SC - Surviving Medieval Cuisine

[RANDALL DIAMOND]

Troy and Mordonna wrote:

<<By the way, as per our discussion on surviving
medieval cuisine, Greens with Bacon or Hamhocks, big time.>>

<Food fit for the Gods doesn't go out of style.>

I must agree fully with that opinion.  Being a true
son of the South (Have y'all ever noticed the stars
and bars on the Meridies flag look awful familiar??).  I adore greens.  I
keep my jar of bacon
drippins by the stove just for flavouring a good mess of fresh collards
(and the ocassional white navy bean pepper pot soup).

Another period holdover here in the South, though this fades every day as
nasty urbanization spreads across our fair lands, is the consumption of
organ meats and animal fats.  This is not a subject for the faint of heart
nor a queasy stomach (pun intended), so skip over if you think you might get
grossed out.

"You eat WHAT, mi' lord?" and "Oh God, you didn't put THAT in this dish, did
you?" are fairly common remarks after one of my feasts.  I refuse to follow
a few unwritten rules, though I do post all my ingredients.  I use lard
extensively in any dish that has a pastry component.  I also season and
spice (except for salt in most cases) leaning more toward period levels.   I
have even served organ meats in period forms.  If you don't like it, don't
eat it; and if you don't check out the feast menu and ingredients in
advance, that's your lookout.

I usually only try out these outrageous surprises at feasts that have at
least 3 major removes so no
gentle will starve if they skip a dish they may find distasteful and I make
sure it is not the main entree of the remove. The dish I served, if you are
curious was Sutil Brouet d' Engleterre (Chestnut puree from England).  I had
a major crop of fresh chestnuts, so I used Taillevent's recipe of nuts, egg
yolks and pig's liver with saffron, though I did put it in a lard pastry
shell as I thought it looked less revolting.  I have often stated my desire
to serve the tin hat authenticity Gestapo a real period humble (noumble) pie
with venison heart, liver and kidney filling.  But they quail even at
chicken inards, so I have not done this.....YET.  For a few brave souls, I
have offered at event breakfast, scrambled
pork brains and eggs and even had a few takers. However, I was discreet and
only offered to share with other natives of the area who I knew were
acquainted with the dish mundanely.  I did this to my college fraternity
brothers one morning without telling them what they were eating and nearly
got lynched!

I personally enjoy most organ meats, though have not been able to figure how
to serve them in the SCA in a reasonable manner.  Even I draw the line at
some of the traditional southern fare I encountered at the Piggley Wiggley
or the Jitney Jungle (these stores exist, honest) when I was in college in
L.A. (Lower Alabama): Tripe, souse and pig trotters.  I am sure that all of
these are very period and documentable somewhere.  Does anyone else want to
explore this subject?

Akim Yaroslavich
"No glory comes without pain"

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

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".

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