SC - Fw: [SCA-U] Cooking authenticity- was [SCA-U] A&S and Jewelry

[Alderton, Philippa]

I just wrote this in response to a question on another list from a young
lady who was wondering if making a piece of jewelry in a period style was as
much a no no as "creating" a period recipe would be for us, and it occurred
to me that, since it's one of my more coherent explanations, that perhaps it
might be of some help to those of us who don't understand why we're so
serious about following the exact recipe.

Phlip

Nolo disputare, volo somniare et contendere, et iterum somniare.

phlip at morganco.net

Philippa Farrour
Caer Frig
Southeastern Ohio

The World's Need

So many Gods, so many creeds,
So many paths that wind and wind,
When just the art of being kind
Is all this sad world needs.

- - Ella Wheeler Wilcox
- -----Original Message-----
From: Alderton, Philippa <phlip at MORGANCO.NET>
To: SCA-UNIVERSITAS at LIST.UVM.EDU <SCA-UNIVERSITAS at LIST.UVM.EDU>
Date: Tuesday, July 20, 1999 9:47 AM
Subject: [SCA-U] Cooking authenticity- was [SCA-U] A&S and Jewelry


>I think one of the things that you might want to keep in mind is that with
>recipes, unlike with jewelry, songs, garb, C & I, and many other arts, we
>only have a limited number of recipes, and very few variations on them, so
>it just isn't really possible to say that a Medieval Cook might have
>substituted, say, carrots for parsnips in a given recipe, while you can
look
>at a few pieces of jewelry and say, "Yes, they did use this type of faceted
>jewel on brooches with a bilaterally symetrical design, so this is an
>original piece of a period design."
>
> Using a modern image, say we are being studied 1000 years in the future,
>and someone wants to make a 20th Century meatloaf in a "common" style. They
>decide to use mustard instead of catsup, "since they're both condiments".
Is
>this the meatloaf that the average homemaker prepares? No. It may be tasty,
>but I strongly suspect that very few of us have ever tried making one like
>that. Until and unless we find a period equivalent of, say, "365 Ways to
>Cook Hamburger," we're pretty well stuck with what we KNOW was done.
>
>Now we do have some latitude with some types of recipes, since variants
were
>very common- frumenties, for example- but we also need to keep in mind that
>the varied grains used in them were dictated by the locality- some grains
>were grown in some areas, others were not. Last Pennsic, Mistress
Christiana
>made a wonderful variant on a frumenty called a Bryw (sp?), which consisted
>of an assortment of grains left over from another class she had taught.
>Might a Medieval cook done the same sort of thing? Yes. Did they? We don't
>know- we don't have a recipe exactly like hers. I'm overlooking the rolled
>oats included, which are definitely OOP. Period? No. Perioid? Yes. Good?
>Delicious!!!!
>
>We also have enough variables in the recipes as given, too. Many of the
>recipes only say, "take SOME (whatever)," or "a halfpenny's worth". or "add
>(it) until there be enough".
>
>
>I hope this helps clarify why the Cook's List is so strong on doing things
>as exactly as possible to the way they are described.
>
>
>Phlip
>
>Nolo disputare, volo somniare et contendere, et iterum somniare.
>
>phlip at morganco.net
>
>Philippa Farrour
>Caer Frig
>Southeastern Ohio
>
>The World's Need
>
>So many Gods, so many creeds,
>So many paths that wind and wind,
>When just the art of being kind
>Is all this sad world needs.
>
>- Ella Wheeler Wilcox

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