SC - Is Arrowroot Period?
CBlackwill at aol.com
CBlackwill at aol.com
Thu Apr 6 00:38:09 PDT 2000
In a message dated 4/5/00 9:47:50 PM Pacific Daylight Time, stefan at texas.net
writes:
> > You must admit that there were many thousand
> > more cooks in the middle ages than there were cookbook authors.
>
> Yes, as there are today. And your point is?
My point is that not all recipes used during the middle ages likely made it
into cookbooks. But, I think I'll stop beating this dead horse, unless there
are any objections.
>
> > And the
> > potato was in widespread use in parts of Europe (read "Western Culture")
> by
> > the end of our period of interest. Simply because it did not make it
into
>
> > the culinary guides of the day does not mean it was not consumed
regularly.
>
> > That is the crux of my arguement:
>
> Now this I have to disagree with fairly strongly, at least for the potato.
> The evidence just doesn't point to it. There are several books on the
> history of the potato. If you wish I'll dig out the biblio info on the
> one I just finished reading. Even when the potato is mentioned in some of
> the late period herbals and cookbooks you must be careful not to assume
> the text is talking about the white potato. Often times you find out whne
> you dig deeper that it is the Sweet Potato which is meant. The Sweet Potato
> took off much quicker than did the white or Virginia potato.
Now this, I will concede. Some of my own recent research has led me to the
same conclusion. Potatoes were most likely the Sweet variety (patata or
batata), rather than whites or russet-type.
> Recipes all up and down the authenticity range may be useful at different
> times and places. Different people have different views. Ras and I have
> had a number of arguments over this here. If I understand him correctly,
> he thinks we should only cook food served to the Nobility and only that
> which can be documented by period recipes. I on the other hand am willing
> to accept that we don't have recipes for peasant meals and the nobility of
> earlier or out-of-the-way cultures and am willing to accept more guesswork
> using non-recipe evidence as the basis to try to re-create such period
> meals.
So long as these are, again, "educated guesses", based on what we already
know of the cookery of the middle ages, then I agree.
Thank you for the information.
Balthazar of Blackmoor
Such a strange fascination, as I wallow in waste
That such a trivial victory could put a smile on your face.
More information about the Sca-cooks
mailing list