SC - Can medieval food be heart-smart?

[cclark at vicon.net]

Renata wrote:
>Are there enuf recipes out there to pick and choose the healthiest for a 
>whole feast? Or should we plan on "smartening" up a few recipes?

There are plenty of period recipes that fit the bill. Small portions of
braised lean meats, poached lean fish such as sole with herb sauce ("sauce
vert"), various veggie stews, some grain pottages, some fruit dishes such as
rapey (figs and raisins cooked in wine, mashed, spiced, and thickened with
starch), pears in syrup, and pommes ammolee (apples in a spiced wine sauce),
etc.

Even some fattier foods can be suitable, as long as they don't contain any
significant amount of saturated fat. For instance, if you use olive oil and
a high-fructose honey, you can make a version of misembec that is okay
(except in large amounts) for both heart disease and diabetes. Spinach fried
in olive oil or refined sesame oil is good, but out of season. Fried beans
are another option, or mashed beans garnished with fried onion.

Since you're talking about a Twelfth Night feast, you might be looking at
seasonal treats such as mince pies. Unfortunately, the early recipes that
I've seen for mincemeat tend to contain a lot of suet. But you could make a
currant cake instead (or in addition), which can be much lower in fat,
contianing just a little butter mixed with a lot of starch and sugar.

These are just a few suggestions from the recipes that I'm familiar with. If
you pick and choose from the many period sources, you might find enough
recipes to make dozens of large and well-rounded feasts without including
anything that would be likely to exacerbate anyone's heart disease. Not
saying that you should, just that you could.

By the way, as a dancer, I tend to think that "light" foods just might be
preferable, though that doesn't mean that I always prefer them. :-)

Alex Clark/Henry of Maldon

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