[Sca-cooks] Introduction

[Daniel Myers]

On Nov 17, 2006, at 5:34 PM, Christy Campbell wrote:

> Well, this is the first SCA cooking mailing list I've joined... Who  
> knows, it may actually cause me to learn how to cook!
>
>   My name is Ysabelle, and I hail from the frozen wasteland of the  
> Shire  of Tir Bannog, (Principality of Tir Righ, Kingdom of An Tir.)

Welcome to the list!


>   Anyways, I shall close this rambling introduction with a question:
>   Can anyone point me at information on the period uses of spices  
> to preserve meat?

Do you count salt, vinegar, or honey as spices?  If so, then yes.  If  
not, then no.  What little I've seen on the preservative value of  
spices all seems to be modern conjecture, applied in a sort of "They  
could've" mindset.  Recipes from period sources for preserving meat  
do sometimes included spices, but they always include salt, vinegar,  
or honey (most often salt) and any possible preservative value in the  
spices would be insignificant compared to these three ingredients.

<Stefan-mode ON>
There's a decent article on the topic in the Florilegium
http://www.florilegium.org/files/FOOD/spice-use-art.html
</Stefan-mode OFF>

- Doc


-=-=-=-
342. Take Bete, an cutte hem, than draw hem thorw a straynowre in-to  
a fayre potte, an than caste ther-to Safron, and let hem sethe to- 
gederys a whyle, an loke that it be poynaunt an dowcet.  [The Boke of  
Swyllyng]
-=-=-=-