SC - First medieval cookery book WAS new book

[Christina Nevin]

Aelfwyn at aol.com wrote:
> 
> Hello the List,
> While gathering and trying several of the recipes for our April 1 feast, I
> found that the recipes are saying to parboil the onions before sauteing them
> with other items. Is the boiling to make a milder onion flavor? To give a
> softer texture in the final dish? One of the recipes in question was an
> Egerdouce (sp) where the onions were to be boiled then chopped before
> sauteing and adding the liquid for simmering the meat. The final product was
> very nice and will be served with the day board at Northern Lights. Just
> curious about a process I seldom see in modern recipes.

Points to consider:

Yes, it may have to do with making the onions milder in flavor,
especially since we aren't necessarily talking about Vidalias here ;  )
. In fact, we may, conceivably, be dealing with something a bit tougher
than what we're used to, so boiling them until mostly tender before
adding them to a dish may make more sense for medieval onions than for ours.

Another point: many egredouce recipes seem to be designed with an eye on
a humorically balanced dish. Often the meat or fish is fried, which
heats and dries it (duh!), to which is added vinegar, notoriously
cooling. Makes sense, huh? Not to mention that it is believed by many to
"cut the grease" in fried foods. Sugar is, I think, moderately warming
and slightly humid (think expectorant). Anyway, I've just checked in a
Tacuinum Sanitatis, which says onions are warm in the fourth degree, and
varying opinions on moistness versus dryness are given. Parboiling them
_may_ be designed to make them cooler and moister, to create a more
balanced, and therefore more healthful, dish.
  
Or maybe it's yummier that way...

Adamantius
- -- 
Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com