[Sca-cooks] Butter

[Decker, Terry D.]

About a year ago, we were discussing whether butter should be served at
feasts and Gunthar chided me about serving butter at the Protectorate feast
without documentation.  I've been casually looking for documentation since.


The little piece which follows is identified as being from a French Latin
poem entitled Modus cenandi (The Way of Dining) from approximately 1180.
Martha Carlin identifies it as being from Daniel of Beccles' Urbanus magnus
and that the particular English translation is from Furnival's The Babee's
Book (1868).

I find it interesting that the author includes butter, cheese, milk and eggs
as food for fasts.  The manners for eating butter and cheese are also
fascinating.

The full text with other references to butter can be found at:

http://www.saradouglass.com/primdocs/waydine.html


Bear



Let potage be given when fasts are celebrated.

Herring, mullet, salmon, conger; afterwards let lighter

Dishes be put on table, Ñ roaches, & perches, & pikes.

Let not a bit of fish without the skin be put on the table.

Last, let soft dishes, & fried puddings follow.

If fishes are wanting, let butter, milk, cheese, eggs,

Be given to the guests who are willing to eat them.

Let old cheese be cut thin,

And let fresh cheese be cut thick for those that eat it.

Do not press the cheese & the butter on to your bread with the thumb.

In (the case of) which eating, if the things are soft, let them be smeared

With a knife, or with a crust of bread; let them be held with a cloth

So that when the crust is taken away, they may be placed in the hollow
bread;

Let him eat them [cheese etc.] with bread when he eats them, and not swallow
them (by themselves)

Unless he sits master of his own feast in the house.