SC - za'atar

[lilinah at earthlink.net]

>CBlackwill at aol.com writes:
>>   I am not
>  > Middle Eastern, so I can't vouch for the authenticity, but the 
>author paints
>  > a picture of a very civilized and comfortable society.
>
>Not very authentic. Middle Eastern food has changed as much as European food
>in the intervening years.
>
>Ras

Well, now, it *is* authentic. After all Ms. Roden was born and raised 
in the Middle East from a Middle Eastern family in the 20th century. 
So it's accurate for the 20th century, and includes a fair bit of 
info from the 19th c. as well.

However, it does not represent the food and culture of the Near and 
Middle East *from before 1601*, if that's what Lord Ras means by 
authentic :-) although she does have a few recipes from al-Baghdadi. 
While i think it is an excellent and *authentic* cookbook, it is not 
suitable as a basis for SCA historic cooking...

Anahita al-shazhiyya