[Sca-cooks] Frumenty.

[Ruth Frey]

	Niccolo wrote:
> you'll probably find that part of the textural benfit is from the gelatiniz=
> ation of the starches due to long sit times in hot/warm moist environs.  On=
> ce the berries burst, and let the starches into the mix, the heat and moist=
> ure will basically dissolve or loosen the strands.  Gives a smoother and cr=
> eamier texture.  Same concept in premise occurs when you malt and mash grai=
> ns for brewing.  The different strains and varieties will have different le=
> vels of the enzymes needed to do the gematinizing . . . different temps and=
>  different hold times for each to get same effect.  ruth found that with th=
> e hard and soft varieties.

	Actually, I'm not sure that letting cooked wheat sit is
quite the same thing as malting a grain, since the enzymes found
in the wheat would probably be killed by the extended cooking time.
	However, I'm sure it does affect the structure of the starch.

> My wondering is which would have been more common among which people's/time=
> s . . . harder or softer wheats.  My guess is that it would be regional and=
>  seasonal. and that many of today's grains are so engineered and hybridized=
>  that they lose any resemblance to 13th century Southern english wheat.  Di=
> d your research uncover anything on the available varieties, Ruth?

	Not particularly -- I'm afraid I rather let that part of
the research go, given the unlikliness of being able to exactly
match the type of wheat.
	I did happen to be skimming a little book of Medieval
verse snippets last night, and saw a reference to "red" wheat,
but that still tells very little about the variety and its
qualities.

		-- Ruth