SC - History of American Chocolate, OT

[Chris and Trish Makowski]

Mistress Cedrin said: 
> Since I haven't seen _Food and Drink in Medieval Poland_ myself yet, I decided
> to try to get a little more information about the saffron wafers recipe which
> Stefan so kindly quoted for me.
> 
> I tracked down the editor of the Middle Ages series for the University of
> Pennsylvania Press (UPenn Press published _Food and Drink_) to ask a few
> questions. What follows is our conversation.

I would not have thought of trying from this direction. I've not tried to
contact a book author before. I'm real surprised at how fast you got a
reply to your inquiries.

The first section of the book details how Will Weaver ended up editing the
book for US publication that Maria Dembinska wrote in Poland in Polish and
that she died before she saw it published here. The story of how the manuscript
and notes were originally smuggled out of Poland reads like an adventure novel
but it was real-life. The book does not quite portray the history of Poland
as the communist regime in Poland wanted it told. Had I known what you were
trying to perhaps I could have sent you the info from this introduction to
help you and I still can if it would help. I do still recommend buying the
book as there is little or nothing available on cooking in Eastern Europe.

My one complaint so far with this book is this lack of translated, original 
recipes. Not redactions. Recipes.

Perhaps I will also have to try contacting Will Weaver. There is on page 159
a recipe for a Beer and Cheese Soup that I am considering for a future event. 
However, one of the directions for this soup is to brown the flour in melted 
butter over medium-high heat until "the roux turns a golden brown". I'd like 
to know if he is basing this on what a period recipe (not necessarily this
one) says. Previously it has been claimed on this list that roux were
a post-1600 technique.

Stefan

> Kerri
>  Etainnighean, OL

- -- 
Lord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
Mark S. Harris             Austin, Texas           stefan at texas.net
**** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:
         http://lg_photo.home.texas.net/florilegium/index.html ****
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