[Sca-cooks] Re: Chocolate

[Elise Fleming]

Greetings.  The 1652 recipe is fascinating.  However, I feel like a
fussbudget purist to make the obvious comment that it is half a
century beyond what most accept.  Now, why do I personally accept
"normal" cooking dishes from recipe books printed in the 1650s?
Because the foods were in common use long before that date, and if
the preparation methods are similar to older recipes then one might
"reasonably" accept them.  The problem with chocolate, to me, is
that many of us want to accept its use because of its prevalence in
our modern lives.  But there is little evidence that it was commonly
used prior to this time.  (IIRC Italian sources have priests
drinking it before Mass because it wasn't considered "food", but
would give them strength to get through the Mass before their
official breakfast.)

Wouldn't an analogy be something like a Civil War re-enactor using a
recipe from 1910?  Half a century is a long time.

With apologies, Alys Katharine