Subject: SC - tongue

[Robin Carroll-Mann]

And it came to pass on 29 Apr 00,, that Philip & Susan Troy wrote:

> > From: "Christina van Tets" <cjvt at hotmail.com>
> > Begga Elisabeth quoted from the Menagier:
> > 
> > >"Fresh beef tongue should be parboiled, skinned, larded and roasted,
> > >and eaten with a cameline sauce"
> > 
> > Interesting.  Almost identical to the way I've always served it, except
> > for the larding.  I wonder why he considers it to need larding?  It's
> > always been one of the fattiest meats I've come across.  Maybe we are
> > supposed to lard it with something other that fat?
 
> Maybe, but doesn't Le Menagier also say that by larding he is referring to
> using fat, while reserving the term "studding" for other slivers of stuff,
> such as cloves, that you can stick in food?

Yes.  "Item, note that there is a difference between sticking and larding, 
for the first is with cloves and the other with bacon."

Perhaps the bacon would provide flavor?

> It also may be that beef cattle that may or may not have been used for
> some level of work, and may or may not have been gelded before maturity,
> etc., may have been significantly leaner.

> Or maybe it's a translator's error and studding _is_ what's meant.
> 
> Adamantius  

The French text is online at:

and this particular passage reads:

"LANGUE DE BEUF fresche soit parboulie, pelée, lardée et rostie, et 
mengée à la cameline."

Larding does seem to be what's meant here.


He goes on to add:
"Item, est assavoir que la langue du vieil vault mieulx que la langue du 
jeune beuf, si comme aucuns dient; autres dient le contraire."
(Hinson's translation: "Item, you should know that the tongue of an old 
beef is better than that of a young one, so some say; others say the 
opposite.")

I know that the flesh of older animals is usually tougher... would this 
apply to the tongue as well?  Perhaps -- since the Menagier seems to 
be in the camp that favors tongue from older cattle -- the fat would 
tenderize the tongue?  Or am I making an appalling display of my 
ignorance about meat?


Lady Brighid ni Chiarain
Settmour Swamp, East (NJ)
mka Robin Carroll-Mann
harper at idt.net