SC - Rosee or Morree
DianaFiona at aol.com
DianaFiona at aol.com
Wed Jan 26 14:49:44 PST 2000
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
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