[Sca-cooks] Sugar sponge

[Suey]

Ranvaig wrote:
> I found some early but non-period references to the term (azcuar rosado or panel de azucar).  They would indicate something more like meringue she than toffee.  The word "panal" seems to refer to honeycomb.
> Ranvaig
>   
Yes panel is honeycomb or cone shaped but I discard meringue in the 
medieval case as the only ingredient beside sugar is almond oil. Then 
the paste was cut into narrow strips and rolled into pellets.
> http://roberthood.net/zarzuela/review.html
> p. 75 Chueca's 1897 Agua, azucarillos y aguardiente: "azucarillos" translated as "meringues": in Chueca's day "azucarillo" was a honeycomb-like "meringue" made from sugar syrup, egg whites and lemon juice, it could be eaten as a "golosina" (meringue). . .  in  water . .  "endulzarla" . . .not dissimilar to the "panal de azucar" or the "esponjado" served with cold water. . .
>   
That is starting to make sense sponge sugar did develop into a meringue. 
The Mexican recipe calls for powdered sugar, egg white it is placed in 
molds for Halloween and Christmas and colored but not in the Middle Ages.
She goes on to state:
> http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0201A&L=ads-l&P=6557 STANDARD GUIDE TO HAVANA. 1906
> Pg. 82:  Among the popular drinks is one called panal (honeycomb) or a(z)ucarillo, which is made from a mixture of sugar and white of egg, dried in rolls about six inches long, which look like spongy white candy; the rolls are served with a glass of water and with or without a lemon; when panal is dissolved it produces a sweetish drink like the eau sucre of the French. 
>   
No. Lovely reference but I have no egg whites in my recipe.
> http://www.tfaoi.com/permc/perm10b.htm
> Offering the Panal to the Bullfighter, in which a bullfighter is given panal--Spanish for honeycomb or sponge sugar, dipped in water to provide energy and quench thirst. 1873
>
>   
Gorgeous painting but it must be a 19th century version!
She continues:
> http://content.cdlib.org/xtf/view?docId=ft4580066d&doc.view=content&chunk.id=d0e368&toc.depth=1&anchor.id=0&brand=eschol
> Two Foundations, 1565-1835
> They turned sugar into candy and syrup for drinks (e.g., azucar rosado , a beverage made with caramelized sugar and citrus juice) and packaged it for the slowly growing export trade in native products.
>
>   
Careful we are not talking about a sugar drink but a candy served with 
water.
Next she says:
> http://www.proz.com/kudoz/3624
> En Espana siempre lo he oido decir "helado". Aqui van otros terminos
> "helado" = azucar rosado (en Andalucia)
>
>   
No a "polo" is a popsicle. My Anducian friends only say "pink sugar" in 
jest.

Johanna provided sugar terms from:
> Diccionario tecnol?gico ingl?s-espa?ol y espa?ol-ingl?s de  los t?rminos y frases usados en las
>
> N?stor Ponce de Le?n - 1893
>
> Actually you can downlaod this book if you want. It's from 1893.
>
> Johnnae
>
>
>   
How can download that? Don't find it in google or didn't use the right 
words. It is very interesting. I have not come across it before.
Now I avoid the term "spun sugar" as we do not have cotton candy until 
the 19th C. I use the term fluff.
>
>   
>>     
>> . . . spun sugar is given as azucarillo. I didn't find pink sugar listed. 
>> . . .I think that Laura Mason talks about this. Also the book on Careme talks 
>> about sponge sugar as part of what they made the rocks out of in those 19th century sugar centerpieces.
>>
>>
>>     
I don't think sponge sugar and rocks or rock candy are not the same 
thing as it is quite clear that medieval azucar candi is rock candy and 
made from highly refined sugar while sponge sugar then was made with 
sugar from the third boiling. See my message "Sugar grades".

Robin Carroll-Mann wrote:
> When I see "rosado" as an adjective for a medieval food, I don't think
> "pink", I think "rose".  For example "vinagre rosado" is wine vinegar in 
> which roses have been steeped.  Could this be some kind of rose sugar?
>
>   
    Don't we all! We are always looking for roses in medieval 
ingredients but in this case my gut feeling is no. Lemon could have been 
added later on but I am alway shy about adding ingredients when not 
stated. In Central and South Americans we have numerous recipes which 
have died out in Spain but these recipes have evolved as we see above 
today's with the meringue product Mexico.
    My points are: could sponge sugar have been pink due to the 
processing after the third boiling? and is this the correct translation 
of the medieval item? Did it take on a sponge-like appearance after 
fluffing?
    Thank you all for your contributions. I find this so much fun as you 
try to enlighten my ignorance! Darn I wish I had a few canes around to 
play with.
Suey