[Sca-cooks] A college class... on Coffee

[Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius]

Also sprach Stefan li Rous:
>Adamantius commented:
>>  >  Closest I've found to similar social act in period revolved around
>>>  the ale house. And well, there are other issues there...
>>
>>Bingo. On the other hand, one might consider the emotional attachment
>>period people seem to have had with things like caudles and possets.
>>They could be served to sick people, were drunk from cups held in two
>>hands in front of a roaring fire, and often took the place of a meal.
>>They could be drunk by people alone or at a party (OK, post period)
>>at Samuel Pepys' house. It sounds a little like your communal
>>coffee-drinking, with perhaps a comfort-food aspect to replace the
>>caffeine, and no issue-clouding alcohol (or not much) in the equation.
>
>However, I thought caudles and possets were mostly late period and 
>post-period with the first documented ones being in the 16th 
>century. Anyone know otherwise?

I think they "officially" become beverages rather than thick or even 
standing pottages in the late 16th century, but caudles are based on 
recipes that date back at least to the early 14th century. Not sure 
about possets.

>Although it was a holiday tradition and not an everyday thing, 
>perhaps wassail is another, similar tradition. And that does go way 
>back.

I dunno, maybe you're reversing something in your logical sequence. I 
don't think these were holiday dishes/beverages in period, but have 
since become associated with them. It's kind of like, how many 
non-SCAdians make gingerbread in the summertime? I think it may be 
more likely that we remember our old traditions around the holiday 
season.

Adamantius
-- 




"S'ils n'ont pas de pain, vous fait-on dire, qu'ils  mangent de la 
brioche!" / "If there's no bread to be had, one has to say, let them 
eat cake!"
	-- attributed to an unnamed noblewoman by Jean-Jacques 
Rousseau, "Confessions", 1782

"Why don't they get new jobs if they're unhappy -- or go on Prozac?"
	-- Susan Sheybani, assistant to Bush campaign spokesman Terry 
Holt, 07/29/04