SC - explaining medieval cooking to pro cooks?

[Anne-Marie Rousseau]

Hi from Anne-Marie
re: advice to modern cooks attempting to produce a medieval-esque feast...

we had to do the same thing, when we had a Known World Heraldic Symposium.
It was rough...most of the autocrating team were Culinary Guild folks, and
we had to let the hotel do the food!!! Plus the fact that the autocrate
moved away, so we all stepped in at the relative last minute... it was long
ago, but this is what my little brain remembers happened...

IIRC what we did was give a couple menu suggestions (roast beast with 
mustard and horseradish on the side, carrots, asparagus and port poached
pears for dessert, that kind of thing), and The List of Ingredients that
Shall Not Be Used (corn, potatoes, tomatoes, capisium peppers, vanilla,
beans, pineapple, etc).

The hotel chef staff came up with a menu, and it was run by us several
weeks before the event. I vaguely remember we kiboshed the roast potatoes
that somehow squiggled onto the list, and suggested roast turnips, roast
carrots, etc instead. There was a choice of entrees, I seem to remember
salmon and then some sort of beef thing?

I do remember that the final menu was adequate. Not what we would have
made, but oh well. I dont remember anything agregious, at least (I was
performing during the "feast", and so didnt eat it myself).

If I had the opportunity to do it again, I would give them the List of
Ingredients That Shall Not Be USed, as well as a handout of medieval
recipes. Heck, I'd probably make munchy bits for them. Paste en pot (a stew
of minced lamb and onions, heavily vinegared and spiced with poudre forte)
is a very typical medieval palate, for example. Ruzzige cake (bread baked
with cheese and herbs, decorated with flowers) blows a lot of stereotypes
about medieval food out of the water.  

congratulations on having a site where, if you had to use their caterers,
they're willing to work with you!
- --AM
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