SC - Accomodating Vegetarians at Period Feasts

[Philip & Susan Troy]

lilinah at grin.net wrote:
> 
> How do people cope with feeding vegetarians? Do Feast Cooks ever make some
> of the main courses without meat, but substituting non-European (but
> period) food such as tofu and seitan?

I guess they could, but there are enough genuine, period European,
vegetarian recipes that so far, in sixteen years or so, I haven't had to
repeat them to the point of boredom.

There's even a Lenten, meat-and-dairy-free version of cuskynoles, fer
Heaven's sake! (The dough is made with almond milk, the filling is the
same.)  
 
> I'm way out West and we do have our share of vegetarians.

Yep. I find it interesting that many American vegetarians still have
enough of  a love-hate relationship with meat that they'll do huge
amounts of bean curd, gluten cakes, tempeh, etc., with no understanding
of the main reason these foods exist in Asia, which is not that Buddhist
monks can't sit next to somebody else eating steak and resist it, but
rather because they have agreed to forego meat while still acknowledging
that a balanced diet for most people includes at least some animal
protein, and that a feast menu should, for aesthetic reasons, include
fish, meat, poultry, etc., in addition to vegetables. These products
allow them to do that, without having to go to the insane lengths that
some people go to on a daily basis transforming their vegetables into
artificial meat. Bean curd is one of my favorite foods, as a matter of
fact, but I tend to prepare it in such a way that it looks like what it
is, not like meat.

Of course some of these foods exist also as inexpensive and healthy
protein sources, but there tends to be a difference in the attitude and
manner in which they're used in Asia, as opposed to in America.

Another consideration (one I assume you've made, so please don't take
this the wrong way) is that because a food is Asian doesn't
automatically make it period. For example, while I have seen various
secondary sources stating that bean curd dates back to the ninth century
or so, or earlier, depending on who you talk to, the oldest primary
source reference to it I've been able to find has been from the 17th -
19th centuries. It's quite possible that the authors of the secondary
sources have done research I haven't (very likely, in fact), but another
undeniable possibility is that they might be wrong, or basing a
conclusion on evidence that doesn't support it. 

Okay, enough with the soapbox, on with an answer to your question. 

Generally what I find easiest for an SCA-type feast is to have about
half my dishes be completely meatless, and some of those dairy-free.
Then there are some dishes that can be partly cooked, then separated
into two batches, one destined to be meatless and one with meat, with
adjustments to be made accordingly. An example would be to cook the rice
for blancmanger in water, rather than in stock, then finish your meat
version with the stock, some rich almond milk, a little lard or other
fat, and your meat, while finishing the meatless version with the same
water-based almond milk, a splash of wine and/or vegetable stock, and
butter or some oil depending on just how vegetarian your diners are.
Yes, the lenten versions of blancmanger seem to generally call for fish;
this was just a quick example of something you might do. I generally
find that I then don't have to be a meat apologist, and those who wish
to avoid it can just tell me about it and get their vegetarian
blancmanger, or whatever, and avoid any visible meat, such as roasts.
This shouldn't be too difficult, and they'll still have more than enough
to eat, without forcing the cooks to go to quite as much trouble as they
might if they made special dishes for the vegetarians.    

Adamantius
- -- 
Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com
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