[Sca-cooks] Food Poem

[Marian]

sca-cooks-request at ansteorra.org wrote:

> Message: 6
> From: "Olwen the Odd" <olwentheodd at hotmail.com>
> To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org
> Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Food Poem
> Date: Wed, 05 Jun 2002 15:21:47 +0000
> Reply-To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org

First I want to thank Cindy for not only posting the poem but
posting commentary on it as well.

> >[page 207]
> >"KAMAKH RIJAL
> >There are several varieties of this, but all follow the same recipe, only
> >differing in ingredients. First take a large, dry pumpkin-shell from which
> >all the pith and seeds have been removed: soak in water for two hours, thn
> >dry thoroughly. Put in 5 ratls of sour milk, 10 ratls of fresh milk, and 1
> >1/2 ratls of fine-brayed salt, and stir.  Cover, and leave for some days in
> >the hot sun. This is first made in June, at the beginning of the
> >mid-summer. Each morning add 3 ratls of fresh milk, and stir morning and
> >evening. Add milk as the liquid lessens, until the beginning of August. Now
> >take mint-leaves, shuniz, and quarters of peeled garlic, throw in, and
> >stir, adding fresh milk to make up as usual, until the middle of September.
> >Cover until the beginning of October: then remove from the sun until set,
> >and serve. There is also the simple variety, in which no [aromatic]
> >ingredients are used; another, in which shuniz and garlic are used; and
> >another, in which are used the dried leaves of the red rose cut off from
> >the stalk."

So, we're starting with sour milk which I believe is buttermilk,
adding fresh milk daily and fermenting for 5 months?  Yeep!  I
don't have 5 months.  In 5 months I'll be in China.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what could be used as an
alternative?

I'm thinking yogurt plus buttermilk which is what my tastebuds
register every time I've been given a fermented milk drink.
There is a modern oh so slightly fermented milk drink made with
mint that a local kabob place sells (home made and commercial
versions ... with the home made coming out of a somewhat scary
looking milk jug).

If I wanted to present this to someone at Pennsic, or say at one
of the arts and sciences events, do people think it would be
okay to cheat and use the modern drink with notes in my
documentation stating that I didn't have the time to make this
product and chose a modern product that approximates what I
think the end result would be.  (That sounds awfully wishy
washy.)

> Am I reading this right?  Are they actually talking about using a dried
> gourd and just describing it oddly?  Does anyone think buttermilk would
> work?  How the heck did they keep the flies out?  I mean, that is a long
> time to let milk set out.  What in the world is shuniz?  Oh, so many
> questions.

I would guess the container is covered.

-M