[Sca-cooks] El drama del medieval café?

[Suey]

Many thanks for all the messages on the drama of medieval coffee. First, 
the term Arab is mistakingly used to describe the

Suey wrote:
>

> >> The Arabs had coffee, they had cups, not sure about saucers, and they 
> >> had sugar. They had spoons for liquids and semi-liquids. They did not 
> >> use knives or forks. Now at the medieval dinner we are planning we 
> >> are having a problem finding wooden soup spoons for the first course 
> >> but when it comes to the coffee how can the guests stir it after 
> >> adding the sugar?
>   

Many thanks for all the suggestions. First I must admit when speaking of 
the term "Arab" or "Hispano-Arab" is misued when speaking of the Islamic 
invaders/settlers in Spain who essentially were Berbers, Serians and 
Persians. The dinner being planned is based on Hispano-Islamic food 
before Columbus, which unfortunately encompases Al-Andalus and Catalan 
food between the 13th-15th centuries because I am the speaker. We know 
Averroes was using coffee as medicine during the 12th in Seville and 
coffee began to be brewed in the 14th Century. Due to Spain's close ties 
with Morocco and Baghdad, I think it very likely that Spain had brewed 
coffee by 1470 which is when my lecture ends. Next this dinner is taking 
place in Chile so brewing Arab coffee is no problem. As far stirring 
one's coffee with a finger  that is out of the question due to Alfonso 
X's /Siete Partidas/ published in the 14th Century in which he dictates 
proper table manners. As there are some people who do not like sugar in 
their coffee, I think  preparing sugared coffee would not be the trick. 
Personally, in all the oriental countries I have visited I have never 
been served presugared coffee. Anne-Marie's suggestion of serving an 
almond cookie with the coffee which can be used to stir it is perfect as 
it is a custom in this country to serve a sweet or cookie with coffee. 
As far as knives and forks go Christians at this time thought the Bible 
prohibited that meat and animal products could not be conveyed to the 
mouth with metal. By the 15th century at least the fruit fork existed in 
Spain because fruit comes from a plant or tree. Now I have just answered 
my own question. Metal spoons can be used for coffee as it is comes from 
a plant! Knives, by the way, were not used because the Spanish carvers 
received specific instructions on the art of carving meat into bit size 
pieces by 1425 at least thanks to Enrique de Villena's /The Art of Carving.
/Sue/
/