[Sca-cooks] Period vegetarianism, 'Lainie looses her cool

[david friedman]

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[ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
>Very few people in the Middle Ages were vegetarians by choice. There are
>aescetics and hermits, some orders of monks are veg or nearly so, there are
>a few heretical sects that are partly veg (the Cathars, for instance, but
>even they have a sliding scale). And there are a few fast days, and
>penetential fasts.

"And as at such a feast there could be some very high, puissant,
noble, venerable and honorable lords and ladies who do not eat meat,
for these there must be fish, marine and fresh-water, fresh and salt,
in such manner as one can get them."

Master Chiquart, Du Fait de Cuisine

Of course, it's the medieval version, which permits fish.

On the other hand, to see what period cooks had to put up with in the
way of imposition:

"And because at this feast there are some lords or ladies as was said
above who have their own master cooks whom they command to prepare
and make ready certain things, for such there should be given and
made available to the said master cook quickly, amply, in great
abundance and promptly everything for which he asks and which he
needs for the said lord or lady or both so that he can serve them to
his taste."
--
David/Cariadoc
http://www.daviddfriedman.com/