SC - Cariadoc asks about bear recipes

[Philip & Susan Troy]

Sorry, I lost the original query and can't seem to remember what the
header was...

As I recall Ras and Friederich were speaking of bear stew, and one of
the bear recipes mentioned was something that had been mentioned on the
cooks' list.

Unless I'm manufacturing artificial memories again, something I seem to
be doing lately, the alleged period bear recipe was Vn Vyaunde Furne3
san3 noum de chare, from Harl. MS 279. It contains a line that goes,
"(th)an take larde3 of Venysoun, or a bere, or of a Bere, & kerue hem
(th)inne as Fylettes of Porke..."

For what it's worth, Thomas Austin, in his edition of this published as
the Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books, says in his glossary and index
that this is a typo/scribal error and should read "Bore" or boar. He's
not really clear about why he thinks this, though it seems reasonable
given the lack of supporting evidence of bears being used for food in an
English recipe book, and the wealth of boar references.

As I recall there's a little information about bears in Platina, but no
culinary information to speak of. 

Adamantius
- -- 
Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com