[Sca-cooks] Questions about cleanliness and food safety at Viking Era event

[Sharon Gordon]

Posted on behalf of Skapti Herjolfsson, Doug Reeder, aka Skapti
[reeder.29 at osu.edu]
(The site is primitive with latrines and a hand pump for well water. ~
Sharon)

****************************************

The question has arisen, for Real Viking I and other events where we
wish to be highly authentic, what steps can one take to assure proper
hygiene (especially in the kitchen) with period materials and techniques?


  From the Havamal:
4.
He craves for water, who comes for refreshment,
drying and friendly bidding,
marks of good will, fair fame if 'tis won,
and welcome once and again.

or

(4) A drink needeth       to full dishes who cometh,
a towel, and the prayer to partake;
good bearing eke,       to be well liked
and be bidden to banquet again.

This strongly suggests washing when arriving at a feast (but this might
be more to remove trail-dust than a regular habit of washing hands
before meals, especially given the previous verse.) Hollander apparantly
interprets this as hand-washing.


Thora, I'm checking Ann Hagen's books on Anglo-Saxon food and drink, and
Anthimus' _De observatione ciborum_ out of our library, are there any
chapters you suggest I focus on?


Obviously, a soap can be made from fat and ashes, and if you have greasy
   dishes, you don't need extra fat.   Can this be documented in the
Viking Age?  Is there a period hand-lotion to use after this
harsh-on-the-skin substance?  Sand gets suggested as well.






Hygiene at Jorvik:
http://viking.no/e/england/york/life_jorvik_4_scratch.html

Camp rules for Foteviken:
http://www.foteviken.se/engelsk/art_english/e_viking_art13c.htm

Postings on post-viking medieval washing:
http://216.239.39.104/search?q=cache:4jfD0idOHOgJ:www.florilegium.org/files/
PERSONAL/p-hygiene-msg.rtf+Viking+hygiene&hl=en&ie=UTF-8


--
Well-groomed and washed       go to the Assembly,
though your clothes be not the best;
of your shoes and pants       be not ashamed,
and still less of your horse
-Havamal

P. Douglas Reeder   Systems Specialist, CSML, Dept. Music, OSU
reeder.29 at osu.edu                           aka Skapti Herjolfsson