SC - spice substituting

[Christina van Tets]

Hello the list!

Earlier I spoke about a text I am working on which specifies where you can 
and can't substitute. Thought you might be interested.

Herewith the promised recipes:

6. To make kimmeneye of chickens.  Take cumin and bread.  Grind it together 
and drive it through a strainer with a thin broth.  Then you shall let it 
cook together until the chickens are cooked enough.  Then take yolks of eggs 
with saffron crushed with wine.  Let this simmer or boil very little in 
order that it may bind only a little.

9. Item.  You should know that one puts no spice in any kimmeneye other than 
cumin and saffron.

This is fairly clear, I think, about what you could legitimately get away 
with in the confines of the recipe.  Kimmeneye is also spelt kimmeneyde, if 
that's any use.

11.  To make another jeleye. Take fish and cut then in pieces according to 
whether you want them small or large, but it must be washed very clean, then 
it must be dried very well from the water.  Then take the half [of that] 
quantity in wine, and the third [of that] quantity in vinegar.  You will 
boil the aforesaid fish well in this, and see that you skim it clean, and 
remove all the scum so that you take off all the white and there is none 
left, and let it boil until it is enough. So take it out of the water and 
let itdrain well in a colander or on a wooden mat which will drain it well.  
Then take spices that are strong.  That is, lots of galingale - some do not 
put galingale, but other spices - much saffron, nutmegs, ginger, cardamom, 
mace and grind it up small in a mortareach by itself or all together, to a 
powder, and put it through a strainer with the broth in which the fish was 
boiled.  Whoever also wants to, takes the scales or the skin of the fish, 
one part, and cuts it up and puts it into the broth and one must let that 
simmer until it is reduced to a third or less.  And when it is boiled lay 
the fish in dishes as they ought to lie.  That is, with their scales/skin on 
the bottom and with the insides outwards.  Then take as many dishes as you 
want to make and fill them with fish.  Then you shall pour the sauce over 
them and let them cool and so they will set when they are allowed to cool.

These recipes are all from Een Notabel Boecxken van Cokeryen, by Thomas 
vander Noot, printed in Brussels about 1514.

Sorry the recipes are long, but I thought it wouldn't be fair to send you 
half a recipe just to illustrate a point.  As you can see, the first recipe 
states very clearly that you _may not_ substitute in this dish, whereas the 
second is much more relaxed about what goes into it, as long as the spices 
are strong.

In short, I don't think there can be one simple rule about substituting.

Cairistiona
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