[Sca-cooks] Polish Cooking: was Question to the group....

[Stephanie Howe]

Have I got a find for y'all:  _Food and Drink in Medieval Poland:
Rediscovering a Cuisine of the Past_  Maria Dembinska, revised and adapted
by William Woys Weaver
U. of Pennsylvania Press, 1999  ISBN 0-8122-3224-0

I've been grazing through the volume for a couple of months now- flipping
pages, reading a little here, a little there... Lots of referencing of
royal, noble, and manor purchase records, folkways medieval and modern,
careful attention to seasonality, descriptions of how usage patterns changed
over time, both cultivated and foraged foodstuffs, a list of equipment and
utensils mentioned in 14th and 15th C. Polish court sources, discussions of
European influences and introductions both west to east, and east to west...
and recipes.

Among a few quick gleanings pertaining to the week's discussions:

A long discussion of the origins, and possible etymological clues to,
"bigos".  To sum it up, the dish, although not originally of Polish origins
(may have come from Hungary, or Germany) was definitely known in virtually
unlimited variants in medieval Poland.  The biggest key to it's medieval
roots is the layering of the ingredients before braising or slow baking,
rather than chopping and mixing the meats and vegetables.

Cabbage or sauerkraut:  Pickled as whole or halved heads, rather than
shredded, layered with other greens like beet chards and dill.  Several
varieties of cabbages were cultivated, both white and red (or black), kales,
a primitive form of cauliflower, etc.

Pierogi ruskie:  "Russian Pierogi"- filled with buckwheat, didn't enter
Polish cookery until the 19th C.  I haven't really found any references to
other filled dumplings in the book.

Olga
PS:  I'm digging for the baked bean recipe; a real New England version.
Will post it as soon as I can.  Fava beans, lentils, and several varieties
of peas commonly used dried are discussed in the Polish book, btw... :)