[Sca-cooks] Not bagels, pretzels

Nick Sasso grizly at mindspring.com
Thu May 3 14:49:39 PDT 2007



-----Original Message-----
Regarding the translation as "bagel", maybe we're placing too much
expectation on the modern Jewish type bagel, made with high-gluten
wheat flour, boiled and baked. Since we don't seem to see too much
high-gluten flour being used in period Europe (although Italy may be
an exception), isn't it possible, somewhere along the line, the
equivocation with bagels is being stressed too heavily?<<<SNIP>>>

Adamantius the only-sometimes-online > > > > >


I think we could easily get cuaght up comparing this 1600's recipe with
EITHER modern food item we currently call 'soft pretzel' or 'bagel'.  I'm
not getting too caught into the etymology of the words or the languare drift
within language families.  I am talking about a food item or items driving
our perception and orthodoxy of a historical receipt.  If someone new to the
cookery game did this, we'd cry heresy quite often.  I am curious to know
the actual culinary historical journey of what we now call 'bagel' and if
there are any culinary relatives with what we now call 'soft pretzel' and if
there were any interactions along the paths they travelled.

It seems to me that the compenents and techniques are similar enough to
suggest a potential historical similarity, or bastardization leading to
outright horse-changing.  This would seem a more practical research than the
language one, since we know that items with names similar to what we have
today are often completely different beasts . . .  and Chicken and Rice
ain't always chicken and rice through history (vague reference to
blancmange).  If my focus on this interplay is too off-base, then forgive
and pretend I wasn't here . . . I could easily have missed a post or a key
point on this thread.


pacem et bonum,
niccolo difrancesco



More information about the Sca-cooks mailing list