[Sca-cooks] Cheese fat? - LOOONNGG!

[Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius]

On Sep 4, 2007, at 2:59 AM, Stefan li Rous wrote:

> It sounds like you are using the regular salt for the initial curing/
> rind creation? Then how do you use the flavored salts? Do you smooth
> these onto the rind or mash them into the rind some? The dry salting
> stage is what starts the rind creation, right?
>
> I took a look at the various flavored salts, including various smoked
> salts, that Auntie Arwen had at her shop at Pennsic, but really
> didn't buy any since I didn't really know how I would use them, and
> thus which ones to buy. For the same reason I didn't buy any of her
> spice mixes. I guess there is always mail order.
>
> Anyone know if we have any evidence of flavored salts being
> specifically used in period? We know that some salts, such as the sea
> salts from France, were known to full of dirt and other contaminants,
> but that is different.

I don't think I've run across salts being specifically flavored by  
design, but there are a number of late English sources -- Digby,  
Plat, the usual suspects (and presumably others) with instructions on  
how to purify salts (mostly by some form of heat treatment or by  
distillation).

What I can attest to first-hand is that one should never use Indian  
black salt in sausages ;-).

Adamantius