SC - Early 'Celtic

[Philip & Susan Troy]

Melissa Martines wrote:
> 
>      I was just wondering if anyone had any good primary sources for early
>      Celtic food?  (like 600 A.D.).  I'm working on a coronation feast menu
>      for some really early celts (English Celts, by the way).
> 
>      morgan
>      melissa.martines at corpfamily.com

There's not much out there in the Arthurian food department, that I know
of.  You will probably pretty much have to work with the earliest
recipes you can find for those foods that were available in the British
Isles at the time in question. This may or may not be especially
accurate.

Somewhere in the autobiography (Confessions?) of St. Colmkille (a.k.a.
Columba, founder of the monastery on Iona, among others), there is a
description of the Irish pottage called Brotchan Foltchep or Brotchan
Roy. As I say, it is a description, rather than a recipe. However, this
soup is still eaten in Ireland today, and given the list of ingredients,
there's no real reason it couldn't be more or less the same soup it was
in 597 C.E. Most Irish cookbooks have a recipe for it. Here's mine, for
what it's worth...
________________________________________________________________
Brotchan Foltchep

This soup probably started out as oatmeal porridge enriched with leeks
and milk, and has been eaten in Irish monasteries for about 1400 years
or more.

Serves 6

3 or 4 medium-size leeks, about 1 1/2 pounds
1/4 to 1/2 stick butter (1 - 2 ounces)
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup raw, steel-cut porridge oats, like McAnn's
Parsley (flat Italian, chopped) for garnishing
salt and white pepper to taste


Wash the leeks well. They are usually muddy and sandy. Remove any
visible dirt or grit. Trim off the root ends and discard. Starting at
the white, root ends, slice the leeks thinly. Place in a deep bowl of
cold water, and rub the leeks between your hands, gently, to separate
the rings and encourage the last of the grit to sink to the bottom. Lift
the leek slices off the surface till the bowl has nothing left in it but
water and mud. Drain the leeks in a strainer and set aside.

In a large, deep saucepan, bring the stock and milk to a simmer. Stir in
the oats, bring almost to a boil, and simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until
the oats are done.

While the oats are simmering, melt the butter in a deep saute pan, over
low heat. Sweat the leeks for five or ten minutes, until they begin to
soften, but not brown. When the oats are about half done, add the leeks
and their butter to the pan of soup. The leeks and the oatmeal should be
done at the same time.

Take the pot off the heat, stir in the cream, and season with salt and
white pepper to taste. Garnish with the parsley.
_______________________________________________________________

Plenty of roast and boiled meats would have been eaten (what with a
herd-based economy and all). Ditto milk and cheeses. Watercress in some
form (probably cooked, though). 

Variations on the ham-and-cabbage soup-stew thing. Oh, and don't forget
the salmon.

I have this problem every Spring, when I usually cook the feast for an
annual local event called Celtic Silliness. I think I have a couple of
menus lying around someplace from previous years. I'll see if I can find
them.

Adamantius