SC - Food dyes

[Hupman, Laurie]

By the bye, Dame Alys and Cindy Renfrew wrote a wonderful Compleat Anachronist that
was published about a year ago on the use of color in foods.  You might find
something there that would be useful..

Kiri

Philip & Susan Troy wrote:

> lilinah at earthlink.net wrote:
> >
> > What did folks use "in period" to color foods?
> >
> > I know there was:
> >
> > red - alkanet (it's usually used as a fiber dye)
>
> I believe cochineal appears in late period sources.
>
> > red-orange/red-brown - red saunders. It's also called "red
> > sandalwood" but it isn't even related to real sandalwood and doesn't
> > have that wonderful scent
> >
> > yellow - saffron
> > (turmeric in Asia - but was turmeric in Europe in SCA period?)
> >
> > green - greens pressed to make a green liquid which also adds flavor,
> > such are parsley and cilantro
> >
> > blue - certain berries
>
> tournesole and perhaps indigo, but I'm not certain of the latter
> >
> > Any others that are actually documented in period?
> >
> > As far as other foods i know about that color foods, but don't know
> > if they were used in period:
> >
> > black - squid ink, used in pasta, but i don't know if it is used for
> > anything else...
>
> Ink, I thought. Also various blood preparations are used to make foods black.
>
> > pink - beets
>
> "Pink is not period!!!" Sorry, I couldn't resist. People still make that noise...
>
> > a range of browns, yellows, and oranges - yellow onion skins
> >
> > I'm not looking for things that we can use now, but what they
> > actually used "back then".
>
> Adamantius
> --
> Phil & Susan Troy
>
> troy at asan.com
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