SC - Grinding Spices

[david friedman]

At 12:26 AM -0500 11/27/98, Philip & Susan Troy wrote:
>LrdRas at aol.com wrote:
>>
>> Of course, the notion that the cook actually did their own spice grinding is
>> questionable in itself.  In all likelihood, the average person if they could
>> afford spices, would have bought them pre-ground at the apothecary.
>>Cooks for
>> large manors and castles would not have ground them themselves.
>
>In general, this is likely the case, as even a scullion had skills that
>made him valuable to the Master cook, and the endless pounding would
>make him unavailable for other work. If I remember correctly Chiquart
>(or is it the fictional Chiquart in the Scully book?) speaks of a
>special braying man whose job was to pound stuff in an enormous mortar,
>for the gallons of almond milk, f'rinstance, the household would need on
>a feast day... .
>
Chiquart (chief cook for the Duke of Savoy) buys his spices whole, but then
recommends grinding them and storing them in leather bags so they are
available for use when needed; so someone in his kitchen is doing the job.
Le Menagier (Paris upper middle class) recommends that in making sauces,
you grind your spices first and then grind the bread that will thicken the
sauce in the same mortar, so as not to waste any of the spice. He further
advises buying your saffron, at least, whole, because if you buy it ground
you have no idea what it may have been adulturated with.

Elizabeth/Betty Cook


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