[Sca-cooks] Potatoes (was Ratio)

[Vladimir Armbruster]

See below.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In Service to Crown and Society,
Vladimir Armbruster
Headmaster of the House of Willow and Thorn
(http://www.willowandthorn.freeforumhost.net/)
Barony of Aquaterra
(www.baronyofaquaterra.org)
Doting Husband of Sisabella Armbruster
(The 2cnd star to the right holds no such treasure)

> You said "feast" which to most of us here on this List means period, for
> fellow SCAdians.

I did now, didn't I. :)  My bad.

> Not really. One of the big questions we get from newer
> cooks is "what did they use instead of potatoes" and the
> answer is- Nothing. They didn't have a need for
> potatoes the way we modern Americans do. Instead,
> their starches were primarily grain based- bread,
> frumenty, that sort of thing.

Interesting!  What the hecks a frumenty?  (I'm new, i don't mind admitting
it. :) )

 > There are, however, various vegetables prepared in
>  quite a number of ways.  I'm not familiar with any that
>  are mashed, but they were often served boiled and
>  buttered. If you WANT to substitute something that is
>  period, but has a similar plate feel to a modern starch, >  Armored
Turnips fill the same sort of  niche that
>  scalloped potatoes do.

Armored Turnips O.o   Ok..  Before I see one riding off into the sunset in a
set of full plate astride its noble mandrake  steed wielding a leek as a
lance (oops, too late)..  What are Armored Turnips?

> Keep in mind, the 3-plop on a plate is a modern
> Americanism- starch, meat, vegetable. Other cultures
> arrange things differently, depending on their
> cultures and their necessities.

*toddles off to find a good book on Period German Cuisine* (Period being
1425 or so for him)