SC - Documented Substitutions (Long)

[CBlackwill at aol.com]

Greetings to this fair assembly,

I was asked if I would post a list of the "documentable" substitutions I have 
come across, so here is a sample.  Bear in mind that these are just a few....

Le Menagier de Paris (pp 159) 'Cretonnee of new peas or Fava beans': " For 
another Liaison you can use crushed peas or fava beans.  But you can use the 
Liaison you like best."

Le Menagier de Paris (same recipe):  "  When it is ready, you should prepare 
some pieces of young chicken, veal or goose giblets...."

Liber de Coquina 'Of Lasagne' :   " And, if you like, you can also add good 
powdered spices and powder them on them..."

Libra de arte coquinaria - 'Ravioli for Meat Days' :  "...and a libra of fat 
hog's tripe or calfs' head...<snip> ...and if you add the chopped breast of a 
capon, so much the better...<snip> ...You can make ravioli with breast of 
pheasant, partridge, and other birds"  (this is the first recipe I came 
across with actual substitution suggestions in the recipe itself.  It seems 
to validate my belief that medieval cooks regularly substituted one meat for 
another, and not necessarily because of humoral theory)

Le Menagier de Paris - ' White Poree' :  "...served with pork loin, 
andouille, or ham on meat days in autumn and winter...<snip> ...put them to 
cook in a pot with the water from salt meat or with pork and pork 
fat...<snip> ...sometimes a bread liaison is made for the leeks." (note:  
this recipe suggests a lot of substitutions for days of abstinence)

Le Menagier de Paris - 'Green poree for days of abstinence' :  "...And at the 
bottom of the bowl, under the poree, put some salted or fresh butter, or 
cheese or curd, or aged verjuice."

Libro della cucina del secolo - ''Of little leaves' :  "...These herbs, 
finely pounded in a mortar, if chopped fish or meat is added, can be made 
into mortadella or comandelli and many other things; to make this, you can 
use cultivated plants, or wild ones if you cannot get garden plants."  (This 
recipe then goes on to list at least five variations of the same recipe, 
which indicates that it is a very versatile dish, and often used as a 
foundation for creating other dishes, much the way a modern cook would.)

Libro de arte coquinaria - ' Fresh Fava beans with meat broth' :  "...And you 
can do the same with peas or any other fresh vegetable, but note that they 
should not be skinned with hot water like fava beans..."  (question:  In 
humoral theory, were all vegetables considered to have the same properties, 
as this recipe makes no mention of it, and seems to treat all vegetables 
generically?)

Libro della cucino del secolo - 'Civet of Hare or other Meat':  "...The same 
can be done with partridges.." (This would seem to back up Huette's comments 
that medieval cooks classified meats differently than we do today.  But 
again, was this due to humoral theory, or rather a similarity in the flavor 
and affinity for certain cooking styles?  I'm still researching this)

Libro de arte coquinaria - 'To make a game-meat civet' : ...then add plenty 
of ginger and cinnamon so that it be mild or strong according to the 
collective taste, or to that of your master..." (This seems to illustrate 
quite plainly that the recipe is very flexible, based upon the persoanl likes 
and dislikes of the diners, or the lord of the manor.  The recipe itself does 
not indicate which meat to use, and so leaves this wide open to the cook.  It 
is merely, like most of these recipes, a guideline from which to work.)

Liber de Coquina - 'Limonia' :...When the time to serve nears, add the juice 
of lemons, limes or bitter oranges."

Libro della cucina del secolo - 'Saracen Brodo':  "...You can use a similar 
method for sea fish.  You can put apples and pears in these brodi."  (Again, 
much room for variation on the theme, and not a rigid, lock-step production 
schedule)

These are just a few I have noticed.  I have plenty more, if anyone is 
interested.  Again, I understand the concern for stepping too far away from 
the documented recipes, but this does illustrate my point that, indeed, the 
medieval cook was not as bound by the recipe as the list seems to think.  
Those who are in this for pure research will, of course, not be willing to 
make any assumptions from this, and I understand the reasoning.  But, for 
those adventurous few who are, I hope this helps.

Balthazar of Blackmoor





Words are Trains for moving past what really has no Name.