SC - Re: Manteca

[Robin Carroll-Mann]

And it came to pass on 19 Sep 00,, that Vincent Cuenca wrote:

> I checked the RAE, and indeed, the main usage of "manteca" is for lard,
> and specifically pork fat. 

And just to confuse the issue a little more, in Catalan "mantega" is 
butter, while "llard" is, well, lard.  One of the things I need to start doing 
is to compare ingredients in the _Libre de Coch_ to those in the 
Spanish editions.

> (Maybe somebody should send some De Nola recipes to Emeril Lagasse.)

Arriba manteca!

>  There is a recipe for a sour cherry butter
> (the exact term used is "mantequilla") in De Nola, in the section for
> invalids, which does not include any fats at all. 

??  I'm confused.  Which recipe are you referring to here?  The only 
cherry recipe I see in the invalid section is the LECTUARIO DE 
GUINDAS PARA ENFERMOS QUE HAN PERDIDO LA GANA DE 
COMER (Electuary of Cherries for Invalids who Have Lost the Desire to 
Eat).  I would call it a cherry preserve, rather than a fruit butter, though 
that's a minor point, but I don't see the word "mantequilla" anywhere.  
Are you working from the 1529 Logrono edition or another one?

> Since the RAE puts the
> name of "manteca" ultimately to any thick, oleaginous substance (cocoa and
> almond butters are cited), using butter in the sauce could be justified.
> 
> It doesn't help any that De Nola calls certain fine grades of fat
> "aceite", which means "oil".

I have assumed that whenever he calls for "aceite" he means oil, 
specifcally olive oil.  In some recipes it's given as an alternative for fat 
(presumably lard).  In which recipes is "aceite" used to mean "fat"?

> (Man, this is making me dizzy!)

I'm spinning a fair amount, myself.  Shall we waltz?  :-)


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