[Sca-cooks] Scappi

[Robin Carroll-Mann]

On 27 Aug 2002, at 18:28, Terri Spencer wrote:

> Since I've delurked...
>
> I recently got my copy of the new Scappi reprint (Thanks Devra) and
> have just begun to look at it.  I don't know Italian other than
> musical terms and a few art songs from college days, but I "interpret"
> info & code for a living, and have some French and Latin.  Between
> that, Babelfish (what an entertaining tool!)

Be very, very wary of translation programs.  They can usually give
the most common (and modern) meaning of a word, and cannot
deal with archaic spellings.

> and an Italian
> dictionary, translating at least some of the hundreds of recipes is
> doable, but slow. So this is going to be a...leisurely...project.  Is
> anyone else on the list working on Scappi?    Any suggestions from the
> experienced translators among us?

Compile a list of common terms and the English equivalents which
you are using.  As much as possible, be consistent in your choice
of words.  Don't, for example, translate "gallo" as rooster in 2/3 of
the recipes, and as cock in the remaining 1/3.

If you can get hold of a pre-modern Italian dictionary, that will be an
enormous help.  The meanings of words change.  A dictionary in
Italian (not Italian-English) will be particularly helpful, since it will
give more detailed definitions and descriptions.  A bilingual
dictionary may define a certain term as "a kind of apple".  The
monolingual dictionary may tell you that it is "a sour apple with
very firm flesh, much used in baking."

When looking up an unfamiliar word, check all possible spelling
variations.

I may be able to give you some help, although I don't read Italian.
The _Libro del Arte de Cozina_ by Diego Granado (Spanish, 1599)
plagiarized most, if not all of Scappi's recipes.  Someone once
posted a translation of a filled roll-pastry from Scappi.  It was
identical to a recipe that I had translated from Granado.  This is not
proof that Granado made no changes in other recipes, but if you're
stuck on a word or phrase, drop me an email.  I can see what the
equivalent Spanish is, and perhaps that will shed some light on the
problem.


Brighid ni Chiarain *** mka Robin Carroll-Mann
Barony of Settmour Swamp, East Kingdom
rcmann4 at earthlink.net