SC - Domostroi

[L Herr-Gelatt and J R Gelatt]

>
>From: Stephen Bloch <sbloch at adl15.adelphi.edu>
>Date: Fri, 23 May 1997 10:13:33 -0400 (EDT)
>Subject: Re: SC - Questions??
>
>Filip wrote:
>> 
>> I beg to differ (especiallay with Cariadoc ;) but if you go back to my
>> post a few days ago:
>> >berry candy (66)(bilberries, rasberries, currants, strawberries,
>> >cranberries, "or any other kind of berry". 
>> 
>> so we have at least one recipe!  Ok, it's for "Fruit Roll-ups" but
>> it's still a recipe. :)  Since Domestroi seems to have been written in
>> mid 1500's, it *could* refer to new world cranberries...no way of
>> knowing.
>
>This is of course from a modern English translation of the Domestroi.
>Do we have any evidence that the translator had read McGee, or knew as
>much about medieval ingredients as, say, the more knowledgeable people
>on this list?  It's quite possible that the Domestroi uses a 16th-century
>Russian word which is NOW used for the new world cranberry, but meant
>something different 450 years ago.
>
>					mar-Joshua ibn-Eleazar ha-Shalib
>                                                 Stephen Bloch
>                                           sbloch at panther.adelphi.edu
>					 http://www.adelphi.edu/~sbloch/
>                                        Math/CS Dept, Adelphi University
>

Naturally my two cents is wanted here!!! As I recall from a much later but
very handy Russian Cook Book (Elena Molokhovet's Gift to Young Housewives,
recently published manuscript of a cookbook from just before the revolution.
Although I may be mistaken, it is the only survivng historical cookbook from
before the revolution from the Russias), American/New World foods were very
late to reach Russia, and when they did, they were not necessarily used in a
wise fashion. I recall a recipe calling for sliced corn-on-the-cob (heehee).
I got my peek at it from Inter-Library Loan. I don't remeber any tomatoes at
all, though there may have been one or two recipes.

It seems that the Russians were very very slow to accept new culinary fads.
They liked to use as a method of advertising prestige, and as a method of
payment, so the traditions they developed were very dear to them. They did
import French cooks, however, but unlike the English, did not change or
re-name their entire culinary repertoire because of it.

Another good Russina Food History book, reccomended to me by several people
on the Rialto, is called Bread and Salt. Again, I got it through ILL, so I
don't have the bin number handy, but you can find all these books pertintent
info through the Library of Congress Search engines, which list an
astonishing number of cookbooks and food history books. 

Aoife---after the kids are in bed!