SC - Period Recipes

[Par Leijonhufvud]

On Thu, 5 Jun 1997, Michael F. Gunter wrote:

> How about the ageless practice of wrapping food in clay and letting it
bake in
> the coals?

I have no documentation to the middle ages, but the result is great, and 
perhaps someone here _can_ document it. I have a vague memory of having 
seen cooking pits mentioned in passing in one of Gwyn Jones books on the 
Viking age.

Best way (IMNSHO); 

Wrap the food (if needed, tubers, onions, etc don't need any wrapping at
all) in some _non-toxic_ leaves, cover with clay. This prevents the food
from getting a "muddy" taste. Use lettuce, cabbage, burdock, coltsfoot,
etc. If all you cook is a fish you can dispense with the clay, just use
plenty of greens. 

Dig a pit app. 15-20" deep (depends on how much you are cooking). Put some
(fist sized) rocks down, and light a good fire there for at least half an
hour or more. Put some more rocks on top of the fire when it's going. Rake
out the ashes and lift out the extra rocks. 

Place the food on top of bottom rocks, place the extra rocks on top and
cover with soil. Wait until cooked (depends on what you put in there; I
usually wait an hour for a 2 lb chunk of meat and some
tubers/roots/onions). Excavate carefully. Notice that since you seal in
all the juices of the meat is might still look rare even when done. 

But this is probably more paleolithic than medieval?

/UlfR

Who has fond memories of "Old Mans Beard" lichen with berries cooked in a
pit. But that was a long time away from UlfR, and in a different setting. 

- --
Par Leijonhufvud                  par.leijonhufvud at labtek.ki.se 
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