[Sca-cooks] Sugar and cheese

[Terry Decker]

That should be BS rather than PS.  The harder the wheat (the more gluten 
proteins) the better the rise.  However, even soft wheat will produce a 
reasonable loaf of bread.  If anyone had taken time to look at the paintings 
and woodcuts they would have seen round loaves capable of being sliced and 
made into sandwiches.  It is fairly obvious to me that the person who 
expressed this opinion doesn't bake, probably doesn't think, and makes 
sandwiches from Wonder Bread rather than a chewy dense rye.

While we don't see sandwiches and we don't find many references, I remember 
Nanna commenting on Harald Hardratta and the butter wrapped in the slice of 
bread (bread and butter sandwich?).  I think sandwiches may have been done 
for casual dining and just aren't mentioned.  For example, we have lists of 
food presented to vaious people for breakfast including bread, meat and 
fish, but we have no real information on how they ate them.

In my opinion, sandwiches in period are an open question, unproven and 
possible unprovable.  Blaming the bread for sandwiches not being eaten in 
period is merely a demonstration of illogic and ignorance.

Bear


> PS: I did hear an interesting theory though, at a Gulf Wars class, that 
> sandwiches weren't done in period because the bread did not have much rise 
> because of the hardness of the wheat. And thus it made a bread that was 
> too dense or perhaps just not tall enough, to be sliced conveniently into 
> sandwich slices. I'm not at all sure about this theory, but I do feel 
> there is some reason, other than they just didn't think of it, that 
> sandwiches weren't done in period.
> --------
> THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra