SC - Lady Seaton's Project

[Lorix]

david friedman wrote:

> Wouldn't it make more sense to  find period recipes that are
> consistent with those restrictions instead of altering ones that
> aren't? That way the people in question can have a considerably more
> medieval experience.
>
> Concern about the health consequences of food is a very period
> attitude, and combining that with the religious restrictions results
> in a pretty wide range of recipes. Vegetarian recipes, in particular,
> are common in the surviving cookbooks.

M'lord,
I usually try to do as you have suggested, but sometimes I am stumped by certain
allergies.  Eg allergies to gluten for example.  Now, in some cases people would
still like to sample pies etc, but are unable because of the pastry used.  OK, I
provide a variety of food that they can eat, per period recipes, but I also may (if
time & inclination permits) make some dishes that specifically cater to their
needs, say in this case substituting flour used to make a different sort of
pastry.  Alternatively, I might leave out a spice or substance that I know people
may be allergic to.

In the above cases, I will generally tend to omit the 'offending' allergen then add
an alternative (usually relying on the food already used to be sufficient).  I
would suggest that even with the omission - the result is still period ;-)

For example, there are medieval recipes that use substances that we now consider
dangerous.  Eg, the salad recipe from Curye on English (Hieatt) actually gives a
description of all vegetables/herbs to be used in the salad (notable, because many
of the others merely state take herbs & add other stuff ;-).  However, it includes
rue in the recipe which can function as an abortificant in pregnant women (which I
consider seriously bad news).  So I omit this particular ingredient when making the
salad.  I still consider that the resultant dish that I have made is period, since
I have used the other ingredients stated, I have merely omitted to use an
ingredient which could have an unfortunate affect on a pregnant feaster.

I guess I am trying to give a different slant on this 'adaptation' of recipes to
cater for allergies or food preferences.  Just what sort of change or addition
renders a dish 'not period'.  If you want to use a particular period recipe because
it gives far more info than others you have found, is the omission of a particular
ingredient that vital to the end result?  In some cases, well the answer would be
yes (eg omitting the meat in a meat pie ;-).  No doubt in that case you would look
to find an alternative recipe that used the actual ingredients that you wish to
use.  However, where the omission is more in respect to a herb, spice, or a less
integral part of the recipe - I would consider the result to still be period.
However, I would tend to print a menu that indicated what my period source was &
what ommission/addition I had made . . .

just a thought,
Lorix

PS: before anyone asks, recipe for Salat from Hieatt:
Salat - salad of lettuce & herbs: from Hieatt, Constance B. and Sharon Butler.
Curye on Inglish: English Culinary Manuscripts of the Fourteenth-Century (Including
the Forme of Cury). New York: for The Early English Text Society by the Oxford
University Press, 1985.
“78 Salat. Take persel, sawge, grene garlec, chibolles, letys, leek, spinoches,
borage, myntes, prymos, violettes, porrettes, fenel, and toun cressis, rew,
rosemarye, purslarye; laue and waishe hem clene. Pike hem. Pluk hem small with thyn
honde, and myng hem wel with rawe oile; lay on vyneger and salt, and serue it
forth.”

Salad. Take parsley, sage, green garlic, scallions, lettuce, leek, spinach, borage,
mints, primroses, violets, "porrettes" (green onions, scallions, & young leeks),
fennel, and garden cress, _rue_ (omit rue because it is an abortificant), rosemary,
purslane; rinse and wash them clean. Peel them. (Remove stems, etc.) Tear them into
small pieces with your hands, and mix them well with raw oil; lay on vinegar and
salt, and serve.