[Sca-cooks] Re: green ginger upon sirop

[Elise Fleming]

Stefan asked:
>Yes, just the "dainty" for a party of nobles. The fork was still
not
>very common in England at this time, as far as I remember. Just how
>would you eat this dainty without them? Sounds a bit messy to pick
>up with your fingers.

Actually the sucket fork was in use by this time but only for the
sweets.  It appears to have been a either two- or three-pronged
affair, often with a spoon on the other end.  Two are pictured on
the cover of C. Anne Wilson's _Banquetting 'Stuffe'_.  The forks,
which look like the tiny kind used today for canapes, appear to have
been smaller than the forks we know today.  Even the one with three
tines is depicted smaller than the bowl of the spoon.  The fork
would have been dipped into the syrup ("wet suckets") to remove the
fruit or peel.  The spoon could be used to dip out syrup.  However,
this use of the fork didn't seem to carry over to using forks as we
use them for carrying regular food to the mouth.  And, I don't know
if the fork was merely for extracting the fruit, then placing it on
a plate, or for extracting the fruit and placing it directly into
the mouth.  I would guess the former, but it's only a guess.

Alys Katharine