SC - Fw: [IR] Silly Nicknames- OT

[kelsaborg]

In a message dated 1/26/00 3:27:09 PM Eastern Standard Time, LrdRas at aol.com 
writes:

<< 
 So if I understand you correctly, your references to lack of appropriate 
 quantities of certain foodstuffs was referring to a lack of space to grow 
 things on or an inability to find certain ingredients in your local 
 supermarket and not meant to convey the impression that such dishes would 
 have been prepared in limited quantity within SCA period?>>>

    Not entirely........ My impression from reading the various period 
recipes, is that they were not *generally* prepared in quantities sufficient 
to serve all the guests at a feast or even a large dinner. Rather, that the 
cooks would prepare a wide variety of dishes, which were intended to serve 
the people in the area it was set down in, with those of higher status 
getting the daintier preparations, and those of lower status getting the more 
common items. The way many recipes are phrased has led me to believe that 
only one bowl, dish, or platter of a given food was expected to be made at a 
time. My impression only, and, as such, quite possibly inaccurate! :-)
    In addition, though, I don't think the cooks in period would have had an 
unlimited amount of all ingredients, either. Even things that were grown at 
the manor or castle would have limits--say, the first spring greens might not 
come up in sufficient profusion to feed more than the lord and his family, so 
the others in the household wouldn't get any until later in the season. Or, 
the hunting might have procured several different kinds of birds, that would 
be cooked in various ways and served separately. And if the illustrations of 
castle and manor gardens are accurate as to scale, they didn't grow vast 
quantities of a particular herb, etc., all the time. I'm thinking especially 
of the pictures of enclosed gardens, with smallish (2 to 3 foot) squares of 
dirt bordered by paths. The plants in the squares seem to vary a good bit, so 
they obviously were growing a small amount of a number of things. My own 
impression, again, is that the tendency was not to grow whole fields of much 
but grains, and perhaps a few other things like turnips and onions--therefore 
my assumption that they would have limited amounts of various ingredients at 
a given time.   
 
>>> I can understand your frustration. I also have limited space for growing 
 things although I do manage to grow quite a few different plants in the area 
 that I do have. What I have found to be satisfying, when I can't 
 grow/find/order a large quantity of something for a particular recipe that I 
 want to redact, is using the quantity I can get at the time it is available 
 and working out the recipe on a smaller scale. This allows for the redacting 
 of recipes that could not normally be done on a large scale. The 
satisfaction 
 of having added to the data base of usable recipes is a plus and the smaller 
 worked out versions can always be increased for feast use if the rare item 
 becomes plentiful.
 
 Ras
  >>
    An excellent plan, that I have emulated to some small extent myself. I've 
been known to grow a particular herb just to season one dish I want to try, 
even........ ;-) Though I've done that more often when it is something needed 
for a feast, that the small quantities I could produce would still be 
sufficient for. And then there was the time I used my folk's garden to try to 
grow Italian gourds for a feast......... Unfortunately, they followed a 
typical garden pattern here in Meridies, and stopped producing in the heat of 
August! Didn't start coming back until late September......... *sigh* Had to 
use Zucchini instead, which was tasty, but not quite the same. Ah, 
well........ :-}

                Ldy Diana