[Sca-cooks] Italian fish in oil spreads

[Philip & Susan Troy]

Stefan li Rous wrote:

> I'm not sure that this "tapenade" is or isn't what I have in mind,
> although it seems chunkier and maybe not the spread I was thinking of
> and with a few more ingredients tossed in.
>
> So what is and isn't a "tapenade"? Do we have any period recipes or
> other evidence for these in period?

I'm not aware, offhand, of a period recipe for tapenade, but I can't
think of any particular reason to think it wouldn't have been come up
with, bearing in mind the variety of pesto-ish and other types of moreta
that appear to have existed in period. Tapenade isn't especially chunky,
though (nor should it be perfectly smooth), just a sort of
purplish-black semi-emulsified sauce about as thick as, say, pesto.
>
> Is "tapenade" what is put on the muffletta (sp?) sandwich, I think
> previously mentioned as being from New Orleans? I don't remember
> being particularly impressed by the muffletta sandwiches I've had.

I don't know. I'm way outta my league when it comes to New Orleans
specialty sandwiches. Of course, that's never stopped me before, but
maybe somebody else can handle this one.
>
> > Now all we have to do is document such a product as a spread ;  )
>
> Okay, folks, I'm listening. :-)
>
> > Adamantius, who has seen tapenade used in many ways, but only rarely as
> > a spread

Which, as it happens, was not what the original postor meant by
"spread". Apparently he meant "spread" as in "smorgasboard", etc.

> Okay, what other ways?

Well, I have seen it drizzled into sandwiches, and bread dipped into it,
but another common presentation is to mix it with the yolks of boiled
eggs, and stuff (or pipe) the mixture back into the empty whites. It can
also be stuffed into scooped-out baby new potatoes, tossed with pasta,
that kind of thing.

> How was most bread eaten in period? The sandwich is apparently out.
> Some pieces were used as sops. I think we've said bread slices were
> dipped in oil or spread with buttor which was very region specific.
> We know they made Rastons (hollowed out bread, stuffed with butter
> and the bread crumbs). Compared to the Middle Ages, we seem to eat
> less bread. We know it was a big part of their diet. So how did they
> eat it? I find it hard to believe they ate most of it fresh without
> a topping or spread. Was it mostly dipped in the food juices and
> sauces?

Probably the best place to look for info on this would be the books on
table manners. In telling us what not to do with our bread, we can
presumably get a good sense of what _was_ done. I _believe_ (as in, I
could be wrong as I have not checked this as of early this morning
before my tea) Andrew Boorde (15th C. England) mentions bread being
eaten with butter during dinner, but that in itself doesn't mean the
practice is universal throughout our period.

I would suspect that since many menus don't mention bread at all, while
the manners books do, and sometimes a poet will say something like,
"Poets never discuss the bread at feasts, but suffice it to say we had
plenty of it," it was probably sufficiently ubiquitous in most feast
situations, at least, as to render mention unnecessary. Under those
circumstances, I suspect that what people did with it was more or less
what they do now:  tear it up, dip it into oil or sauces, apply dabs of
butter (where appropriate), and use it to discreetly push food around on
the plate. This last may take on new importance in cases where forks
were not used.

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