[Sca-cooks] Prehistoric Cooking Review

[Susan Fox-Davis]

I have this book, it's interesting but I don't use it much.  I get the
impression that the lady is a dedicated hobbyist such as ourselves, but leaves
a teensy bit to be desired in the documentation department.  I admire her
longterm study of the physical evidence, but agree with the paragraph of the
review that I leave below [rather than quote the whole thing, I'm being a good
girl papa!]  Even a casual reading of Irish Mythology would reveal a greater
reliance on porridges than breads.  It's this kind of inattention to academic
details that gets us hobbyists tarred as unimportant empiricists or harmless
un-historical nuts.  I'm not perfect either;  but then again I'm not
publishing books and calling myself an expert archeologist.

Selene Colfox

jenne at fiedlerfamily.net wrote:

> Book review from _British Archaelogy_:
> (october 2002)
>
> Early food
>
> Reviewed by Merryn Dineley
>
> Prehistoric Cooking
> Jacqui Wood
> Tempus £15.99
> ISBN 0-7524-19743-9 pb
>
> <snip>
> Wood has made the traditional assumption that cereals were primarily used
> to make bread and, although there is a chapter on yeast, wines, beer and
> teas, she has overlooked the potential importance of malt sugars in the
> prehistoric diet. She has also confused sprouted grain with malted grain
> and therefore her brewing recipes are not correct. Another fault of the
> book is that the illustrations are disappointing - the black and white
> photographs of clay-baked fish did no justice to my own experience (on her
> cookery course) of cracking open the baked clay to reveal a freshly baked
> trout, cooked to perfection and tasting delicious.