[Sca-cooks] Re: Early Pastries

[Elise Fleming]

I commented and Stefan quoted and wrote:

>Alys Katharine commented:
>>  The Manuscrito Anonimo from the 13th c. lists
>> a castle (and its furnishings) made of poured sugar.

>In the *13th* century? Just how big was this castle. And who was
>it made for (ie: who paid for it) and where was it made?
>My understanding is that sugar was pretty expensive in that time
>period. That must have been one real expensive trinket.

This is from Charles Perry's translation, and appears on p. A-71 of
Cariadoc's _Collection of Medieval and Renaissance Cookbooks_, Vol
II, Sixth Edition, 1993.  The cookery book is _An Anonymous
Andalusian Cookbook of the 13th Century_

"Cast Figures of Sugar"
"Throw on the sugar a like amount of water and rosewater and cook
until its consistencey is good.  Empty it into the mould and make of
it whatever shape is in the mold, the places of the 'eyebrow' and
the 'eye' and what resembles the dish you want, because it comes out
of the mould in the best way.  Then decorate it with gilding and
whatever you want of it.  If you want to make a tree or a figure of
a castle, cut it piece by piece.  Then decorate it section by
section and stick it together with mastic until you complete the
figure you want, if God wills."

As far as expense of sugar, yes, sugar could be expensive, but keep
in mind that Spain was occupied by the Moors, and it was in the
Arabic world that sugar refining began.  It might not have been the
expense that it would have been in France or England.  The shipping
would be "just" across the Mediterranean, not overland through
Europe. As to size... I may be old, but I'm not _quite_ that old to
have seen a construction in the 13th century.  I suspect it might
have varied in size, but if they are talking about rooms, and
furnishings, then it wouldn't have been tiny.

Alys Katharine

Perry noted that "eyebrow" and "eye" might be technical terms for
parts of the mould.