[Sca-cooks] roast turkey

[Terry Decker]

> That having been said, one could argue that the Artichoke is just as
period as the turkey, since
> it was known to have been minimally available towards the end of the 15th
century, as a cultivated
> version of the Cardoon.  However, the Artichoke does not appear in any
known extant cookbook of
> our period of interest, nor has it ever grown wild in any part of the
world.  I, personally, am of
> the opinion that those foods which were relegated to 'curiosities', or
very difficult to find,
> should be excluded from the mainstream SCA gastronomique.  Potatoes, Corn,
Turkey, Artichokes,
> Chocolate, etc...

I would point out that there are a number of cardoon recipes in Apicius
which would certainly apply to the artichoke.  Apicius may be 1st Century,
but extant copies of it certainly fall within SCA period.  As Latin had no
word for the artichoke, carduus would have been used for both plants.

The name artichoke appears to be derived from an Arabic root through Spanish
and into English.  In English, artichoke dates from the 15th Century, the
plant is almost certainly earlier.  A recipe for artichoke pie appears in
Hugh Platts' The Accomplisht Ladys Delight, which while just out of period
suggests that artichokes were being eaten in England at the time.  The were
certainly being grown there in 1563 as they are referenced in Thomas Hill's
The Profitable Art of Gardening.

In 1559, Dodoens commented on cardoons in his The History of Plants saying
they were more spinescent as the Articoca of Italy and less used as food.

Considering the evidence, I would suspect the artichoke was available some
time before the end of the 15th Century, but may not have been widely used
before the 16th Century.  I would be hesitant to characterize it as
minimally available without a lot of research.

The sweet potato, known as the common or Spanish potato spread rather
quickly and was in common use rather than being a curiosity.

The white potato appears in Spain is 1573, England in 1586 (maybe, there are
some questions), and in Northern Europe in 1587.  It was primarily seen as a
botanical specimen, but there is one recipe prior to 1600.  BTW, the modern
white potato is a Chilean species imported in the 19th Century.

By corn, I assume you mean maize.  It was brought to Europe in 1493 and 50
years later was in cultivation in a number of places.  It didn't make much
impact on Noethwestern Europe, but it was cultivated in Italy, Gemany and
east into Anatolia and the Levant.  There are references which show it was
being used as food for people and wasn't a curiosity.

Turkey refers to two different birds.  It was first used to reference Guinea
fowl in the 15th Century and then to reference North American turkeys
brought back to Spain around 1527.  By mid-century the Mexican imports were
being farmed in a number of places across Europe and by the end of the
century were commonly available.  There is a woodcut of a turkey in Rumpolt.

Chocolate was apparently a curiosity until the 17th Century..

>
> Now, don't get me wrong.... I'm not saying these things aren't
delicious....merely that the mere
> presence of those items within our time frame does not, necessarily, mean
that they were widely
> available or even commonly used in the regions in which they *were*
available.
>
> As for the right noble Turkey, I adore the ugly bastards, and find them
about as far from
> 'Mundane' as I do Lamb, Venison or any game meat.  The flesh is flavorful
and versatile, and I
> feel it requires as much respect as any of the 'period' birds of Western
Europe.  It's big enough
> to have kicked all of those other birds' asses, anyway :)
>
> William de Grandfort

Assuming that something was merely present rather than being used is as big
a mistake as saying things were commonly used because they were present.
The real issue is what is the evidence for and against use.

If you're doing a late 16th Century feast, consider using turkey for one of
the other large European birds.  Apparently, turkeys replaced bustards,
swans and the like because they tasted better and were easier to get.

Bear