SC - Manual de Mujeres #63,77-80

[Robin Carroll-Mann]

And it came to pass on 26 Jun 00,, that Dana Huffman wrote:

> And the library found me a copy of Arte Cisoria (I hope
> it's the right one, I haven't seen it yet), so I get to
> play with that when I run out of this!

You'll see that it's a rather more archaic Spanish than the Manual de 
Mujeres, but not unreadable.


> Potaje muy fino

There was a recent query on rec.org.sca about flan, and if it were 
documentably period.  I replied that I wasn't aware of a period recipe for 
that dish (sweet custard, baked and with a caramel coating), but I did 
post a recipe from de Nola which is very similar to the one you 
translated here.  It has fewer egg yolks, no butter, and is thickened with 
rice flour.  (Yes, I'll post the recipe in a separate message.)  If you are 
so inclined, you might consider posting your translation in that thread.  I 
am sure that many folk would find it of interest.

> Y como haya espesado, echad un poco de manteca de
> vacas

> And when they have thickened, put [in] a little
> cow lard

I usually translate "manteca de vacas" as butter, "manteca de  puerco" 
as lard, and "manteca" as fat.

> Gastarse han estos polvos en cantidad de un azumbre de agua.

> These dusts must be used in the quantity of an azumbre of water(1).

I think "powders" might be a preferable rendering.

> 1: A modern azumbre is approximately 2 liters (1992 Real
> Academia dictionary). The 1726 Real Academia dictionary
> defines azumbre as 1/8 of an arroba or cantara, which is a
> measurement used for wine.  The phrase "azumbre de agua"
> sounds like they are specifying a measurement used for
> water - perhaps similar to how a modern wine bottle and
> water bottle would be different quantities?

I have seen "azumbre" used as a measurement for both water and wine. 
 I have no reason to think that they are different measurements.  I think 
what is happening here is an instruction to take a quantity of powder 
equal in volume to an azumbre of water.  Remember that European 
measurements for solids are usually expressed in weight, not volume.  
(Except for the occasional "a piece of butter the size of an egg").


Lady Brighid ni Chiarain
Settmour Swamp, East (NJ)
mka Robin Carroll-Mann
harper at idt.net