[Sca-cooks] Andalusian feast

[lilinah at earthlink.net]

From: phoenissa at netscape.net
>As I mentioned several weeks ago on this list, I'm cooking a feast
>for an event my college is hosting in early March - the theme is an
>Andalusian wedding feast (early 13th c).  It's my first feast ever and I'm
>more than a little nervous about it.

Menu looks good, but a little heavy, with 2 meats in nearly every
course. One meat is usually enough. I'd see about adding more
vegetables and fruits, if you can find them, during each course.

>Each table is going to be set before the feast is served with little plates
>of olives, nuts, pickled vegetables, bread, and labneh ("yogurt cheese")
>with herbs ["shiraz bi-buqul" B12].  Possibly fresh herbs and veggies, if I
>can find that such a thing is appropriate.

Beware. Sometimes folks fill up on the nibbles. I'm not saying don't
do them but be a bit stingy.

>I have only been to two SCA feasts, so I don't have a terribly
>clear idea of how much to serve,

More than folks eat at home. It's a feast, not a dinner. Be generous,
but pace the food so people aren't too stuffed to eat the last course.

>how long it should take,

Depends on what is going on between courses. Some feasts here have
about 1 hour between the service of each course, although 45 minutes
might be better

>what dishes people
>will eat more of than others, etc.

Seems to me people eat meat, meat, meat. If you have grain or pulse
courses, make less than you think you should.

Anything "unusual" to the average American is a crap shoot. Folks
might discover they like it, or they may not eat it. Eggplant and
fish often qualify as "odd" food. Folks are often balky with turnips.
I'm not saying don't serve them, as i have serve eggplant and turnips
successfully. Just don't be disappointed if some stuff you think is
good come back barely tasted.

>I think the three courses will probably
>  take 3-3 1/2 hours to serve, but there will be lots of entertainment and
>stuff, so I hope people won't get bored.

Seems like decent timing. And it's more like four courses, counting
the dessert course. If you plan about 45 min between each of 4
courses that works out.

>(I also hope this is enough food
>for them to be satisfied by the end of the meal, but not stuffed after the
>first couple of dishes.  I really have no idea how to judge something like
>that.)  If anybody has suggestions about such things, I'd be vastly
>appreciative :-)

Looks like loads of food. I'm not sure why you're worried it won't be
enough :-) Keep the first few courses a little lighter than you think
so folks don't get stuffed (easy for me to say, but i haven't quite
put it in practice myself).

I usually plan on about 2/3 of a lb. of meat (including bone) per
person total. Yes, that sounds like a lot, but that's based on the
way i see people eat at SCA feasts. Since you say you're having
non-SCA people, too, some of them may be more used to eating real
food (like grains and vegetables :-) and not just meat.

>I'd also like to have a little pamphlet available with all the recipes, their
>historical background, redactions, etc.  (There will likely be a sizeable
>contingent of non-SCA people from the campus, many of whom may not
>know anything about historical cooking...)  Is that often done at feasts?

This is a nice idea and is done in some kingdoms, although not often
in ours (we're in the same kingdom). Be sure to figure it into your
feast budget. I understand that at some feasts, they charge extra for
them as a fund raiser, but i think it might be better to figure it
into the feast fee.

Anahita