[Sca-cooks] Medieval English lasagne?

[Daniel Myers]

On Wednesday, July 16, 2003, at 12:32 AM, Phil Troy/ G. Tacitus 
Adamantius wrote:

> Also sprach Daniel Myers:
>> Just checked - no close matches in the Neapolitan Recipe Collection. 
>> Some references to lasagne, but no layered dishes of noodle and 
>> cheese.
>
> Close match to what, and why the fixation on layers? It should be 
> noted that even now, not all lasagne dishes are layered. Some still 
> just toss the ingredients and let gravity do the layering.

Most people in the US (and in the UK?) expect "Lasagne" to be a layered 
dish.  I was looking for something that was similar to the layered 
noodle and cheese dish described in the article (which referred to FoC).

[...]

> So, I don't have the Neapolitan Recipe Collection here in front of me 
> (although it probably is within three feet of me; I just can't find 
> it). I'm pretty sure it has pasta recipes. What does it tell us about 
> lasagne?

Let's see...

Using Scully's translations:

16. Roman Macaroni.  Finger-width noodles, boiled in broth, served with 
butter.  Makes reference to lasagne - "Out of fine flour make a dough 
that is a little larger than for lasagne...."

17.  Vermicelli.  The expected type of noodles colored with saffron and 
garnished with Parmesan cheese.

128.  Squash Torte.  Sounds like a squash & cheese dessert pie, near 
the end of the recipe says to "put small lasagne on top" part way 
through baking.

130.  Spelte Torte.  Similar recipe to #128 above, with spelte instead 
of squash.

132.  A Sienese-style Tartara.  Sort of a custard with ground almonds 
and cheese.  Suggests that you can add "a ladleful of lasagne cooked in 
good broth".

158.  Eggs in the Shape of Ravioli.  Ravioli with eggs as a filling.  
The recipe starts, "Make a dough as for lasagne..."

159.  Offelle.  A sort of raisin-cheese ravioli.  Calls for "a thin 
pastry dough as for lasagne".

181.  Rice Torte.  A rice and almond dish.  Says to make "a lower and 
an upper crust for it with broad, thin lasagne."


So what it really comes down to is how you define the word.  If one is 
using the term "lasagne" to indicate the shape of the noodle, then yes 
any and all of the above recipes would be a match, but if "lasagne" is 
understood (as most Americans would) as a sort of casserole with layers 
of wide flat noodles and other fillings (usually including cheese) then 
none of these are a very good match.

- Doc


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  Edouard Halidai  (Daniel Myers)
  http://www.medievalcookery.com/
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