[Sca-cooks] Asabi Zainab

[Radei Drchevich]

I have had camphor.  Not a flavour I would think of for sweets, but flavours 
are used in such small quantities that even poisons aren't really a concern.

Nutmeg is an Alcholoid poison, but takes so much to be a problem that it is 
not possible to take that much<believe me I tryed it in college, they told 
me it was a halosinogenic<sp? Sorry I never could spell, thanx to "huket on 
phonix" And way to many languages>.

But then I even tryed to make my own absinthe.  Complete to growing the 
wormwood, and useing a centuries old recipe.  Was a very strange substance, 
can't say I liked it, but I have read that it was always an aquired taste.

could you tell me more about "spikenard, and atraf al-tib", I am not 
familiar with these words.

Thanx
Radei

>From: lilinah at earthlink.net
>Reply-To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
>To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org
>Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Asabi Zainab
>Date: Tue, 7 Dec 2004 17:39:49 -0800
>
>I judge a fair number of cooking competitions - and i'm now the 
>Principality of the Mists Silver Spoon "minister", in charge of organizing 
>our four competitions per year. So if someone diverges from a recipe, i 
>like to know why. Sometimes, as with musk, one MUST diverge. Other times, 
>one has other reasons. I feel that the process and the reasoning should be 
>included, not just the original recipe and the modern work up. Since most 
>"period" recipes are pretty vague, it's good to explain why one made the 
>choices one did, for ingredients, preparation of ingredients, cooking 
>process, etc..
>
>Anyway, i hope you understood that my questions were not attacks (it looks 
>like you understood, but i want to make it clear). I just wanted some 
>clarification as to your choices.
>
>"Martha Oser" <osermart at msu.edu> wrote:
>>The cardamom came about because the first time I made the recipe, my 
>>husband
>>was working on a cardamom bread and it just smelled so good...  I didn't
>>have musk (still don't) and wanted something to season the nuts inside the
>>shells.  I know it's not called for in the recipe, but I thought it added 
>>a
>>pleasing flavor to the pistachio nuts.  If you can suggest something I 
>>might
>>use that is similar to the flavor of musk without the hassle, I'd surely
>>appreciate it.
>
>The recipe for Asabi' Zainab is in "The Book of the Description of Familiar 
>Foods" as translated by Charles Perry in "Medieval Arab Cookery", in 
>Chapter 10: On Halawat [Sweets] and Their Varieties (29 recipes, plus 6 
>more related to those in Chapter 10 from an appendix).
>
>There wasn't a single one that contained cardamom.
>
>What may surprise modern people is that cinnamon does not appear to be used 
>in SCA-period Abbasid sweets either, especially since it is so stubbornly 
>ubiquitous in US American sweets, much to the detriment of said sweets, in 
>my opinion, often disguising or covering the flavor of other ingredients, 
>such as the main fruit. A small amount of spice can enhance a dish, but in 
>commercial products, at least, there's too darned much cinnamon (ok, i'll 
>stop ranting now).
>
>As far as flavorings in Chapter 10, there are: rosewater (17), saffron (9), 
>musk (8), camphor (2), and "musk or camphor" (1). Certainly other 
>ingredients give flavor, but such ingredients as nuts, seeds, and 
>sweeteners are usually integral parts of the recipe.
>
>I also counted all the ingredients in Chapter 11: On Khushkananaj, Mutbaq, 
>Qata'if, and things mixed with flour made the same way (37 recipes plus 7 
>from the appendix)
>
>Here cardamom was used once, in Halwa Kadhdhaba, which also includes 
>saffron, spikenard, and atraf al-tib, a seasoning blend.
>
>Next I counted all the ingredients in al-Baghdadi's Chapters IX: Halwa (9 
>recipes) and X: Kushknanaj, Mutbaq, Qata'if (17 recipes), for a total of 26 
>recipes
>
>The only flavorings used (not counting sweeteners and nuts) were rosewater 
>(16), saffron (5), musk (2), camphor (2), and "narcissus" - possibly 
>misread for spikenard (1).
>
>There is an additional ingredient which components are uncertain and that 
>is "scented sugar" (trans. Arberrry) / "spiced sugar" (trans. Perry) - i 
>lean to Arberry's translation, since other than sugar we don't really know 
>what was in it - musk and/or camphor are possibilities. This ingredient 
>shows up in:
>"Familiar Foods" - Ch. 10 (1 time) & Ch. 11 (7 times)
>al-Baghdadi - Ch. 9 & Ch. 10 (6 times)
>
>So, cardamom is used once in 79 sweets in "Familiar Foods" and not at all 
>in 26 sweets in al-Baghdadi. In fact, in SCA-period Near and Middle Eastern 
>cookbooks, cardamom rarely shows up, more often in medicinal beverages.
>
>So what would work as a substitute of musk or camphor?
>
>I have no idea.
>
>I have looked for artificial musk flavor (i generally avoid artificial 
>flavors, but in this case i'd make an exception), but have not found any in 
>the retail markets around me. I can get spikenard, but it doesn't see a 
>likely substitute. And someone told me that camphor was unsafe to eat (and 
>i mean real camphor from the tree, not moth balls which is poisonous to 
>ingest)
>
>>I know there is a "musk seed" (which I also learned about at
>>the Symposium last weekend), but I haven't searched it out yet.  I'll have
>>to ask our local herbalist if she has any and whether I can smell it or 
>>not
>>to see if my nose approves
>
>Musk seed is also called Ambrette. It is the seed of a plant in Mallow 
>family (which i've seen as both Hibiscus moschatus or Hibiscus 
>abelmoschus), and is sometimes also called Musk Mallow, or Mallow-Musk. I 
>know it is used for scent, but i don't know how edible it is.
>
>Anahita
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