[Sca-cooks] fennel and orange salad

[Louise Smithson]

I don't have my books here at work (caveat out of the way), however, I will post the appropriate references later. 
  The book on Italian food (Italian Cuisine: A cultural history, Capatti et al) indicates that sweet or fleshy fennel was actually a food that was starting to spread in Italy in the mid to late 16th century.  
  I have the book on geography of food crops at home and as far  as I remember it also indicated that bulb/florence/fleshy fennel is a 16th century crop.  Before then you have the herb type fennel which has much less flesh at the base and is mostly stalks with flowers/seeds.  
  The salads in Scappi menus for the most part are often single item, not compound salads.  So you find salad of asparagus, salad of fennel, salad of lettuce etc.  Also there is call for a salad of sour oranges dressed with sugar and rosewater, think plate of sliced oranges with yummy stuff on. 
  There is interestingly a book on salads (Archidopero overo dell'insalata) which was published just out of SCA period (1615) which covers salads quite comprehensively and has a lot to say about what you dress your salad with. 
  Now in this book the acids with which you dress your salad vary dependent upon the time of year and what you are dressing.  
  All salads are dressed with salt and olive oil, 
  Acid choices are verjuice, sour orange juice, vinegar, 
  Sweet notes may be added by adding mosto cotto.
  Now I cannot tell you what the choice is for fennel (because I haven't looked it up yet), however the choice for asparagus is a dressing consisting of sour orange juice, salt and olive oil.  I have tried this it is a really good combination. 
  The dressing combination for roasted onions is vinegar, mosto cotto, pepper, salt and oil, also excellent.  
  That said I expect that sour orange juice dressing is also one of the ones suggested for fennel.  (please note that I have not looked it up yet).  So a fennel and orange salad is possible in period BUT it is likely not fennel and chunks of sour orange as much as fennel served with sour orange dressing.  
  I'll follow up later tonight when I have my references handy.  
  Helewyse
   

		
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