SC - Newest Issue of PPC

[Elise Fleming]

Greetings!  The newest issue of Petits Propos Culinaires (PPC), #59, is 
one of those which gives me reason to subscribe.  There are 4-5 
articles which have a bearing on “our” period, or my particular 
interests. 

The first article is “The Parmesan Pie (Part One)” by Anna Martellotti. 
 She attempts to trace the forebears of the Parmesan pie and appears to 
have found a “relative” in ancient Babylonia.  What was of interest to 
me was that there are 35 recipes “preserved on three tablets” dating to 
about 1700 BC.  In this first article she traces various permutations 
of the pie up through Arabic cooking, the_Libro per cuoco_ in Tuscany, 
and the 1590 _Kuchenmeisteri_ .  Her second article, tentatively 
scheduled for #60, may comprise “a selection of relevant recipes”.

Also in this issue is “Food and Drink at the Restoration, as seen 
through the diary, 1660-1669, of Samuel Pepys.  The article was written 
by Gilly Lehmann.  While OOP, the material presented by Pepys helps us 
learn about some modern items which were still novelties in the 
mid-1600s.  I was surprised to see that the primary meat served at most 
every meal was venison.  (Not the ubiquitous SCA chicken!)

A third article is “From ‘Espinee’ to ‘Sambocade’:  Flowers in the 
Recipes of Medieval England” by Constance Hieatt and Brenda Hosington.  
The authors maintain that there is a unique “flavor” to English cookery 
not shared by the French and the Italians.  This is the use of flowers 
in the actual foods prepared during the medieval period.  While the 
French and Italians may have used flowers as garnish, except for 
perhaps one or two other recipes flowers as an _ingredient_ are absent 
while the English cookery texts contain numerous flower recipes.  Two 
modernized versions are given from the authors’ revised version of 
_Pleyn Delit_.

Yet a fourth article has bearing for some of us.  Charles Perry wrote “ 
‘Mruziya’:  Moroccan, Spanish or...Khwarezmian?”  He attempts to find 
the origins of “mruziya”, “a stew of lamb, almonds, raisins and 
honey...one of the most famous Moroccan dishes.”  He finds antecedents 
in the _Manuscrito Anonimo_ which is in one of Cariadoc’s Collections 
(and which some of us helped translate!).  Included in the article are 
three translations from original recipes.

Perhaps of interest is “Note About the History of Bredes” by Michel 
Chauvet.  The author tries to show where the word “bredes” came from.  
The meaning is apparantly “green leaves eaten boiled”.  If you’ve ever 
encountered this term, you might be interested in its entymological 
wanderings.

And, lastly, of interest to me is “Which _Compleat Confectioner_?” by 
Ivan Day.  While the books in question are seriously OOP, anything I 
can learn about confections and how they developed is of interest.  
Mrs. Mary Eales’ book, first published in 1718, is of interest as is 
Hannah Glasse and her wholesale copying.  She, in turn, was copied word 
for word by others.  It was interesting to note that this “plagarism” 
could be seen as a form of flattery and usefulness to the reader.  
Looking through some of the OOP books helps me identify which modern 
confections we assume might be period but which really may have been 
invented in the late 1600s or early 1700
s, “ancient” for us, but not within the SCA time frame.

To forestall the inevitable posts about where to get this lovely 
pamphlet/booklet:

Cost for 3 issues (1 year):  In the UK:  12 pounds; in the USA, $23.50.
Cost for 6 issues (2 years):  In the UK:  23.50 pounds; in the USA, 
$45.

In the UK: 45 Lamont Road, London SW10 OHU.  Make sterling cheques 
payable to Prospect Books Ltd.

In the USA:  same address as above.  Make dollar cheques payable to PPC 
North America.

In Canada:  c/o Ann Semple, 1897 Prince of Wales Drive, Ottawa, Ontario 
K2C 3J7.  Make cheques payable to Ann Semple.

In Australia:  c/o Barbara Santich, 13 King Street, Brighton 5048.  
Cheques payable to Barbara Santich.

In New Zealand: c/o Helen Phare, PO Box 5775, Wellesley Street, 
Auckland.  Cheques payable to Helen Phare.

When PPC comes into my mailbox, my day is automatically brighter and my 
bathroom stays become longer!

Alys Katharine

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