[Sca-cooks] Re: Flaming Subtleties (was Piecrust revisited, was, Books for Cooks)

[Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius]

Also sprach Samrah:
>Apologies for my ignorance/innocence.  I am more than a bit new at 
>this.  We had flaming subtleties in period?  I may be mistaken so 
>please somebody correct me.   Desserts didn't flame (too late), but 
>subtleties did?
>
>Thanks,
>Samrah

Subtleties definitely did, on occasion; there are instructions for 
fire-breathing dragons and such calling for ignited alcohol and 
various resins such as camphor, IIRC, and servers to blow through 
tubes to provide oxygen to the flames as they carried the subtlety 
into the hall. Such subtleties weren't always edible, but I believe 
some were.

As for flaming foods, yes, this is a clearly edible, or mostly 
edible, dish, which might conceivably qualify as a flaming subtlety. 
Clearly they weren't as common as they became in the 18th-19th 
centuries and later, but I believe there's some evidence to suggest 
medieval people flamed foods occasionally, or at least burned alcohol 
for the theatrical effect. See Chiquart's recipe for flaming boar's 
head, for one example (okay, it's not flaming, it's spitting fire -- 
what is burning is brandy mixed with camphor, soaked into a cotton 
wick, as I recall).

I don't have references at my fingertips at the moment, but I'm sure 
28 people will respond more definitively (you know who you are) ;-) .

A.

>
>Also sprach Adamantius:
>
>[much snippage]
>
>BTW: the mistake in the translated recipe, as far as I know, is in
>their translation of "eau/ew ardent" as "Hot water". Eau ardent is
>brandy, I believe. This is probably a flaming subtlety... [Phlip, are
>you getting all this?]
>
>
>
>
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