[Sca-cooks] Period Flour Query

[Stefan li Rous]

Aldyth asked:

<<< I know it might be a lot to ask.  I tried looking thru the Flory   
thingie.
:-)) and didn't find it so here goes.  Is there a list of  flour(s)  
available
in period (the 500-1650 thing) for cooks?  I would like  to put it  
into a class
I want to teach for my cooks guild. >>>

If you were looking for a list of period flours or flour types, then  
no I don't think there is anything like that currently in the  
Florielgium. There are some files on flours and grains in the FOOD- 
BREADS-GRAINS section. Just in case you didn't see them:
Ancent-Grains-art (24K)  5/30/01    "Looking into Ancient Grains" by  
Mistress
                                        Christianna MacGrain.
flour-msg         (86K)  6/26/06    Types of flour. Sources. Period  
flour.
grains-msg        (82K)  3/28/06    Medieval grains. Recipes. Cooking.
maize-msg         (62K)  1/11/06    Discovery of maize (Indian corn)  
in the
                                        Americas and its introduction  
to Europe.

Are you including just grains or are you including nut flours as well?

<<< Many years ago  I attended a Known World
Collegium that featured many different flours done up  in shortbread  
as a
taste demonstration. I thought it would be a wonderful thing  to do  
again.  If it
could be broken down by area/cuisine it would be even  better. >>>

I was wondering how you were tasting these. I didn't think eating  
spoonfuls of flour would go over that well. At least not as well as  
spoonfuls of cookie dough. :-) I suspect that some flours are better  
in shortbread than others, yet these others being better in different  
dishes. So I'm wondering if this might be somewhat like comparing  
apples to oranges.  A soft flour might be much better than semolina  
flour in shortbread, yet the soft flour probably doesn't make good  
pasta.  I haven't got a better suggestion for a single item for all  
the flours though.

Stefan
--------
THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
    Mark S. Harris           Austin, Texas           
StefanliRous at austin.rr.com
**** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:  http://www.florilegium.org ****