SC - Good book on the history of Cod.

[Stefan li Rous]

I recently bought this book from Jessica's Biscuit. I thought it was a 
wonderful book. A fair amount of the history it relates is within the
SCA period. It has a number of descriptions of how fish was preserved.

Even the post SCA period stuff is interesting. Nanna, Iceland is covered
extensively in the book, especially the last century or two.

There are a number of recipes, some of which are prior to 1600. Unfortunately,
while salt cod used to be inexpensive, now a days it can be quite the 
opposite. About all I've been able to find are the little wooden boxes
with about a pound of salt cod in them. However, I've got a box in my
refrigerator (why? because it was refrigerated when I bought it) that I'm
saving to try a period recipe or two with.

Anyway, I recommend this book to those interested in a little studied
area of period culture (fishing) especially at this sale price.

>COD: Biography of the Fish That Changed the World by Mark Kurlansky
>Copyright July 1998, Item #SF399P
>List Price:  $11.95  Jessica's Biscuit Price:  $5.98
>http://www.ecookbooks.com/books/books_view_user.html?sku=19981029182448255413
>
>"In this fascinating story of cod, written in a flowing, poetic prose, the
>author takes you back to the ancient Basque fishermen and the recipes
of the
>fourteenth-century Taillevent, the eighteenth-century Hannah Glasse,
and the
>nineteenth-century Alexander Dumas.  This exceptional book entertainingly
>reveals the importance of this wonderful fish in world history." -- Jacques
>Pepin

Stefan

(who has drink syrups made, ducks cooked, hyppocras made, wafers baked,
three sauces done, egg stuffing done, compote made and only the roast
and 
the roasted onion salad to go. But only two nights left. I didn't end 
up freezing the pastries or the ducks so I'm making them near to the
event time. Maybe one more syrup and one more sauce to do)
- -- 
Lord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
Mark S. Harris             Austin, Texas           stefan at texas.net
**** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:  http://www.florilegium.org ****