[Sca-cooks] Pretzels

[Susan Fox-Davis]

Chris Stanifer wrote:

>--- Stefan li Rous <StefanliRous at austin.rr.com> wrote:
>
>>Are you asking if they were boiled in "malted" water? That is with an 
>>M? I'd like hear why you think of that as a period thing to do. What 
>>else was boiled in malted water?
>>
>
>
>Well, without further resources to check, I have no reason to think it was a period thing to do,
>other than my own culinary instincts (assuming that the more basic instincts would have been
>pretty much the same).  If you want a slightly sweet crust to your pretzel, and you're going to
>boil it anyway, you might as well use water with malt in it.  Or honey, I suppose, though I have
>no recipes (modern or otherwise) which call for boiling pretzels in honey water.  I do, however,
>have recipes which call for boiling them in water with malt in it.  I'm assuming (totally
>assuming) that this may well have been the process used in the middle ages, and survived to this
>day.
>

You knew that someone would come up with a contradiction, didn't you? 
 Here is a modern recipe using malt in water and another for honey in 
water for different styles of bagels: 
 <http://www.weekendbrewer.com/Cooking/bagels.htm>  This is part of a 
brewing web site with a section of recipes using brewing supplies like 
malt syrup and bread from spent grain.  Thrifty and sensible all around.

More pretzel stuff:

An article about pretzel history, frequently-reprinted article but some 
good period pictures:
<http://www.newyorkcarver.com/inventions5A.htm>

One of the excerpted pictures is part of a picture from a prayer-book, 
THE HOURS OF CATHERINE OF CLEVES, c. 1440, wherein a picture of St. 
Bartholmew is supposed to be surrounded by pretzels.  Further research 
shows that this manuscript will be on display at the Getty Museum in 
about a year, part of a larger exhibition of  Painted Prayers: Medieval 
and Renaissance Books of Hours.  We must make pilgrimage! 
 <http://www.getty.edu/news/press/fut_exhib2005.html>

Gode Cookery has a good etching of a portable oven and a pretzel 
merchant's stall.   c. 1483.
<http://www.godecookery.com/afeast/kitchens/kit010.html>
I think I want to make one of these ovens some day!  Need to get my 
local pottery maven in on it of course.

Selene