[Sca-cooks] Obleys and Wafers

Suey lordhunt at gmail.com
Fri Jun 15 19:46:48 PDT 2007


> Adamantius wrote: 
> Generally speaking, they're similar. It can become confusing when  
> either term is borrowed from one language into another, or when a  
> translator decides for whatever reason to use one term or the other.  
>   
Right oh, the Spanish translation of obleys today would be "barquillos" 
in my book. People are surprised at that as they are round when I tell 
them that. I explain,  no they are no more than rolled "obleas". They 
reply ok like if say so. . . but then I have never met a Spanish 
authority in cookery.
>  . . .sometimes obleys/oubleys refers to a  
> form of offertory or sacrificial cake (I think this is from a Greek  
> word denoting exactly such a cake), that could be offered to a god on  
> an altar (presumably burnt) or to the god's priests to eat. 
Ok sounds logical does anyone happen to have the Greek around my little 
Websters does not even have the word? Nor can I find the etymology for 
it online.
> obley also refers to the Christian communion bread, which is also  
> often, but not always, a wafer.. .I'm not certain that obleys are  
> always cooked between two irons, while wafers pretty much are
    I was waiting for you to answer that one cause I read your article 
on internet! I found another definition which says obleys "are a type of 
wafer" because it goes on to say they can be baked instead of cooked in 
irons. Nola bakes his. Sent Sovi does not explain it just includes them 
in a couple of recipes calling for them.
    Assuming that is a more precise way to explain this item I am 
researching wafers as best I can. Now I can't find details on the 
English waferys but good castles and palaces had them in the Middle Ages 
had them which consisted of a department of wafers as staff and a room 
apart from the kitchen.  I think it was in Westiminster Palace where the 
wafery was on the other side of the hall from the kitchen. Would that 
indicate that there was no chimney there so irons had to be used? How 
English were waffers cooked? We certainly have so many tons of wafers in 
Westminster and on the London streets in Edward IV's time that they are 
supposed to be the blame of Edward IV's weight gain during his second 
term as king. 
Suey



More information about the Sca-cooks mailing list