SC - Recognized historians

[Philip & Susan Troy]

LrdRas at aol.com wrote:
> 
> In a message dated 3/12/00 1:37:55 AM Eastern Standard Time, stefan at texas.net
> writes:
> 
> << However, I've seen both of these comments made by recognized
>  historians in the books on period cooking I've been reading.
>     >>
> 
> Recognized historians who write books about period cookery have been known to
> be notoriously sloppy in their presentations of 'facts'. The writing of a
> book on historical cookery by a recognized historian doesn't make it
> 'authoritative' any more than a book on history written by a recognized
> master chef would make it 'authoritative.'

And if you don't believe him, lok at Vehling's Apicius... ;  )
> 
> Many respected writers in the field have been known to get their 'facts'
> wrong on many occasions. Hyeatt's (sp?) first edition of Pleyn Delight
> contained numerous errors. Both The History of Food and Food in History
> contain many errors even though they were written by 'recognized authorities'.

Oh, yeah, Hieatt is one of the most universally respected (and rightly
so) of the culinary historians writing in English, and her work, over
many years and probably thousands of pages, has several pretty obvious
errors. Bread crumbs in the sambucade, for example, or her instructions
to baste a bird with a feather when it seems more likely the original
author intended the skin of the bird to be inflated with a reed (he says
to use a pen). On the other hand, her remarks about cuskynoles are right
on the money. ;  )   

There's no real way, with academic achievement set up the way it is in
the Western World, for someone to be Officially Qualified and Licensed
as a culinary historian. Some historians in the field of culinary
history tend to have varying degrees of knowledge on food; it seems
likely that Constance Hieatt is not what Ras would call "an intuitive
cook", and Terence Scully and I seem to have different ideas about what
tastes good sometimes, not to mention what constitutes a piece of
culinary recreation. I respect both of them greatly, but we all have
limitations. And then there is Karen Hess, who is not only a brilliant
scholar but also an experienced and wonderful cook. If only she did more
work on medieval stuff...

Adamantius 
- -- 
Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com