SC - Re: New World Food Rant / Counter Rant

[Bonne of Traquair]

>
><<  However, a lot of expensive and unfamiliar 100% pre-New
>  World period food gets scraped into the garbage can. >>

What is unfamiliar about beef, pork, and chicken that would make your 
feasters toss it rather than taste it and therefore you would prefer to cook 
turkey?  If unfamiliar food and feasters with limited palate preferences are 
the problem, turkey isn't the solution.  The solution is finding recipes 
that ARE familiar.  And since many of us are of western european descent, 
familiar foods are easy enough to find.  When I first began reading on the 
topic of medieval (and renaissance) foods, I was finding familiar food that 
I would place in the 'traditional' category every page or two, or something 
close enough that most people would eat it. Though some may prefer not to 
cook late period "nouveau cuisine" I think that category of recipes is a 
good introduction for both the cook and the eater.  The techniqe and spicing 
are just unfamiliar enough to make it easy.  Besides, there are often some 
older recipes here and there in any of the late documents, and the cook gets 
drawn further and further back.

As to the argument that turkey is a cheap alternative and should be used for 
that reason, I can't reconcile that to the statement that turkey is rare 
enough in some areas to make it a gourmet treat.  I would think that would 
also make it on the expensive or hard-to-obtain side and pork, beef or 
chicken would be preferred.

At any rate, far greater savings than the usual difference between turkey 
and say, beef, can be obtained by searching for the cheapest price.  With 
some effort, any kind of meat can be found at less than $1 a lb either 
because of the bulk you are buying or because you've done a little "we are a 
non-profit educational organization" begging. Applying the same effort to 
every ingredient is what keeps feast costs down.  I'm really encouraging 
this in my barony.  I work in a non-profit in real life.  Businesses big and 
small are happy to donate or discount so long as they get a proper receipt 
in order to use it on their taxes.

Bonne
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