[Sca-cooks] Re: Sca-cooks Digest, Vol 24, Issue 57

[Christiane]

 Our cooking competition judging sheets have a category for 
Presentation, which i gather includes how the food is garnished, what 
the dishes the food is served in look like, whether we have napkins, 
etc.

Yet most recipes do not say how to garnish and present the food, and 
i have not found much about garnishing - or even how often it was 
done - and presentation in SCA-period any time, anywhere.
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How about portraits and still-lifes? Albeit most of these are late period, but they provide some clues. I was looking at the marriage feast of Nastagio degli Onesti by Botticelli (the fourth part in that series) and it seems that the only greenery on the table were little bunches of flowers at the women's places. The food being brought out by the pages has no greenery on top of it. I noted the pie the lead server is carrying is swathed in some linen. It seems to me, garnishing with greenery didn't really become part of the pictorial record until late 18th century/19th century.

Looking at these paintings provides a good clue as to napkins and dishes used, too.

Found this fruit bowl in a still life by Fede Galizia while looking around; I'd love to have one similar for my own kitchen/dining table:

http://www.lifeinitaly.com/art/women-artist-2.asp

Gianotta