[Sca-cooks] How old are sugared almonds?

[Johnna Holloway]

This came up a month ago. I posted then something about
bellaria. They are mentioned by Platina :  spiced nuts with sugar?

"There is an order to be observed in taking food, since everything that
moves the bowels and whatever is of light and slight nourishment, like
apples and pears is more safely and pleasantly eaten in the first
course. I even add lettuce and whatever is served with vinegar and oil,
raw or cooked. Then there are eggs, especially the soft-cooked kind, and
certain sweets which we call bellaria, seasoned with spices and pine
nuts, or honey, or sugar. These are served very appropriately to
guests." Platina I.16

On Sugar

"By melting it, we make almonds (softened and cleaned in water), pine 
nuts, hazelnuts, coriander, anise, cinnamon, and many other things into
sweets. Platina II.15

Milham, M. trans. Platina. On Right Pleasure and Good Health. MRTS, 1998

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lilinah at earthlink.net wrote: earlier--

> Now here's the second question-what would a Middle Eastern 
> Savoury/nibble be like? Cheese? Spiced roasted almonds?

I've never seen spiced almonds in a period cookbook, but there are 
smoked and spice olives, which i have made for several feasts. (recipe 
below)

She later corrected that to read--
Indeed, "bellaria" are spiced nuts, but hardly "Middle Eastern". And the 
request was for "Middle Eastern" nibbles. And i don't recall seeing a 
recipe for spiced nuts in an SCA-period Arabic language cookbook 
translated into English.

Urtatim (that's err-tah-TEEM)
the persona formerly known as Anahita