SC - OOP question 1700's sources.

[allilyn@juno.com]

Thomas Gloning wrote:
> 
> -- "Karwenada"/"Karbenada"/"Carwenada" is something different from
> "Zirwenada/Zurwonada". What Rumpolt calls "Zurwonada" etc. is a type of
> sausage. What he calls "Karwenade" etc. seems to refer firstly to a
> certain type of meat (roast joint? rib? cutlet? meat from the back?) and
> secondly to a certain type of preparation of this meat ("Vnd die Speiß
> nennt man Carwenada"; #66 in the ox section).

I'm sorry, I should have been following this more closely before
sticking my nose in. I was just noticing the vague possibility that
Zirwenada and Cervelato might share etymological roots, based on a
similarity of names. I have no other evidence, either, but then that's
why I asked.

When I hear "Karwenade", the first thing I think of is Gervase Markham's
(and other authors') description of Carbonadoes, which is described as a
French dish/process involving the quick broiling of certain meats,
poultry, etc., ranging from raw beefsteaks to boiled tongue or pigs'
feet. The linking factor is the cooking process, which seems to involve
a vertical iron plate from which protude numerous little spikes or
hooks. The meat is hung on the points of the plate, and the plate itself
absorbs heat from the fire and radiates it back onto the side of the
meat that isn't facing the fire. The meat is then served with a fairly
typical sharp sauce made from vinegar and/or citrus juice, salt and
pepper, and butter as a thickener. Renaissance beurre blanc, or
something along those lines.

Could this grilled meat be what Rumpolt is talking about?
> 
> -- I have no evidence up to now whether or not "Zurwonada" and its
> variants belong to Italian "cervellato". Let me mention two conflicting
> positions:
> + Hopf, in her dictionary, treats "cervelat, ... welsche wurst,
> zerbenade, zirwenade(wurst), zurwonada" in one entry; but she gives no
> reasons, no explanation, no supporting references for doing so.

Well, either she knows something we don't, or has been a little sloppy
and guessed, as I did ;  )

> + Wiswe, in his "Kulturgeschichte der Kochkunst", treats "Cervelat" and
> "Zurwenada" as two things; he too gives no reasons.
> 
> At first sight, the preparation of the "zerwulawirstlach" (little
> cervelat sausages; #24) in Sabina Welser seems to be similar to the two
> descriptions of the preparation of Zurwenada in Rumpolt (VIIa [this one
> is online in the ox-section]; XLIIa); but there are differences too.
> 
> For the moment, I would prefer a translation for the "Zirwonada auff
> Welsch gemacht" like "Zirwonada sausage prepared in an Italian style"
> together with a note that mentions (or quotes/translates) the two
> descriptions of Zurwanada/Zurwonada in Rumpolt and their possible
> relations to Zervelatwurst (saveloy?).
> 
> Just an opinion & more later.

Fair enough. Is it safe to assume, though, that the Welsch gemacht is in
fact Italian? Again, this may have been covered and I may have missed
it. Sorry! Saveloy, by the way, does appear to be linked,
etymologically, to cervelat, at least according to Larousse. 

Just as an aside, does anybody have any information as to why cervelat
is so named, and yet does not contain brains? My pet theory is that some
versions of cervelat are rather large, and are encased in omentum or
caul fat, then tied up in a bundle to seal it and support its weight as
it boils. The resulting large sausage could be considered to look
somewhat like a brain. This is purely speculative, though. Does anybody
have any real information?

Adamantius
- -- 
Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com