SC - Colored Broth without Fire

[Jenne Heise]

> So do you think that if I use perhaps the black lovage seed instead of 
> celery seed I could use the recipe citing period ingredients?

Um. Celery seed appears to come from wild celery. Wild Celery is Smallage.
Smallage is period. Thus... celery seed was available in period. So you
could use celery seed, sure!

You could use seed from Alexanders but I think celery seed might be easier
to get; I have not seen alexanders seed marketed for food consumption.

Lovage seed could also be used, but Gernot Katzer's spice pages note that
Lovage seed is seldom available commercially, and I don't recall if the
lovage plant I dumped on my mom has ever gone to seed. (Lovage grows SIX
FEET TALL.)

In other words, smallage (wild celery), alexanders (black lovage) and
lovage are all period. I think I have some references for seed from
smallage but right now I can guarantee I won't have time to look for 'em.
Culpeper, who is post period (1653) makes reference to using Lovage seed
in medicine, but he also refers to smallage seed used in medicine. He also
refers to alexander seed, not only in medicine but in 'Alexander Porredg',
ie a food.

What you'll find is that celery seed produces a taste somewhere between
celery and lovage (without the slight soapiness that some people detect
when lovage is used). If you don't have fresh lovage, celery, etc you
could try the seed instead, it's not clear that the seeds were eaten.


 -- 
Jadwiga Zajaczkowa, mka Jennifer Heise	      jenne at mail.browser.net
disclaimer: i speak for no-one and no-one speaks for me.
"It's no use trying to be clever-- we are all clever here; just try
to be kind -- a little kind." F.J. Foakes-Jackson