SC - The Kitchen article
Jeff Gedney
JGedney at dictaphone.com
Fri Mar 10 09:03:09 PST 2000
This site (ThinkQuest) seems to be a site where participating High School
students get to post their papers.
I can presume that this is not written by a historian, but a kid.
Inaccuracy and generalizations are to be expected.
some thoughts:
> This was to prevent a fire in the kitchen from spreading
> to the great hall.
It was more likely because the preparation of food was distracting,
servants work, and of no interest to the gentry (just the final product)
> Fires happened often because all food was cooked over a
> fire or in an oven.
Rampant generalization. Kitchen Fires continue to happen for the same
reasons, BTW.
> This would help to keep out the wind and keep the food warm
> on the trip.
More likely, to keep rain and mud and beggars out
> The kitchen itself could be constructed of wood or stone.
no information. All castle buildings of the period were of stone or wood
> Animals were often cooked over the fire in the fireplace on
> spits.
they were more frequently boiled, if the corpus of recipes I have seen
are any indication
(BTW Ras, I think a bed of wood coals would equate in the mind of a high
school kid to "fire"... that is putting too fine a distinction here, don't you think?)
> Spits were long poles of wood on which an animal could be secured.
metal, is more likely. a wooden spit can only be used a couple of times
before they burn through
> The
> spit would then be turned over the fire to make sure the animal was cooked
> evenly.
Freequenly be some mechanical means, by a cranker, a clockwork
mechanism (late medieval/rennaissance), or even by dogs in a tread wheel
> A
> fireplace could also be used to smoke meat, a primitive form of preserving
> it.
more likely, a smokehouse performed this function. and it was not all
that primative. A fireplace where people were working would make a
lousy smoker.
> An oven might be used to make bread or cook other dishes like pastries or
> pies.
Not other way to do that I am afraid...
Brandu
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