SC - Re: Period Shortbread Recipes

[Philip & Susan Troy]

cclark at vicon.net wrote:
> 
> One could claim circumstantial evidence for period shortbread, in that
> shortbread is a simplified form of these and other period recipes. But the
> most that this proves is that shortbread could have been made in period, not
> that it was. In any case I would guess that the word is relatively modern,
> because all the similar period (English) foods are called cake.
> 
> Henry of Maldon/Alex Clark

It could be an English transliteration or a corruption of a word or
words from another language. Look at the weird English permutations of
fricassee, olla podrida, and cotignac, for example. The same distinction
between cake and bread may not have existed in, say, Flemish, Dutch, or German.
 
Just as an illustration, some claim the adopted English word "scone" is
derived from the Dutch "schoonbrot", meaning, essentially, fine white
bread. I wonder if there's a term in some language from someplace where
some type of butter cake or cookie is called by a term similar to the
English term "short". It may or may not be coincidental, if there is a similarity.

Adamantius 
- -- 
Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com
============================================================================

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".

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