SC - Trenchers Oh my!

[Stefan li Rous]

Muirghen said:
> Well I trial cooked the Wroclaw trencher recipe from the Florigium and I 
> must tell you it is awful!  I am sure that it faithfully replicates the 
> intent of the trencher and if people were expected to actually eat these 
> things I really do feel their pain!  I made mine with spelt and rye 
> flour.  The result was heavy and had a bitter after taste.  If you 
> intend to try this one, I would suggest a trial with a reduced amount. 
> I foolishly did the full amount and have regretted it.
> 
> Knowing that there are some that will think I am criticizing the =
> Florigium, let me say that is NOT the case.  I am just letting you know =
> that this recipe does not produce a palatable result to my modern =
> western taste.  For the first time feast head cook, I pass my lesson on =
> to you.  In all my other dishes, I used reduced quantities until I had =
> the desired effect.  I got cocky with bread having been baking for =
> several days now and wanted to be done with that part of the =
> pre-cooking.  Avoid being tempted to go to the dark side!

But it doesn't appear that the High Society feasters for whom the feasts
that used trenchers were meant for, would have eaten the trenchers. We have
manner books that specifically say not to eat the trencher, if I'm 
remembering correctly. I imagine the poor, whom the left-over trenchers
were given to, were not as picky.

I think the real question is, Did your trenchers work as intended, as
plate substitutes? Does the juice soak through them? Or have you not
had a chance to try them out yet? I think the trencher info also talks
about the bread sitting for several days, so that it wasn't fresh.

I don't take it as a criticism of the Florilegium. That recipe is
straight out of the Poland medieval food book. And I think all the
recipes in that book are guesses, there not being any original recipes
available for Poland from the medieval period.

Thanks for the feedback on the trenchers.
- -- 
THL  Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
Mark S. Harris                   Austin, Texas                stefan at texas.net
**** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:  http://www.florilegium.org ****