[Sca-cooks] olives in period Russia

[jenne at fiedlerfamily.net]

> > BTW, other oils such as poppyseed, hempseed and flaxseed were used.
> Used where? In northern Europe? Or do you mean in Russia?

I believe all three were used in Russia. Poppyseed and hempseed oil were
used in Poland. Hemp oil is mentioned in the Domostroi. Smith and
Christian talk about the use of hempseed and flaxseed oil in _Bread and
Salt_. However, looking at my notes, I don't see any documentation for
poppyseed oil, though the Domostroi mentions keeping poppyseed on hand.

> Which of these plants were grown in northern Europe? If there are
> native plants that oil can be extracted from, does this mean that
> it is less likely that they would have paid the price to import olive
> oil? Or would taste (or even the extra expense) mean that olive was
> still preferred?

All of these plants: hemp, flax, field poppy, were grown in Northern
Europe and Russia. In Poland, Olive oil was imported as a special luxury
(according to Dembinska). Again, I don't have any references to olive oil
in my few sources on Russian food. I'll try to remember to ask on the SIG
list.

-- Jadwiga Zajaczkowa
jenne at fiedlerfamily.net OR jenne at tulgey.browser.net OR jahb at lehigh.edu
"Are you finished? If you're finished, you'll have to put down the spoon."