[Sca-cooks] How old are sugared almonds?

[Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius]

On Nov 10, 2005, at 6:58 AM, Volker Bach wrote:

> Salve all
>
> I was idly wondering whether it would be defensible to add sugared  
> almonds to
> the dessert table of a feast themed '13th century Mediterranean'. Arab
> influences are not a problem (the dessert subteltie is supposed to  
> be 'the
> Fleet of Roger II returning from Mahdia with tribute', but I don't  
> know that
> much about sugar cooking. How old is that particular confection?
>
> Giano

Off the top of my head, I _think_ one of the early specific  
references to them is Chiquart's early 15th century "Du fait de  
cuisine", but I get the feeling they're older than that.

Adamantius


"S'ils n'ont pas de pain, vous fait-on dire, qu'ils  mangent de la  
brioche!" / "If there's no bread to be had, one has to say, let them  
eat cake!"
     -- attributed to an unnamed noblewoman by Jean-Jacques Rousseau,  
"Confessions", 1782

"Why don't they get new jobs if they're unhappy -- or go on Prozac?"
     -- Susan Sheybani, assistant to Bush campaign spokesman Terry  
Holt, 07/29/04