SC - favorite sweet

[cclark at vicon.net]

Ras wrote:
>One of the simplest and tastiest sweets is Judges Mouthfuls from  al-Baghdadi 
>(1226 CE). It is simply a raised dough from which pieces are pinched and 
>dropped in hot fat to cook. They are drained and dipped in honey. Think 
>glazed doughnut holes from raised doughnuts.
>
>Since there are literally dozens of sites throughout Wales alone where 
>Islamic coin has been found in digs, it is not too much to  believe that 
>these delectable morsels of a civilized nation might have been used  by the 
>barbarians of the North.

But there is a better argument to show that such things were eaten in the
North. Similar recipes (though apparently made with a thinner batter) appear
in sources from England and France under the names Nysebek, Myncebek,
Mynceleek and Mistembec. The batter was leavened with sourdough or barm and
mixed up to the thickness of either lime or sorbet. The batter was then put
into a dish or bowl with one or more holes in the bottom, and it ran into
hot oil or grease to cook. They were dipped in honey or sugar syrup, served
in sugar syrup, or sprinkled in sugar.

Recipes can be found in _Curye_on_Inglysch_ by Hieatt and Butler (recipes IV
181 and V 22), and _The Medieval_Kitchen_ by Redon, Sabban, and Serventi,
translated by Schneider (recipe 127). The latter includes a modern
interpretation of the recipe, and then mentions that the modern editor of
the period source (_Tractatus_, ed. by Mulon) suggested that the name could
be derived from mis en bec, meaning "put in mouth." They also mentioned that
others had hypothesized that it might instead have been derived from some
unknown Arabic word or phrase. They don't seem to have known about Judges'
*Mouthfuls*. :-)

So if anyone can come up with a period formula for lime, sorbet, or sherbet,
so that we know how thick the batters were, perhaps we can put in our mouths
a mouthful of Misenbec. :-)

Alex Clark/Henry of Maldon

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