SC - murri-The Facts

[LrdRas at aol.com]

In a message dated 3/13/01 12:23:01 AM Eastern Standard Time, 
allilyn at juno.com writes:

<< There must be some sort of modern item to use that isn't horrible-- >>

With all due respect-------Horrible? The question that begs to be asked is> 
Have you ever actually tasted the Byzantine murri? 

I have made it and use it often. There is no evidence of a taste of scorched 
anything in the final product which, BTW, tastes unique enough that  there is 
no known modern substitute available that I am aware of. 

Your observations of the recipe regarding its taste seem to based on a 
reading of the recipe and not on any actual experience tasting or using it. 
It is very concentrated and salty in flavor with a nice spice undertone  and 
an elusive nuttiness. Imagine soy sauce boiled down until syrupy with a hint 
of cumin and hazlenut and you will have a minute grasp of  what this 
fantastic condiment begins to taste like. There is simply no substitute, IMO. 
I often wonder what the actual product is like. Given Charles Perry's revised 
opinion that it may not  have been  carcinogenic after all, I just may try to 
make some this summer. :-)

Eating rotted and scorched items is not unusual. In the current middle ages, 
fish sauce and charcoal powder come immediately to mind. Butterscotch is 
nothing more than a scorched sugar product. Blackened redfish is covered with 
burned and scorched spices. The list goes on.

Ras