SC - Butterscotch flavor

[Huette von Ahrens]

Eden said:

<< Scully says in his notes "This vegetable seems to be unknown in early
European cookery outside of the italian and iberian peninsulas.  among
Italian recipe collections only ours recognizes it." seems a pretty
clear sign that they only reason they knew of it in naples is because of
the spanish influence. >>

Very true! The catalan influence is all pervasive in this recipe
collection. BTW, Grewe, in his footnote 2 to the first eggplant recipe
of the Libre de Sent Soví (#149), already mentioned the eggplant recipe
in the "Manuscrit Napolità" as a rare phenomenon. 

Re the Scappi recipes:
<< it may also be molegnare - a kind of plum (per Florio)Perhaps the
word you are thinking of is melongeua which florio cites as the latin
for eggplant? Unfortunately my scappi uses a different numbering system
... >>

First, the Scappi recipes are at:
- -- II 224 (Libro secondo, Cap. CCXXIIII.): _melanzane_
- -- III 229-232 (Terzo libro, Cap. CCXXIX. etc.): _Molignane_
- -- V 109 (Quinto libro, Cap. CIX.): torta di molignane
there may be more...

What evidence is there, that _molignane_ refer to eggplants?

- -- The fact, that the term is used to refer to eggplants still today by
some speakers. Thanks Adamantius for this valuable information.

- -- Searching for "molignane" at www.altavista.com will take you to two
webpages about the history of pasta (one of them by an Italian author),
who mention "molignane [eggplants]".

- -- The fact, that there is a parallel recipe to the Cuoco Napoletano
eggplant recipe in the Riva del Garda manuscript, where the main
ingredients are called "mollegnani" instead of "Marignani".

- -- Bertoluzza, in his book about the Riva del Garda manuscript
understands "mollegnani" in the sense of 'melanzane', eggplants, too (p.
245). His reasons, however (page 105), are not very specific: "In alcuni
testi antichi ritroviamo la definizione delle mellanzane riferita ai
_mollegnani_"; I should like to know which are these "alcuni testi
antichi".

> Working with the Library of congress edition (as well as the english
> Epulario) I find no paralell to this recipe, although I've already come
> across another recipe that is in the Riva del Garda, but neither of mine, so
> I'm becomeing very interested in that edition :-> 

Yes, there are differences between the versions of the -- broadly
speaking -- Martino family. The Riva del Garda manuscript was edited
twice: first, by Aldo Bertoluzza in a somewhat strange edition with not
very legible facsimile reproductions from the single recipes of the
manuscript together with a more or less modern paraphrase of the text
(Scully, Cuoco N. p. 11 note 27: "... accompanied by a very sketchy and
occasionally  untrustworthy translation into modern Italian").
The second edition is that of Claudio Benporat in his 'Cucina Italiana
del Quattrocento', page 157-231 (Scully: "with some evidence of haste
and misreadings, it should be observed").

Here is the text of Riva del Garda #103:

"103. Per fare cocere li mollegnani che non siano troppo forti ne troppo
malfatti tagliali in quarti e mondali suttille como uno pero poy metteli
al focho con uno pocho daqua e falli dare uno buglio Et che sia del sale
et quando bugli mettelli drento li mollegnani et lassalli buglire per
spatio de 2 pater noster da poy cavali fora e fali sugare poy infarinali
e frigelli como li pessi et como sono fritte scolla via loleo lassandone
un pocho in la padella con li mollegnani dapoy piglia una spigha daglio
et pistalla con uno quarto de mollegnani poy habi un pocho de regon che
se mette sopra le allisse pistato con aglio con uno pocho di pane
zafrano pipero e sale distemprando queste cosse con agresto e se lo
agresto he troppo forte mette uno diaqua poy gitta ogni cossa insema in
la padella a cocere con li molegnani uno pochetino poy mictelli in uno
pyattello e mandali ala tavolla." (Benporat p. 190f.).

Compare this recipe to Cuoco Napoletano #33. What do you think?

Thomas