[Sca-cooks] Chocolate chip cookies -OT

[Cindy M. Renfrow]

<snip>
>in them. Margali just wants plain, ordinary,
>traditional chocolate chip cookies, so let's decide
>and discuss:
>
>History;

All right. At the risk of encouraging you to stray even further OT, here is
something from Rolling Scone magazine (Calontir Cooks Guild publ.),
officially the October 1990 issue (postmarked Jan '91). The author is
Nathan Adelaar. The cover was done to resemble a page from Gerard's
Herball, & claims to be from "the previously unheard of "fourth book" from
Gerard's 'Of the Historie of Plants'." (BTW, I've proofread it. All
misspellings are deliberate on the part of the author.)

"Chap. 412. Of Swete Dough Gourdys.

The Description.

Swete Dough Gourdys have stout round vines as have the stalks of
Gillofoures, full halfe a yard high.  Thereupon doe grow broad rough leaves
uneven about the edges: from the bosome whereof come forth crooked clasping
tendrels like those of the Vine. Floures do come forth amongst them of
bright purpel and gold, which do give memorie to Lily floures. The whole
plant is of a most pleasant swete smell: they savour pleasingly of rich
butter alike to smels of the kitchen baking tartes. The fruit is greene at
the first, and yellow when they be ripe, wherein is contained a moist and
doughy pulp which together with the seed is eaten. The seeds be dark brown
and oblong, flattened at the widest end: they posses a texture like unto
the chipped meats of almonds: and thereupon they have been called chippes.

The Place.

The commom Swete Dough Gourdys groweth in most kitchen gardens of Calontir.
They groweth naturally in Pillsbury, Hersheyton, and the parts adjacent,
from whence we had plants for our English gardens, where they flourish as
in their owne countrey.

The Time.

They are greene and floure in the beginning of Summer, and the Gourdys are
large and ripe towards Saint Crispel's Day in early and middle August.

The Vertues.

The pulp which is taken from the huske is eaten plaine with the fingers. It
is sometimes rolled into small balls and baked on an ungreased cookie sheet
in a 350 degree oven for 10 - 12 minutes until lightly brown and served
with a glass of chilled milke, but I have never seene this myself.

Their use in Physicke is knowne to be vast, and it is very much commended
for melancholie and freckels and all ailments which afflict children. They
are without peer in the treatment of women's complaints. It also purgeth
the head from rhematicke humors flowing from the braine on the morning
after excessive liquor hath been imbibed, and it causeth corpulency when
eaten to excess. All who us them state withoute fail the pulp of these
Gourdy must be eaten quickly once taken from the huskes, lest it disappear."

Regards,

Cindy