[Sca-cooks] Sugar Plums

[Susan Fox-Davis]

Stefan li Rous wrote:

> Actually a bit older than this and "plum" used in this way appears to 
> be a term meaning generically a fruit and not necessarily just the 
> fruit we think of as a plum. We've discussed this here before, but I 
> don't remember the exact files I've save the info in. This file in the 
> FOOD-SWEETS section does have the following opening paragraph.
> Sugarplums-art    (19K)  7/15/98    "Visions of Sugarplums" by 
> Mistress Renata Kestryl of Highwynds.
> http://www.florilegium.org/files/FOOD-SWEETS/Sugarplums-art.html
>
>> Visions of Sugarplums
>> by Mistress Renata Kestryl of Highwynds
>>
>> The dictionary defines a sugarplum as a small round or oval piece of 
>> sugary candy. English being the flexible language it is, the name 
>> could have come from the resemblance to a small plum. Or it could 
>> have come from actual plums preserved in sugar, a relatively new idea 
>> in 16th Century England. Prior to this time sugar was so expensive 
>> that it was used very sparingly, much as we would use a spice today. 
>> In the 1540’s, however, sugar started being refined in London which 
>> lowered the price considerably, although only well-off families were 
>> able to use it lavishly. Preserving with sugar allowed the sweet 
>> fruits of summer to be enjoyed all year round, especially during the 
>> holiday season.
>
Renata is still quite active in the SCA, being the Kingdom Arts & 
Sciences Minister of Caid.  If you have any questions about the article, 
please contact her via the Caid Arts & Sciences webpage 
<http://www.sca-caid.org/arts&sciences/index.html>

Selene