SC - Teacups (was re: An Elderly Cookbook)

[Elaine Koogler]

And, in case any of us run across a Spanish recipe with this measurement in it, I
hope you'll share your information with us!

Kiri

Robin Carroll-Mann wrote:

> And it came to pass on 16 Apr 00,, that Stefan li Rous wrote:
>
> > Lady Brighid answered my question with:
> > > The sources I've seen on the web seem to consider a teacupful to be
> > > somewhere around 4-6 fluid ounces.
> >
> > Thank you, Brighid. I know what a teacup is and there are probably some in
> > my mother's china or in the china that was her mothers but I don't have
> > any teacups here at my house. Lots of coffee mugs yes, teacups, no.
>
> You're welcome.  I have some teacups, but only because I inherited a
> lovely set of Royal Doulton from my husband's grandmother.  When I
> drink tea or coffee, I like a mug big enough to swim in.  :-)
>
> >The measurement in ounces or fractions of a cup was indeed what I was curious
> > about.
>
> I've been struggling with a similar problem in Spanish cuisine.  There's a
> kind of bowl called an escudilla which is mentioned in darn near every
> recipe.  Most often it's used as a synonym for servings, ie., "and for five
> dishes take a pound of toasted almonds...".  But in some recipes, it's
> actually used as a measurement, "take half an escudilla of
> rosewater...".  As far as I can tell, it's not a defined unit of
> measurement; escudillas were pretty standardized in size and shape,
> and anyone who would be reading a cookbook would have one (or
> many) in their cupboard.
>
> I emailed an archaeologist who is the author of a detailed article on 15th
> and 16th century escudillas and briefly explained my problem.  And I
> used the example of "teacupful" in 19th century cookbooks -- just about
> everyone had a teacup in her cupboard.  Alas, I don't have an escudilla
> in mine.  He was about to leave for a conference, but promised to send
> me a copy of his article, which contains detailed descriptions.  Maybe
> I'll send him a "thank you" package of bizcochos...
>
> Lady Brighid ni Chiarain
> Settmour Swamp, East (NJ)
> mka Robin Carroll-Mann
> harper at idt.net
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