[Sca-cooks] paella

[Stefan li Rous]

Caelian of Moray replied to me with:
>   Actually that's what I am going after is it or isn`t it period. I  
> have
> found several shadowy references in historical accounts in the Iberian
> peninsula about soldiers, and local populations using shields to cook
> a meal upon.

Huh? I've always heard that shields were made out of wood, not metal.  
How would you cook on them? Perhaps you are thinking of cooking in a  
helmet?

> The only common thread is grain or legumes. Meats, fowl, sea
> food ,
> ranged depending on where your making the dish. Real thin thread some
> what
> stretched to the breaking point thread. But what is the point of
> going after
> the easy. After all is it not what we are about in the end of things.
> Finding out the little bits of reality within the time frame.

I think though that we need to be careful of all those little bits  
and assembling them into something that wasn't really there. As well  
as the exceptions and one of a kind items. Personally I have a  
preference for useable A&S objects. We often tend to make our  
medieval replicas based on what survives in museums and collections.  
Often, the reason we have those items is that they were special  
pieces and were never used, and may have never been made to be used.  
They were handed down from generation to generation because they were  
art pieces rather than practical pieces. The useable, practical  
pieces were used until they were worn out or converted into something  
else. End of rant.

>   I tend to believe noodles would have been a more modern adaptation.
> Less
> likely to be period then say rice or peas, beans.  Not sure how fast
> noodles
> would have spread form Italy into the Iberian peninsula.

Well, what makes you think noodles originated in Italy? We have a  
number of pasta dishes from all over. One thing we do know is that  
there were pasta dishes in Europe long before Marco Polo came back  
from China.

In the FOOD section of the Florilegium for those who might be  
interested in more pasta info:
pasta-msg        (103K)  2/22/02    Period pasta. Period references.  
Recipes.
pasta-gnocchi-msg (13K)  8/ 1/01    Period gnocchi pasta. Recipes.
pasta-stufed-msg  (33K)  3/20/01    Period stuffed pasta dishes.  
Ravioli.

>   I have used your Archive so much I think I have set an apartment on
> the lower levels.

Thank you for the compliment on the Florilegium. I have heard folks  
joke about needing to leave a trail of breadcrumbs when they enter  
the Florilegium so they can find their way out. Or folks that have  
gone in "for a quick look" and suddenly three or four hours have  
passed. :-)

> Some day I am hoping to contribute to its mass, who knows
> maybe even Paella. Unless of course someone else beats me to it. All
> is fair in research after all.

Most of the research and info in the Florilegium comes from others. I  
just edit and maintain things. And I am always looking for new,  
useful or interesting material. This thread for instance has probably  
generated enough info to create a file specifically on paella, even  
if right now the exact origins and definition of paella is a bit  
hazy. Perhaps someone else can use the resulting file and refine the  
material a it more.

I have no problem having multiple articles on the same subject. Each  
author approaches things from a different angle and viewpoint. For  
instance, I have two message files on soap and soapmaking and two or  
three articles on it. That doesn't mean I wouldn't accept a new  
article on this, although it might not get as high a priority as one  
on a new, less known subject.

I also don't have a problem with folks taking what is in the  
Florilegium, organizing it better, perhaps adding some new material  
and then writing an article. This happened with my Gypsies-msg file.  
A lady took what was in the file at that time, added more material  
and used that to teach a class at Pennsic. Now her articles are also  
in the Florilegium.

I'd love to have more contributions or help on the Florilegium,  
including forwarded good messages and articles from other, public,  
mail lists. The copyright remains with the author and I will take  
upgrades at any time. I also have no problem with articles being  
published elsewhere, on the web or in paper publications, either  
before or after they are in the Florilegium.

Stefan
--------
THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
    Mark S. Harris           Austin, Texas           
StefanliRous at austin.rr.com
**** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:  http://www.florilegium.org ****