[Sca-cooks] Beets

[david friedman]

>So there is the possibility that both interpretations of the
>recipe could be correct, but that the root would only be used if you were
>preparing the tart late in the season. During the production time of the
>year it would probably be the greens.

This strikes me as very improbable. I can believe that people ate the 
greens part of the year and the root part of the year. But beet root 
is very different from beet greens, so why would you replace one with 
the other in the same recipe? And if you were doing so, don't you 
think the recipe would say something about being able to do it either 
way? We have two versions of the recipe from two different countries, 
and neither does.

So far as Domostroi is concerned, the passage doesn't specify beet 
root. The relevant bit is "Pickle cabbages, beets, and cucumbers in 
the fall." Cabbages are greens, so although it's certainly possible 
that what are being pickled are the roots of the beets, It could also 
be the last of the greens.

On the other hand, the text refers several times to "beet greens" but 
speaks of pickling beets. That might be a deliberate difference--it 
would be interesting to have someone who reads Russian check the 
original.
-- 
David/Cariadoc
http://www.daviddfriedman.com/