[Sca-cooks] Spices in England

[Laura C. Minnick]

At 12:19 PM 12/30/2006, you wrote:
>   I believe it is in Robin Howe's, edited
>version of Mrs. Groundes-Peace's Old Cookery Notebook (which I do not
>have at hand) in which he states that her 15th Century household
>received something like a spoonful or less of sugar per month while
>Americans in the 20th Century were consuming ? lbs per person per month,
>the figure is extraordinary in comparison. Perhaps Queen Bess had all
>the sugar she wanted but I doubt her subjects saw much of it . . .

I would like to point out to you that the 15th c and Elizabeth's time are 
NOT the same thing. Also, a servant's allotment is not necessarily 
indicative of what was available to the population at large in the 15th 
century. But we have a fair number of Elizabethan-era cookbooks that are 
loaded with sweets and dishes that require sugar. And these were certainly 
not restricted to Elizabeth and her immediate circle.

'Lainie


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