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

[Robin Carroll-Mann]

-----Original Message-----
From: David Friedman <ddfr at daviddfriedman.com>

For the "overspicing"  version, the earliest source I know is the introduction to _Two 
Fifteenth Century Cookery Books_, written at the end of the 
nineteenth century. It's clear from context that the author is 
reacting not to the amount of spices, which he has no information on, 
but to the unfamiliar use of particular spices--I think to putting 
cinnamon in soup in the example he mentions.

Anyone know of an earlier example?
-- 
David/Cariadoc
www.daviddfriedman.com
_______________________________________________

Not an earlier example, but here is the relevant portion of the introduction you mentioned, which was written in 1888.

"Many of the Recipes that are given here would astonish a modern Cook. Our forefathers, possibly from having stronger stomachs, fortified by outdoor life, evidently liked their dishes strongly seasoned and piquant, as the Cinnamon Soup on p. 59 shews. Pepper, Ginger, Cloves, Garlic, Cinnamon, Galingale, Vinegar, Verjuice, and Wine, appear constantly in dishes where we should little expect them; and even Ale was frequently used in Cookery. Wine is used in the recipe for Roast Partridge, on p. 78, and also, as seems more natural to us, in the Partridge Stews on pages 9 and 78: it is also used for Brawn in Poivrade on p. 71. Ale is introduced in the Bowres on p. 8, in the Sops Chamberlain on p. 11, and in the Mortrews de Chairon p. 71, and is even used in the Charlette on p. 17, though Milk is also one of the ingredients: both Ale and Wine appear in the Maumenny Royal, on p. 22. Ale is also used with the Tench in Bruet."

http://www.hti.umich.edu/cgi/c/cme/cme-idx?type=HTML&rgn=DIV1&byte=3361621

Brighid ni Chiarain
Barony of Settmour Swamp, East Kingdom