SC - Anglo-Saxon cooling

[allilyn at juno.com]

Constance, et al,

Here is what Ann Hagen has to say about Anglo-Saxon cooling methods in
Britain:

A note regarding the [possible] use of saltpetre [potassium nitrate] to
preserve dead bodies, and freeze ale or water, in Estonia.  She thinks it
was not practiced in England.

"In any case, unheated storerooms were likely to have temperatures not
much above freezing for some of the winter months.  Stores had probably
diminished by the time hot weather came, and restocking of dairy goods
and meat would not start until the advent of cooler weather.

   Butter needs to be stored somewhere cool, since it will become rancid
even when salted.  Unsalted cheese would have to be treated as butter,
although it would not go rancid as quickly as unsalted butter.  In many
parts of Britain it was the custom to bury butter in suitable containers,
in peat bogs and a similar method may have been adopted for mutton fat in
areas of Scandinavian influence.  The partial exclusion of air helped
keep the fat fresh.  Perhaps most households had to make do with cool
storerooms.  Pots made of porous clay could have been dipped in water
which took up heat to evaporate, lowering the temperature of the
contents.  Salted cheeses could be stored somewhere dry, in the meal
chest, for example, or 'hung up'.

   Eggs may have been preserved in ash pits, old malt, straw or bran, but
results were often less than satisfactory. [p.43]

   Root vegetables could have been stored in cellars or dark storerooms. 
By spring, when the roots were less palatable, their shoots could be used
as early salad.
snip
Cellars
There is archaeological and documentary evidence for cellars, which are
ideal for storage, remaining cool in summer and winter.  Ad hoc cellars
were probably holes in the ground, like the food storage pit from the
Norman period at Pevensey Castle." [p.44]
footnotes not included.
 Hagen, Ann. A HANDBOOK OF ANGLO-SAXON FOOD. Processing and Consumption.
AngloSaxon Books, Nisslwawx, Middlesex,  England. 1992. 

She has a second volume, Hagen, Ann. A SECOND HANDBOOK OF ANGLO-SAXON
FOOD & DRINK: PRODUCTION & DISTRIBUTION. Anglo-Saxon Books. 1995. 
Both are excellent books, well researched and ideal for documentation.

Hope this helps your research, Constance.  We are all in appreciative awe
of your work!

Regards,
Allison,     allilyn at juno.com


________________________________________________________________
YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET!
Juno now offers FREE Internet Access!
Try it today - there's no risk!  For your FREE software, visit:
http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.