[Sca-cooks] soda bread plate

[Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius]

Also sprach Kathleen A. Roberts:
>Later, and according to some, heretical, additions
>>include buttermilk, butter, sugar, raisins and/or currants, and caraway
>>seeds.
>
>and the even more heretical yellow (corn) meal.

Wow! I never heard of _that_ one. Will wonders never cease? I can 
sort of vaguely see the rationale for the other stuff, it all being 
what went into a lot of English cakes from the 17th to the 19th 
centuries, in one form or another (probably starting with butter, 
raisins and/or currants and caraway confits), but yellow corn meal? 
Why would anyone do such a thing? Does it make a buttery thing (which 
isn't supposed to be buttery in the first place) seem to be more so, 
for its yellow color? Or are we just talking about sprinkling it on 
the bottom to keep it from sticking, like some other breads? (The 
anticipated response to that last question doesn't fill me with 
optimism, though...)

Adamantius