[Sca-cooks] Period?, was Tomatoes

[Sandragood@aol.com]

In a message dated 10/5/2006 6:17:50 P.M. Central Daylight Time,  
lilinah at earthlink.net writes:

I can  imagine an outfit composed of shoes 
from one time and place, "pants" from  another, a tunic from still a 
third, topped with a cap or coif from yet a  fourth , and the wearer 
saying the outfit is period, because each of the  parts is, although 
the parts are all from different times and places  


This is exactly the point I made in my post about redacting which was  in 
response to the "stewed tomatoes vs. ketchup" thread.  Redacting without  a 
recipe is more than finding a list of ingredients (like in a  household receipt 
book) and putting them together.  Just because  you have the ingredients doesn't 
mean they were used together in that time  and place in a manner we would use 
them today, i.e. my Reuben sandwich  example.  
 
Finding that the ingredients were used in a particular manner is the  key.  
We know that sweeteners, thickening agents, vinegars, and  tomatoes were found 
in Spain.  However, we only  have accounts of tomatoes being eaten WITH 
vinegar, not of a sauce  being made from them.  Until you can solidly justify, 
prove, or document  with period sources that they would have made a "sauce" from 
tomatoes,  ketchup would remain controversial.  
 
Someone mentioned a book about the history of ketchup.  I am  unfamiliar with 
the book, but if the author states that ketchup has a history  linked to our 
(SCA) time period, does he give his sources?  Are they period  sources, or 
just someone else's opinion on the matter?  I'm curious.
 
 
My  thoughts,

THL Elizabeth Donnan
Secretary, Grand Chefs of Gleann  Abhann
www.grandchefs.com