[Sca-cooks] When meat isn't meat

[Daniel Myers]

On Apr 7, 2006, at 2:30 PM, lilinah at earthlink.net wrote:

> The issue of "bakemetes" is perhaps clearer in SCA-period French  
> cookbooks.
>
> In modern French "viande" means "meat" generally. But in late SCA- 
> period French cookbooks, "viande" means... mmm... filling food, not  
> necessarily containing animal flesh. When animal flesh in intended  
> the books use the word "chair" which means "flesh".


Maybe "char" has that meaning in Middle-French, but I'm not sure.  In  
15th century English there are recipes that use "char" to refer to  
the flesh of fruit.  Both of the examples below have their names  
clearly taken from French.


Chare de wardoun leche. Take Perys, & sethe ham, & Pike ham & stampe  
ham, & draw hem thorw a straynoure, & lye it with Bastard; then caste  
hem in-to a potte, & Safroun with-al, and boyle with Maces, Clowes,  
pouder Canel, Quibibes, & a litel pouder Pepir, & Rolle hem vppe with  
Brede, the cromes with-in thin hondys, & serue forth.

Chare de Wardone. Take peer Wardons, and seth hem in wine or water;  
And then take hem vppe, and grinde hem in a morter, and drawe hem  
thorgh a streynoure with the licour; And put hem in a potte with  
Sugur, or elle with clarefiede hony and canell ynowe, And lete hem  
boile; And then take hit from the fire, And lete kele, and caste  
there-to rawe yolkes of eyren, til hit be thik, and caste thereto  
powder of ginger ynowe; And serue hit forth in maner of Ryse. And if  
hit be in lenton tyme, leve the yolkes of eyren, And lete the  
remnaunt boyle so longe, til it be so thikk as thoug hit were y- 
tempered with yolkes of eyren, in maner as A man setheth charge de  
quyns; And then serue hit forth in maner of Rys.
[Source: Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books]


- Doc


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  Edouard Halidai  (Daniel Myers)
  Pasciunt, mugiunt, confidiunt.
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