[Sca-cooks] Scandinavian feast

[Ana L. Valdés]

My students in the island of Gotland (the main city of the Swedish Middleage)
suggested a nice Middle Age banquet the other day. They proposed a cod baked
with herbs, onions and sour milk. Spinach with raisins and almonds (it was a lot
of spices arriving to Visby from Russia, Novgorod and from Byzantium), turnips
and swedes. A dessert made with mead and flour and heavy spiced with cinnammon
and honey.
In fact, my students are studying to design computer games, but I insist they
must have a good knowledge about the Middle Age if they want to make a "period"
game with the Middle Age as world.
Ana

Peter Ryan wrote:

> Period Scandinavian is very difficult to do. The best I have come up with is
> reconstruction of recipes and cooking methods using archeological findings
> as a guide. We know what the cooking pits looked like, and what ingredients
> were found in the vicinity of those cooking pits, as well the types of
> cooking vessels. We also have some reference to Viking foods in the sagas.
> It then becomes a case of, this is what they had to cook, and this is what
> they could have cooked the ingredients in, and here is the type of cooking
> that could be done on/in/over a cooking pit, so what is logical. The biggest
> difficulty for me, here in Australia, is finding some of the ingredients,
> like herring, cod, hawthorn berries, rye grain etc. This summer I intend
> building a Viking cooking pit in my backyard, and constructing some of the
> cooking vessels so I can have a play. The only problem being that the spot I
> want the cooking pit to be is also where She Who Must Be Obeyed thinks
> Peregrin ap Gwynfor's sandpit should go. I think if I also build a clay
> bread oven a deal may be made, though.
>
> Gwynfor Lwyd OP, OLM, AA, PsC, OST etc
> Canton of Krae Glas, Barony of Stormhold,
> Principality of Lochac, West Kingdom
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Michael Gunter" <countgunthar at hotmail.com>
> To: <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
> Sent: Thursday, November 29, 2001 1:34 AM
> Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Scandinavian feast
>
> > It looks like your post got lost among all the
> > talk about Thanksgiving, Bacalo, and Jello. But
> > I think it does deserve recognition so here goes.
> >
> > >I have not been reading the list for about a week. O MY GOOD A 1000
> > >MESSAGES.
> >
> > Um, yeah. Cooks seem to talk a lot.
> >
> > >I was ask to do a hearty, familiar tasting,Viking/Scandinavian,
> > >not necessarily period feast.  Hear is the menu.
> >
> > For something not really documented and just for "feel" I
> > think you did a very nice job. If you want something a little
> > more accurate there are several folk on this list who are
> > pretty well expert on Scandinavian and Viking era foods.
> >
> > >
> > >First Course:
> > >
> > >Three different flavored soft cheeses; Garlic, Herb, and Shrimp,
> > >Crackers, Salmon Pate, Pickled Herring, Creamed Herring,
> > >Brined shrimp.(every  thing
> > >was eaten but the shrimp flavored cheese)
> >
> > Wow! They ate the Pickled Herring? It's pretty diffifuclt for me
> > to get folks to eat that. I happen to love it though.
> >
> > The rest of the menu sounds pretty good. What sources did you use?
> > One of my best friends did a Scandinavian feast this year and used
> > some of my cookbooks. I don't have any real period sources for
> > that style of cooking but I do have 4 modern cookbooks on Scandinavian
> > cuisine. She served open-faced sandwiches, fish stew with fish balls,
> > a meatloaf in sour cream crust, some kind of vegetable I can't
> > remember right off, and berry pudding with fresh cream. I heard
> > it was a hit even in Texas.
> >
> > Congrats on a fine feast.
> >
> > Gunthar
> >
> >
> > >THLady Jana Aoibeall
> >
> >
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