[Sca-cooks] Andalusian feast

[david friedman]

>  >Although I guess the lamb meatballs can be eaten without the eggplant.
>
>Exactly!

How do you  get that from the recipe? Doesn't it specifically say to
serve the eggplant and yogurt stuff over the meatballs, with spices
on top? I believe the title of the dish is a reference to the
eggplant, via a wife of al Ma'mun to whom Buraniya is attributed.
Look at other recipes with "buran" in their names.

>That's true.  One of the autocrats is also doing the bulk of research on fe=
>asting traditions, in the Middle and Near East in general but mostly in 12t=
>h-13th c. Andalusia.  (Since we're getting some funding from the university=
>  for this, we're trying to make it as academic - but still lots of fun! - a=
>s we can.)

I assume you have already noticed the discussion in Manuscrito
Anonimo (the andalusian cookbook). Your researcher should probably
look for information on Ziryab--I believe he is the one credited with
shifting Andalusian serving patterns away from what was (and I gather
still is) the standard Middle Eastern approach.

>   The problem is, though, I have barely any exact r=
>edactions for any of the historic recipes I've tried.  I spice things almos=
>t entirely by taste, and I don't always keep track of proportions of meat a=
>nd vegetables...I just do what looks and tastes right to me.

With the number of dishes you plan you are unlikely to be cooking all
of them yourself, which is a problem if you don't have reasonably
complete recipes. Shopping is another problem if you don't know the
proportions.


--
David Friedman
Professor of Law
Santa Clara University
ddfr at best.com
http://www.daviddfriedman.com/