SC - Re: Saracen Bruet

[Philip & Susan Troy]

> Date: Thu, 15 Jan 1998 23:34:14 -0800
> From: david friedman <ddfr at best.com>
> Subject: Re: SC - Re: Saracen Bruet
> 
> Adamantius writes:
> 
> >As has been said elsewhere, foods designated as being Saracen in nature
> >always seem to include almonds in some form, and are usually red or, or
> >more properly, mahagony in color.

<rest of my blurb snipped somewhat> 
> 
> My impression is that "saracen" recipes have almonds and/or sugar, not that
> they are necessarily red; almonds and sugar, after all, were getting
> imported from the south.  If you do the recipe discussed with white wine,
> you get (if I remember correctly) a sort of tannish/whitish color.

Understood. I was referring to someone's earlier statement which ran to
the effect that "Saracen" foods were red. I don't think this is so, as a
blanket statement, but there are enough examples out there of Saracen
foods being some variant on red that if your cross-section, or
examination of the complete genre is incomplete, you could easily come
away with that impression. Often the red is achieved with cochineal or
saunders, and sometimes the suggestion is simply made to color it red if
you want to. Bear in mind that the numerous recipes for Saracen bruet
are, what, a quarter or so of the total extant recipes designated as
Saracen? That's just a guess, but I'm thinking of the saracen sauces,
saracen subtleties, etc., as well.

Certainly for those who prefer the color achieved with white wine, it
seems a fine solution. 
> 
> For comparison, here is a related recipe, also English but 15th century.
> 
> Bruette Sareson
> 
> Take Almaundys, & draw a gode mylke & flowre of Rys, & Porke & Brawen of
> Capoun y-sode, or Hennys smale y-ground, & boyle it y-fere, & do in-to Ýe
> mylke; & than take pouder Gyngere, Sugre, & caste a-boue, and serue forth.

I find it interesting to note that in the above recipe, either no wine
is used, or the type is unspecified. I assume the color would be as you
suggest.

Adamantius
troy at asan.com
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