[Sca-cooks] Re: Period Ices/Sorbets/Cold Treats?

[Philip W. Troy & Susan Troy]

Elise Fleming wrote:

> 1200: Flavored water ices were known in Asia for centuries. Venetian
> adventurer Marco Polo brings back to Italy recipes for making these
> treats.

Okay. The most common of this type of story seems to be in connection
with pasta, which we know to be false. I've read a fair amount of the
writings of Marco Polo, but not all of them.  Is there really _any_
reason whatsoever to think that Marco brought back to Italy any recipes
at all? Of any kind? Anti-fungal foot ointment? Tuna-noodle casserole?
Bathtub gin? Anything?

I'm carefully avoiding the (in my opinion) misused catch-all phrase that
has been applied to stories for which there appears to be no foundation
[presented], but can anybody _really_ document, as in contemporary
recipe or historical description, etc., the existence of an ice-based
sweet in period Europe? So far what we now seem to have is some evidence
for them in Heian(?) Japan, and the assertion that we had some
documentation on this list at some previous date, but which is currently
unavailable.

Can we get any closer?

Adamantius
--
Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com

"It was so blatant that Roger threw at him.  Clemens gets away with
things that get other people thrown out of games.  As long as they
let him get away with it, it's going  to continue." -- Joe Torre, 9/98