[Sca-cooks] Period or no? - Long analysis *G*

[drakey2 at iinet.net.au]

> Master A suggested this as an illustration of the changes that can creep 
> in when one culture makes a dish originated by another. Somewhere in 
> Australia, someone decided that a nice slice of beetroot would taste 
> good on a hamburger, and introduced a variation which, though doubtless 
> good in its own place, leaves Americans shuddering *G*. (Or at least, 
> muttering "What??!")

Oh trust me, there our American foods that make us shudder...

> In discussing it, however, assuming, logically, that one did not go to 
> the trouble of boiling a beet every time one wanted a hamburger 
> (assumption #1, borne out by Drakey's post) he then made Assumption #2, 
> that this would be a pickled beet. After all, in America we use cucumber 
> pickles, and it would surely serve the same purpose.

To clarify, the beets are peeled, sliced then canned.

> And then we morph into a discussion that it is *possible* to pickle 
> beets... as it surely is (and delicious they are, too - at least I think 
> so... though others here disagree... *G*)
> 
> So, using the logic frequently used to defend our redactions - we have 
> proven that beets can be pickled. We have proven that a pickled beet 
> might work in the same flavor way that we are accustomed to. Ergo, we 
> have "proven" that they must, or at least, sometimes do, use pickled 
> beets... or have we?? Perhaps they're roasted?
> 
> These assumptions, logical though they may be, are *not* borne out by 
> Drakey's post... He says
> 
>  > The beetroot used in hamburgers is invariably canned, sliced beetroot.
> 

My significant other's sister used to live in Trimaris (now in Middle K) and 
took my gf to a supermarket in Tallahassee very late at night as so not to 
offend the locals...  She laughed almost hard enough to break ribs at several 
concepts (such as croissants stuffed with meatballs and gravy).  She had to be 
removed after discovering biscuits containing a genuine dollop of real, 
artificial raspberry...

>I submit that he is expert...

Me? Hardly...

> 
> We do this a lot, here. We've discussed all kinds of American regional 
> foods, with clear origins, with people from other regions giving 
> "authentic recipes" that have morphed to leave out elements that the 
> people from the originating areas consider vital. Or adding elements

I find the concept of beetroot in gloopy 'gravy' (a la harvard beets), vaguely 
nauseating... Adamantius is right... leave the cornstarch for chinese cooking...

> that are anathema. (Unboiled bagels? Red eye gravy without coffee? Chili 
> with beans? Or even, without meat?) OK, vegetarian chili with four kinds 
> of beans and lots of vegetables is a Real American Dish - but it is not 
> Authentic Texas Chili. Let's not represent it as such.
> 
> When we make a "logical" change to a medieval recipe, how do we know 
> we're not missing the entire point, in the same way? (After all, we 
> don't even have Medieval Friends and Relations  to say "You put *what* 
> in that??") I suspect that, if you cook a great deal within *one* 
> foodway you eventually begin to get an idea, though you'll never 
> absolutely know... but I don't think those of us who hop around and do 
> 16th century English one day and 14th Century Andalusian the next get 
> the same feel for it - and I'm certain that those of us who are relative 
> beginners don't have it. (I sure don't...)

A great exercise is to get 20 SCA people together who dont cook medieval food 
and get them to redact and cook Tart de Bry...  The results are usually very 
interesting.

Drakey - now getting back to what I was doing - taking the garden rubbish to 
the tip...

ps... I too am an Eggplant hater.  Unless it's a REALLY good moussaka...

pps.. Need to make sugar plate (for an edible decorated plate) and the lovely 
person I knew who had a good recipe has buggered off to geneva with her 
cookbooks...  Does anyone have a good one that involves making the 'gloop' 
(usually from Gum Trag or Gelatin) where you take a pea sized bit of it and 
slowing working the confectioners sugar in?