[Sca-cooks] Newspaper reporter needs help with story

[David Friedman]

>Greetings.
>
>My name is Patrick O'Donnell, a reporter for The Plain Dealer, the 
>main newspaper in Cleveland, OH. I am also an SCA member, Lord Mael 
>Patraic mac Domnaill, the author of a new book about the SCA called 
>The Knights Next Door: Everyday People Living Middle Ages Dreams.
>
>I am doing a feature story for my paper on medieval feasts, using 
>the Midrealm coronation feast this past weekend as the basis. I have 
>personally attended at least 20 SCA feasts and had sections on 
>Atlantian cooks/researches Thomas Longshanks and John le Burguillin 
>in my book. But I want to clarify a few things.
>
>1) What would you consider the main mundane misconceptions about 
>medieval food?

1. That it was heavily spiced, and so would taste bad to a modern diner.

2. That it was simple--stereotypical peasant food.

3. That it included stews with potatoes in them.

>2) What is the most common -but wrong - way medieval feasts are depicted?
>3) What is the true most important difference between modern food 
>and medieval food?

A different use of spices--cinnamon and ginger used with meat, for 
example. The other difference, of course, is the absence of New World 
foods, a number of which--tomatoes, potatoes, maize, squash, 
vegetable peppers--are prominent in modern cooking.

>4) What is the closest thing to a steak available in the Middle 
>Ages? If we need to be specific, try 14th C France)

Roast meat is common enough. One obvious difference would be 
different sauces available with it. No tomato based sauces, but 
garlic sauce, sauce vert, and the like.


-- 
David/Cariadoc
www.daviddfriedman.com