[Sca-cooks] Odd looking things in paintings

[Susan Fox-Davis]

Daniel Myers wrote:

> Howdy,
>
> In the paintings below, there are these things that look something 
> (but not completely) like a baby brie cut in half.  Any ideas what 
> they are?
>
> Here they're on the tray on the table
> http://www.rijksmuseum.nl/images/aria/sk/z/sk-a-3.z 

Those look like cheese to me, sliced in half and some of the tasty 
insides already eaten.  The party is getting wild, isn't it?  They've 
thrown flowers and leeks on the floor, along with what look to be mussel 
shells, and that one guy has kicked off his wooden sabots to dance.  Woo 
hoo!

> There's only one here - leaning on a pitcher - I'd think it was a 
> mushroom cap, but the inside doesn't look right.
> http://www.rijksmuseum.nl/images/aria/sk/z/sk-a-4821.z 

I think that is a round loaf of bread to go with all that cheese.

> At the butcher's, lower center - there's one white, one beige, and two 
> that are reddish-brown (if it's brie then Yuck!).
> http://www.wga.hu/art/a/aertsen/butchers.jpg 

Some cheeses come in vivid colors, particulary out from under the modern 
draconian raw milk regulations.  On the other hand, this is a meat shop 
and those might be some kind of pate's instead.

Selene