SC - Martino Question (Blancmange)

[Robin Carroll-Mann]

And it came to pass on 10 May 00,, that CBlackwill at aol.com wrote:

> The recipe states: "...let it boil for an hour, moving and stirring it
> constantly with a spoon, adding half a libra and a finely chopped and
> pounded breast of capon...."
> 
> Are we to assume that the author calls for half a libra of capon, _and_
> the finely chopped and pounded breast?  This is my interpretation, but the
> author of The Medieval Kitchen suggests that Martino meant "half a libra
> of sugar" and the breast of one capon.

Sugar -- and a significant quantity of sugar, at that -- was a usual 
ingredient in blancmange.  Half a libra of sugar seems an entirely 
reasonable guess IMO.


Lady Brighid ni Chiarain
Settmour Swamp, East (NJ)
mka Robin Carroll-Mann
harper at idt.net