SC - Cassoulet

[Philip & Susan Troy]

Decker, Terry D. wrote:

> The original question was are kidney beans period.  The answer is that
> they are, but we don't know how they were used.  To be honest, I was
> suprised to find Sass's reference to them.  The information from
> Gerard's Herbal floors me.  That will get tucked away in my notes until
> I can figure out a timeline for beans.

Precisely what I'm wondering about. How do you construct a timeline for
beans based on, say, a record of a cartload of sacks of kidney beans
being brought to market in a certain town on a certain date, assuming
such records are available?
> 
> Trade and the movement of various food stuffs is interesting in itself.
> It was that interest I was expressing when I spoke of tracing the
> historical references.  Were the food stuffs available at the time and
> place stated?  If they were not, then there is no question as to the
> authenticity of a dish.  If they were, and there is no information as to
> their use, the matter is one for debate.  Such a debate affects how one
> approaches the preparation of a historical dish and is, I believe, the
> basis for your comments.

More or less. I'm not saying that there's no way on earth that New World
beans were eaten in period Europe, I'm only saying that while they could
have been, there's not much evidence to suggest that they were, and
quite a bit to suggest that they were not, until either quite late in
period, or after it. This evidence also may be controvertible. If I were
forced to say, one way or the other, whether or not New World beans are
a period European food, I would try to be on the safe side and say they
aren't.
> 
> In the case of recipe calling for a general ingredient such as beans,
> the "sure thing" is the way to bet.  I will use favas if I make the bean
> tart just on the basis of optimal authenticity.  Frankly, I think Sass's
> use of kidney beans is questionable, but perhaps one of her references
> can prove me wrong.

Sass was going for an educational experience for non-initiates, and
largely succeeded. I don't think it ever occurred to her that she might
offend the likes of us by suggesting such a thing.
> 
> When a recipe calls for a specific ingredient, then we run up against
> the problem presented by Gerard's Herbal.  Which of the nine different
> products called kidney beans would have been used?  That fascinating bit
> of information sends me back to the issue of what was where when.  It
> has also added Gerard's Herbal to my bibliophilic want list.

That's more or less why I suggested someone with a copy might check it,
since I don't own one. I had forgotten that the information in it would
probably just cloud the issue even further. Now I recall it did the last
time we discussed this.

> I fear that there will be no surcease from the savagery of the daunted
> green bean casserole.  It is a many headed hydra lurking in the bowels
> of thousands of cookbooks.  It may even outlast the cockroach.

Maybe if we just stopped making new ones, we could see if the ones that
already exist would outlast the cockroach?

I can see it now: "Fridge of the Mysteries".

Adamantius
______________________________________
Phil & Susan Troy
troy at asan.com
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