SC - Re: sca-cooks V1 #2595

[Decker, Margaret]

In a message dated 09/14/2000 2:51:02 PM Eastern Daylight Time, ddfr at best.com 
writes:

> I'm not familiar with the recipe. Is it clear that it was written pre-1600, 
and is it clear 
> that it is sweet potatoes? While I know of references to eating potatoes 
just pre-
> 1600, I didn't know of any actual recipes that early--but then, there's a 
lot I don't 
> know about late period cooking.

In the preface to the book, there is mention of an inscription in the front 
of Elinor Fettiplace's Receipt Book which says: Lady Elinor Fettiplace, 1604. 
Fettiplace offers three recipes with sweet potatoes.

Prior to this recipe, Hilary Spurling states: "If almond soup goes back to 
medieval times, the buttered potato roots given below  were still, in the 
late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, a brand new vegetable from 
the New World. Columbus had brought sweet potatoes back from America (our 
ordinary modern potato did not reach the English markets until the 1640's) 
and by Lady Fettiplace's day they had become a regular autumn import from 
Spain, highly popular on account of their supposed aphrodesiac properties."

On pg 193: To Butter Potato Roots
"Take the roots & boile them in water, till they bee verie soft, then peele 
them & slice them , then put some rosewater to them & sugar & the pill of an 
orenge, & some of the iuice of the orenge, so let them boile a good while, 
then put some butter to them & when it is melted, serve them. This way you 
may bake them, but put them unboiled into the paste."

On pg 194, To Preserve Potatoes
"Boile your roots in faire water untill they bee somewhat tender then pill of 
the skinne, then make your syrupe, weying to every pound of roots a pound of 
sugar and a quarter of a pinte of faire water, & as much of rose water, & the 
iuice of three or fowre orenges, then boile the syrupe & scum it, then cut 
your roots in the middle & put them into the syrup, & boole them till they 
bee throughlie soaked in the syrupe, before you take it from the fire, put in 
a little musk and amber greece." 

In Service,

Ilaria