[Sca-cooks] Cookbooks and historical food references

[Sharon Gordon]

At the moment I'm working on some cookbook reviews for modern cookbooks that
have good selections of recipes that use fresh fruits and vegetables (if you
have some to recommend, I'd love to hear about them at gordonse at one.net).

The one I am currently working on is
The Provence Cookbook by Patricia Wells, 2004 ISBN 0-06-050782-9.

Only part way through the book so far, but there are tantalizing tidbits of
info related to period food that might be fun to follow up on.  Some that I
would like to know more about:
1) Savory madeleines.
2) An olive oil pressed from a combination of 5 olives from  a mill that
dates from 1610.
3) 13th century rice growing
4) wild herbs
5) Roman to current day salt making along the shores of Aigues-Mortes.
6) Use of coconut fiber mats to filter olive oil.  Mats are called scourtins
(can't tell how old this practice is).
7) Use of cicadas in art and craft work.
8) Daubes (red wine beef stew, not sure how old this dish is)
9) How the village Chateauneuf-du-Pape and the wines came to be.
10) Experiments with growing saffron.
11) Tiny (fingernail sized) clams only found in provence called Tellines.
12) References to historic pottery and modern continuations of the
traditions.
13) Spelt growing and use.

Historical but not period:
1) Unusual heirloom squashes.
2) Unusual heirloom tomatoes.
3) White bean, Le coco de Mollans
4) Their personal wine making from grapes growing on the land when they
bought it plus new plantings.


Note to Jadwiga and others-who-are-especially-fond-of-mustard:
Some good looking (modern) recipes for
1) Parmesan mustard herb bread
2) Mustard marinated grilled fish
3) Quail with mustard and fennel
4) Mustard tapenade

Somethings I saw that I hope there are period recipes for (anyone seen
anything similar?):
1) Roasted chicken stuffed with rice and figs
2) Saffron and cheese pasta sauce
3) Endive salad with goat cheese (and some modern vegetables)

There's probably more to list in a future post as I am about halfway through
the book so far.

Sharon
gordonse at one.net