SC - Excellent Small Cakes, Digby

[Tom Bilodeau]

Greetings the list,

      Contrary to anything the message header might say I am neither 
Cairistiona nic Bhreonnighan nor Christina van Tets.  I am Jan van Seist her 
companion on pilgramage hijacking her e-mail account temporarily to send you 
some spicy stories (those of you who wish to correspond with me off-list 
shoudl direct their carrier pigeons to ivantets at bgumail.bgu.ac.il).

       As the Adamastorians among you (special greetings to the cunning 
cooks of fair Afrique's fairest shire) already know, I am currently on 
pilgrimage in the Holy Land and am using the opportunity to snuffle around 
the local spice markets in search of the rare and wondrous spices that my 
Burgundian tummy is so fond of.  It occurred to me that some of you have 
similar interests and might be interested in or helped by some of the 
information that I have uncovered during my spicy scurryings.

      Long pepper (Piper longum) is readily available in the Holy Land.  In 
my region (the desolate deserts of the Negev)it is sold by Bedouin merchants 
under the Arabic name "Dar filfil" and by Jewish merchants of Ethiopian 
extraction under the Amharic name "Timiz".  The Bedouin use it as a medicine 
and thus sell it in small quantities at high prices.  The Ethiopian Jews use 
it as a normal cooking spice and sell it by the sack full for a tenth of the 
price.

      Grains of Paradise/Meleguetta Pepper (Aframomum meleguetta)is 
available here but is much more difficult to obtain (the spice markets in 
Jerusalem and Gaza seem to be the only places and even there it is not 
common).  It is sold under the Arabic name "tinfil" (tin = fig, fil = 
elephant).

      Three other forms of cardamom are sold here (and all are much easier 
to find - at least here in the Negev).  "normal" cardamom - a key ingredient 
in middle-eastern coffee - is sold under the Hebrew name "hel" (although I 
would not be surprised to learn that the Arabic name is identical).  Indian 
or brown cardamom is sold (by Jews of Indian extraction) under either its 
Indian name "Kala Ilayachi" or by its Nepali name "Alainchi".  A third 
Cardamom (Aframomum korarima) is sold by Ethiopian Jews under its Amharic 
name "Korarima" (guess where the Linnaean name came from :-) and is 
apparently used most commonly in a sauce that goes by the auspicious name of 
"Wat".   I do not know whether Wat is SCA period or not, perhaps a guild 
member with an Abyssinian personae might have more information.

     Sumac is very easy to find here (usually as powder) as it used by just 
about everyone (mainly as an ingredient in the popular spice mix Za'atar).  
Its Aramaic name "sumac" (meaning "to blush") has been adopted by both the 
Hebrew & Arabic speakers of this region.

     The local version of Za'atar consists of four primary ingredients 
(although other spices are often added):

1)  Majorana syriaca (sold locally by its Hebrew name - Ezov matzui "common 
hyssop". The plant is not the same as the European hyssop)

2)  Sesamum indicum (sesame seed)

3)  Rhye typhina (sumac)

4)  salt

The major use for za'atar seems to be enlivining the standard local worker's 
meal (manual labourers from all sorts of ethnic backgrounds eat this for 
breakfast &/or lunch &/or as a snack) i): pita spread with labane (a soft 
white cheese-like substance)and seasoned with za'atar and olive oil.

thank you for your time and your patience,
yours in service,
Jan van Seist
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