[Sca-cooks] Re: Med History column idea

[Devra at aol.com]

     What about "Fruits of the Season"?  You could go in all directions with 
that, how you couldn't find fruit out of its season (the fairytale about the 
girl sent by her wicked stepmother to find strawberries in January--I think 
it's called The Twelve Months -- whether people ate fresh fruit (I've seen this 
debated!) to fruit tarts, fruits cooked with meat, and preserving fruit to 
serve out-of-season (like candying, drying, and preserves and even wines and 
meads).
     You could do one on using preserved items, and one on banquets (as in 
the dessert course).
     One on bread and its varieties and uses (trenchers, thickening things, 
pan perdu) and why it's so hard to find historical recipes from the early 
period.  Including 'baker's dozen' and 'upper crust' and the weird things people 
used to make bread when grain was really scarce or expensive.
     Follow blamange from its rice-and-chicken origin to the custardy dessert 
form of today.
     You MUST do one on illusion foods!
            Devra (finding lots of things that might be exciting....)
            



Devra Langsam
www.poisonpenpress.com
devra at aol.com