[Sca-cooks] Recording of recipes

[Stefan li Rous]

Lady Katherine asked:
>   Can someone tell me how recipes were "written down" and on what, before
> the advent of the printing press?

Before, and even after the printing press came into use, parchment, along
with paper.  For some resources and more details on parchment and its
making,
try this file in the Florilegium:
parchment-msg     (62K)  9/10/01    Making and buying parchment. substitutes.
http://www.florilegium.org/files/SCRIBAL-ARTS/parchment-msg.html

Also, in very early Russia, apparently on birch bark. Unfortunately,
as far as I've heard, none of these records have been translated
into English. However there are things like receipts and children's
practice writings, so I think the possiblity of recipes exists.

Also, probably hemp based paper. If I remember correctly the US
Declaration of Independance and/or the Constitution were also originally
written on such hemp paper. A fact I find rather ironic considering
some of the edicts of our current government.

But as others have mentioned, only some recipes were written down, and
only some of those have survived to the current day.

>   Also if the people of Scotland spoke gallic or a version of it, and where
> I could find examples and translations?

As for Scotland, I don't think any Scottish cookbooks survive from
period. Lowland Scotland seems to have followed the fashion in
England in many things and probably cooking as well. I'm not
sure about the Highlands, but then barbarians seldom write things
down. :-)

You might be interested in what these files in the Florilegium have
to say about Scottish food. Sometimes there are other resources
available than printed cookbooks.
fd-Scotland-msg   (39K)  9/21/00    Medieval food of Scotland. recipes.
http://www.florilegium.org/files/FOOD-BY-REGION/fd-Scotland-msg.html
haggis-msg        (94K) 10/25/01    Scottish haggis recipes. comments on haggis.
http://www.florilegium.org/files/FOOD-MEATS/haggis-msg.html

I think there maybe some info in this file about gallic and the
different versions:
languages-msg     (63K) 11/ 9/00    Sources for learning Anglo-Saxon, Latin.
http://www.florilegium.org/files/EDUCATION/languages-msg.html
--
THLord 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 ****