SC - Using Changed Ingredients...

[Philip & Susan Troy]

Ragnar Ketilsson wrote:
> 
> This thread raises an interesting point: in general, how do we deal with raw materials
> which have changed irrevocably since our period(s) of interest?

This is pretty simple, albeit a matter of personal approach. You can
either use such foods or not, as you wish, or as seems appropriate to
the situation.

Lessee now: what vegetables have evolved into something other than what
they were during period? This could include an overall shift, or a shift
in the varieties that either are popular or are cultivated.

We have carrots, strawberries, mushrooms, head cabbages (late period,
apparently), beets, and several others that I'm probably not thinking of
offhand. In general my feeling is that these foods probably need to be
used to some extent, but one wouldn't necessarily need to highlight the
differences between the modern and period articles. So, the carrots
sliced into the mixed nut pickle in Le Menagier de Paris, where their
color, and to some extent, their flavor, aren't glaringly apparent,
wouldn't be especially intrusive. Modern cultivated champignons aren't
all that similar in color, flavor, or texture to the wild mushrooms that
would have been the primary source for funges in most of period, it does
help to mix your cultivated mushrooms with a small percentage of wild
mushrooms, even if they are dried. They can contribute a great deal to
the overall flavor.

Head cabbages don't pose much of a problem; they're rarely served whole
in any case, so it isn't especially noticable.

I could go on like this for several more pages, but I suspect that I've
made my point sufficiently, except for one additional point. Not
worrying about this problem, since trying to be as period as you can
does not include the impossible or the ridiculous, is certainly not the
worst option in this case. I hope no one interprets this as meaning that
I think people shouldn't try to produce food that closely resembles
period food, but sometimes you can get caught up in one detail and the
overall project can suffer.

Adamantius
______________________________________
Phil & Susan Troy
troy at asan.com
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