others have, provided that
they've also done the cooking well).  I *do* think there's a moral imperative 
to be honest about what we do.  If we choose to be modern, we should be 
honestly and openly modern.  Anything else is both miseducating and lying.

Cheers,

- -- Katerine/Terry

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