[Sca-cooks] sugar substitutes, may be off topic

[Anne duBosc]

--
[ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]

Today's sugar that we buy in bags already refined and ground comes from two major sources, cane and beets.  Sugar Cane is native to Africa, IIRC.  Sugar beets are native to Europe, I believe.  Sugar was refined on the European continent before Roman times.  By the Middle Ages, if you could afford it, you could get even highly refined, white sugar.  There were estates so large and well staffed that one servant's specialty was grinding spices, including sugar, so if you could afford it, you had finely ground highly refined white sugar.  Otherwise, you ground your own (or your cook did.)  And why settle for a simple syrup, when honey was available?
Mordonna
 kattratt <kattratt at charter.net> wrote:--
[ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
And can I ask a question as well...
Would Brown Rice Syrup be period? I know that Corn Syrup isn't as it is
(I think I am right here....) a New World Food.
But Brown Rice was around and thus I would think Brown Rice Syrup would
be possible. If it wasn't around then what would they have used for a
clearish syrup? Just not sure of documentation... For that matter would
the Sugar used back in period be closer to Turbinado Sugar (or for those
who like commercial names "Sugar in the Raw"). I mean they didn't
bleach it like they do now did they?
Same question with rice as well?
How about fruits to sweeten things? Did they have the ability to either
extract the sugar from Fruit (Thus Fructose) or did they just use the
fruit or juices if they used it at all?
I mean the one sweeting fruit that I know is Pineapple but I can't tell
you if it is period or not... I have always assumed NOT but have never
researched it.
Any thoughts?
Nichola


Laura C. Minnick wrote:

>At 07:33 PM 11/26/02 -0500, you wrote:
>
>
>>ok, i dunno what most of the ingredients DO. i just know there isnt *just
>>one thing* in the sweetener.
>>the Diabetesweet has what my husband described as "sugar alchohols" in
>>addition to the Ace k.. so i figured it might be a better tasting mix than
>>whatever they had years ago.....
>>
>>

--


_______________________________________________
Sca-cooks mailing list
Sca-cooks at ansteorra.org
http://www.ansteorra.org/mailman/listinfo/sca-cooks

Lady Anne du Bosc
Known as Mordonna The Cook
Atenveldt, Atenveldt
mundanely Pat Griffin
Phoenix, AZ


---------------------------------
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now