SC - Re: Vivendier

[Phil & Susan Troy]

Gaylin Walli wrote:
> 
> Plip wrote:
> 
> >If it's Scully, it's likely pretty good. I was looking at buying
> >it myself.
> 
> Really? I've been laboring under the assumption that there were
> far better sources to use. I admit to knowing little about the
> subject, but I had thought that other members of the list
> believed that Scully was not up to snuff in the arena of
> redacting/translation/creation/whatever due to use of non-period
> ingredients.

I'd say he is more inclined to use non-period methods, or period ingredients
in ways the original recipe doesn't specify. He is, of course, married to a
professional chef, and is also probably not intending his work for use by
re-creationist types. So, for example, in giving university students a taste
of the sort of flavors one would have encountered in a meal based on
Taillevents, he has chosen to produce a baked stuffed chicken breast rather
than simply stuffing the whole bird. One could certainly argue that this
doesn't provide an authentic view of the topic for someone interested in
period re-creation, but I don;t believe that's necessarily what Scully is about.

On the plus side, his translation is generally quite a good one, and he
provides original text from all the known manuscripts of le Viandier, with
commentary on the recipes (with line-by-line comparisons between the different
manuscripts), including a lot of information on the medical theory which, in
some cases, leads to certain decisions being made, like whether to parboil
chickens before roasting, for example. 
 
> Good grief! Have I been laboring under false assumptions all
> this time and avoiding the Scully books for no reason?

Well, maybe. It depends on what you're looking for. If you want a simple,
readable book of modernly adapted medieval recipes, Scully is not your man. If
you want to learn more about medieval cookery, after having cooked from the
former book of adapted recipes, I would recommend Scully. I can think of only
one or two scholars in the field of culinary history I value more; they're
probably Constance Hieatt and Karen Hess, not necessarily in that order.

He has an excellent translation of Chiquart, too, BTW. 

Adamantius
Østgardr, East
- -- 
Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com
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