SC - Re: Asian Cuisine

[Elaine Koogler]

The earliest use of flour and fat to make a roux I know of is from Sabina
Welserin (1553), where there are several.  Here is one from Valois
Armstrong's translation:

"First, when you would make a black sauce, you should heat up a little fat
and brown a small spoonful of wheat flour in the fat and after that put good
wine into it and good cherry syrup, so that it becomes black, and sugar,
ginger, pepper, cloves and cinnamon, grapes, raisins and finely chopped
almonds. "

It sure sounds like a roux thickened sauce to me.

Bear

> Balthazar writes:
> 
> >Of course, when you can, it is my opinion that you should always use 
> >a roux.   
> 
> This discussion makes me wonder how old the "roux" method 
> actually is.  And 
> what are the oldest methods we know of that were used for 
> thickening sauces 
> and gravies?
> 
> Any thoughts?
> 
> Elysant