[Sca-cooks] pickled beets?

[lilinah at earthlink.net]

Jadwiga Zajaczkowa wrote:
>Ok, I keep coming across references to pickled beets in German sources.
>I know that most SCA cooks believe that beet root was seldom eaten in
>period.

There are German recipes for beets and for pickled beets and since
they are referred to as red roots i assume they actually ate the
roots :-)

I made pickled beets for the German feast at the Province of the
Mists Boar Hunt 2001.

The recipe and my redaction are on my website...
http://witch.drak.net/lilinah/2001Menu.html

but i guess i will post it here...

Marinated Beets with horseradish
Marx Rumpolt, Ein New Kochbuch, 1581

3. Rote Ruben eyngemacht mit klein geschnittenen Merrettich/ Aniss/
Coriander/ und ein wenig Kuemel/ sonderlich wenn die Ruben
geschnitten/ gesotten mit halb Wein und halb Essig.

3. Rote Ruben: Red beets preserved with small cut horseradish/ anise/
coriander/ and a little caraway/ special if the beets are cut/
marinated in half wine and half vinegar.
translation by M. Grasse at
http://clem.mscd.edu/~grasse/GK_ASsp99_beet.htm

makes about 1 gallon
10 large red beets, cut into medium-small chunks
2 cup red wine
2 cup red wine vinegar (white or cider will do)
1-1/2 feet of fresh horseradish root, peeled and cut into slivers
1-1/2 TB salt
1 tsp whole anise seed
1 tsp whole caraway seed
2 tsp whole coriander seed

1. Cut up beets.
2. Combine all ingredients except beets in a pot. Bring to a boil,
then lower heat and simmer 5 minutes
3. Add the beets and heat through.
4. Place in jar or crock and let mellow for at least 24 hours, up to
two weeks in a cook place.

NOTE: The horseradish wasn't strong enough for me. Next time i will
food process it.

I also noticed a salad recipe in Rumpolt that included "rote ruben".
I assume it uses the roots because it didn't mention the leaves and
it does mention cooking them, but i suppose it could be the greens,
too...
http://staff-www.uni-marburg.de/~gloning/rump_sal.htm

7. Gruen Salat/ der klein vnnd jung ist/ rote Ruben klein geschnitten/
vnd darueber geworffen/ wenn der Salat angemacht ist/ vnnd die rote
Ruben gesotten vnd kalt seyn.

>  Have people tried pickling beet greens? What do they taste like?

Haven't done that. I like them "stir fried", though.

Anahita