SC - Re: sca-cooks V1 #1492

[ana l. valdes]

Ras asks:
> oftraquair at hotmail.com writes:
> << The bread, of course, had soot and such on the bottom crust, which would
> be perfectly okay for period, >>
> 
> The bottoms of the ovens would have been cleaned out with a brush used for
> that purpose, most likely. I doubt that soot and embers all over the bread
> would have been any more 'perfectly okay for period' than it would be OK for
> the Current middle ages. What lead you to that conclusion?

You would have to sweep it out real well and probably wash it down to not 
get any soot on the bread. I can't see being able to do that in a hot oven. 
Now, I'm talking about no soot at all vs. a light smudge here and there or 
a light dusting. Perhaps you are thinking of a heavier coating of soot and
embers, Ras?

If I remember correctly, this soot was one of the reasons that Henisch
in "Fast and Feast, Food in Medieval Society" gives for trimming the
crust off the trenchers.

Anyone who has cooked bread in a single chamber oven have any experience
to contradict or back this up?

- -- 
Lord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
Mark S. Harris             Austin, Texas           stefan at texas.net
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