[Sca-cooks] steam-baking

[Elaine Koogler]

----- Original Message -----

> How sure are we of this translation? "soda"? I thought that rising
> agents, with the possible exception of hart's horn were unknown
> until the 19th Century. Perhaps these chemical rising agents were
> known to the Chinese earlier? Or maybe this "soda" is not a rising
> agent and what is actually doing the rising is this "leaven" which
> I guess could be ale barm.

The translation was done by Paul Buell and Eugene Anderson, and I believe
that their translations are pretty accurate.  I am not sure when soda was
used in China, and I also am not certain as to the function of soda in this
case.  Phillip was the one who actually made this for us.  According to
Phillip's redaction, he did use yeast as the leaven for what he did.
Perhaps Bear or one of the other bread experts can answer about this.
>
> "Put into a lung"? I thought that a lung wasn't hollow. That it was
> a spongy mass. Maybe you slice the lung and sort of fold it over the
> loaf? Or hollow out a lung? Still seems like a natural bag such as
> a bladder would work better.

Again, I'm not absolutely sure, but I interpreted "lung" to be a pot,
perhaps a steamer.  I do not believe that they literally meant a lung from a
sheep or whatever.  Again, when we made these, we used a Chinese steamer.

Hope this helps....

Kiri
>
> --
> THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
>    Mark S. Harris            Austin, Texas          stefan at texas.net
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