[Sca-cooks] Rotten meat and spices... (a few excerpts from Apicius)

[Chris Stanifer]

--- "Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius" <adamantius.magister at verizon.net> wrote:
> Also sprach Jadwiga Zajaczkowa / Jenne Heise:
> >  > >1. pg 48 - VI [9] To Improve a Broth
> >>  >If broth has contracted a bad odor, place a vessel upside down and
> >>  >fumigate it with laurel and
> >>  >cypress and before ventiliating it, pour the broth in this vessel...
> >>  >
> >>  >
> >>  What Vehling has translated as "broth" is actually liquamen, according
> >>  to Flower and Rosenbaum.
> >
> >One wonders what the bad odor in liquamen could possibly be? Perhaps it
> >started to smell good?
> 
> When it started to smell like meat.
> 
> A.
> -- 


Whatever it started to smell like, if it no longer smelled like broth, liquamen, meat or whatever
it was originally, then it's safe to assume that it had started to putrify.  Unfortunately, and as
is often the case in these early manuscripts, the author does not go into minute detail as to what
he means by a 'bad odor'.  He does not write, specifically, whether the 'bad' odor is caused by
cruciferous vegetables (as has been opined), or rot, or even fish poop.  He merely states that it
has a 'bad odor'.  In which case I think we can all walk out on that limb and state, with absolute
confidence, that 'bad' is not 'good'.  And, when faced with a 'not good' smelling
broth/liqumen/meat, what does he advise???  Fix it so it doesn't stink any more, and serve it
forthe....

If that's not evidence of tampering with bad food in anituquity, then I don't know what is.  of
course, I've never slopped a hog or milked a goat before, so I'm no expert...

William de Grandfort



Through teeth of sharks, the Autumn barks.....and Winter squarely bites me.


		
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