SC - asparagus salad from Rumpolt 1581

[lilinah at earthlink.net]

Thomas intrigued us when he wrote:
>Rumpolt (1581) has a recipe for "Spargel Salat" (asparagus salad):
>
>"15. Spargel Salat/ der auch gequellt ist/ vnnd klein geschnitten/ oder
>gantz angemacht/ ist auff beyde manier gut. Du kanst jn machen mit
>Erbeßbru:eh/ mit ein wenig Butter/ Pfeffer vnnd Essig/ warm auff ein
>Tisch gegeben" (fol. 158a).
>
>Roughly: 'Asparagus salad. Soak/water the asparagus and cut to small
>pieces or leave it in whole pieces and dress it, it is good in both
>ways. You can make it with pea broth/ with some butter/ pepper and
>vinegar. Serve it warm'.

Thomas, do you interpret this to mean that asparagus was eaten raw? 
Or does the watering part suggest that perhaps it was cooked?

I'm curious as to how often vegetables were eaten raw in the "olde 
dayes" (and, yes, i understand that if so, it would vary from place 
to place) and when vegetables were cooked, just how "well done" were 
they?

I ask because my mother didn't cook vegetables until they fell apart, 
but many women in her generation did. And certainly most in my 
grandmothers' generation cooked cut up vegetables in deep pots of 
boiling water until those that started bright green were rather olive 
drab when served. Then in the '60's i discovered health food and 
steaming or stir frying rather than boiling vegetables, so they 
remain toothsome or even crisp.

Anyone? Were Medieval vegetables cooked until mushy and limp? or what?

Anahita al-shazhiyya