SC - big spice question

[LYN M PARKINSON]

Bonne mentions:
> The Spurling book re: Fettiplace has a set of instructions or a
> description, that's the only sure thing I can direct you to at the
> moment.  Oh, and the Florilegum has a large file on the topic of what
> to do with flowers.

Bonne may be thinking of the file on cooking with flowers. A better
file for making (or buying) rosewater would be this one in the
PLANTS, HERBS AND SPICES section:
rose-water-msg    (30K)  9/ 1/98    Where to buy. How to make. Rose-water uses.

Glancing through this file, I believe there are five period recipes
for making rosewater. There are also several modern recipes or
those that I wasn't sure whether they were period or not.

The modern recipes mention both the distilling and the boiling method.
One message talks of the oil that rises to the top of the water. This
is Attar of Roses and is an expensive oil as it takes a lot of roses
to produce much. Also in listening to other folks comments it appears
that modern roses are often rather poor in comparison to period ones
as regards smell and perhaps taste.

While we are talking of roses, perhaps this file also in this section
would also be of interest to some folks:
roses-art         (36K)  5/15/97    "Sacred Iron Posies" by Daniel del Cavallo.
                                       (medieval roses).

Or this one in the FOOD-SWEETS section:
Roses-a-Sugar-art (21K)  7/15/98    "Divers Pretty Things Made Of Roses &
Sugar" 
                                       by Mistress Renata Kestryl of Highwynds.
- -- 
Lord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
Mark S. Harris             Austin, Texas           stefan at texas.net
**** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:
         http://lg_photo.home.texas.net/florilegium/index.html ****
============================================================================

To be removed from the SCA-Cooks mailing list, please send a message to
Majordomo at Ansteorra.ORG with the message body of "unsubscribe SCA-Cooks".

============================================================================