[Sca-cooks] cookbook - need some help

Lilinah lilinah at earthlink.net
Fri Nov 9 09:50:14 PST 2007


Rocas wrote:
>I was recently perusing an on-line version of "The Medieval Kitchen" 
>and I noticed several recipies that involved squash and pumpkin.  I 
>had always thought that squash was a new world food that did not 
>reach Europe before the Renaisance.  Was I wrong about that?

Several things:

Yes, you are correct, squash and pumpkins are New World and not 
"SCA-period" and not really appropriate for the recipes in the cook 
book.

On the other hand, SCA-period gourds are not available for purchase 
in all locations. I can get several varieties of them here in 
Berkeley CA in the Berkeley Bowl. Additionally, some Asian markets 
sell one or more types. But many cooks will not have access to them. 
If you have a garden you can grow them. I live in a second story 
apartment and cannot.

Finally, to the best of my knowledge, the New World squashes closest 
to certain Old World gourds are zucchini and some other summer 
squashes, such as little crook-necked squashes, patty-pan squashes, 
etc.

-----

"The Medieval Kitchen" includes all the original recipes, both in 
English translation and in their original languages. I don't know 
what's on-line; I own the book, which i bought shortly after it was 
published in the US. One can always compare the original recipe to 
the "redaction" by the authors and make appropriate adjustments.

For the new cook, the modern recipes are quite nice and quite tasty 
and a good place to start. As an experienced Med/Ren cook, i do not 
agree with all of them and adjust them as necessary.

I would still recommend this book to the beginning historical cook. 
Many others - those without "redactions" might be difficult for the 
inexperienced cook. I began cooking out of  books like "Form of 
Curye" and others for my first feast, after i'd been in the SCA a 
little over a year. This was not hard for me because, although not 
previously experienced with such historical recipes, i am an 
experienced cook, and i am used to cooking from similarly sketchy 
foreign ethnic recipes.

-- 
Urtatim (that's err-tah-TEEM)
the persona formerly known as Anahita



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