SC - Big strong sergeants - was, What Went Wrong

[Philip & Susan Troy]

In a message dated 5/10/98 3:09:18 AM Eastern Daylight Time, acrouss at gte.net
writes:

<< ...<snip>.....As for subbing for hard to find/obsolete ingredients,>>

Question: Why would one want to substitute ingredients?  If the ingredient is
not available in your area, there are literally hundreds of period recipes not
all of which use the unavailable ingredient.  Simply choose another recipe
which does not contain the unavailable one.  Murri for example has a "fake"
recipe in the manuscript that gives the actual one.  It is called "Byzantine
murri," IIRC.  It is somewhat involved but no more so than any other recipe.
Alternatively, if one person can't or won't eat fish products simply provide
other dishes which don't use it.......(we've been there, don't need to go
there again).

BTW, I find that the fish sauce available at Thai specialty shops is far
closer to Roman fish sauce than Worcestershire (which unlike the Roman/Thai
sauce actually has a citrus fruit base with fish merely one ingredient among
many others).
 
<<...<snip>....until you've actually tasted murri,...<snip>...Ditto verjuice,
or saffron or poudre forte or...If you've never had it, you cant really sub in
anything with any confidence that the effect will be even close.>>

Correct.  Oftentimes the resulting dish is very good but the reality of the
matter is that it does not taste anything like the original dish was intended
to taste.  The finished product can in fact be down right awful reminding one
of those horrible "organic" flowerchild recipes in the early 70's that
substituted carob for chocolate and soybeans for beef.  Sure it can be done
but who would want to?
 
 <<I'm told that rue, for example can be replaced by the non-abortifacent
mint. >>

<Sigh> The amounts of the 'bad' chemicals available from the plants when used
in seasoning quantities are insignificant and cannot do harm.  Rue is a
somewhat bitter herb which has a bouquet and flavor which cannot be imitated
by substitute ingredients.  If you are not pregnant, then there is no concern
to be had in the first place. Beets contain cyanide; celery contains
diuretics; 1 cp. of appleseeds can kill a small child when consumed at one
time; lavender, chamomile; and valerian contain powerful tranquilizing
chemicals; rhubarb contains oxalic acid; ad nauseum.  If we were to avoid all
the foods that contain potentially dangerous chemicals, we would most
certainly starve. :-0 It is the concentration that counts not the mere
presence of a potentially harmful substance.

<<...<snip>....Anyone got a patch of the stuff, is not planning on breeding
anytime soon and be willing to give us a taste test?>>

I grow rue and use it regularly.  Neither I (;-)) nor any of my friends or
feast goers have ever aborted a fetus because of it's use as a seasoning.

The bottom line is not what we would substitute but rather what substitutions
were made during the Middle Ages.  SFAIK, no study of this nature has been
done although some recipes specify substitutions (see the recent Bourney
recipe for an example).  Sounds like this would make a great research project
for someone.
 
 <<--AM >>

Ras
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