[Sca-cooks] Cookbooks and historical food references

[Terry Decker]

Scourtin or escourtin are baskets that receive olive paste.  They are then
stacked atop each other and are mechanically pressed to extract the oil.
Modern scourtins are nylon rather than coconut fiber.  Esparto grass and
other natural fibers have been used.

The technique is probably the "crushing in wicker sieves" mentioned in
Pliny.

Bear


>6) Use of coconut fiber mats to filter olive oil.  Mats are called
scourtins
>(can't tell how old this practice is).
>
>Sharon