[Sca-cooks] honey/sweeteners in Iceland?

Stefan li Rous StefanliRous at austin.rr.com
Mon Aug 4 13:00:35 PDT 2008


I've been talking to this lady about food in Iceland since she is  
looking for background info on an historical novel she is writing  
based in 10th century Iceland. I pointed her to Nanna's book. For  
those who weren't on this list a while back, Nanna is an Icelander  
who has written several books on Icelandic food. The one in English is:
> Icelandic Food and Cookery
> Nanna Rognvaldardottir
> ISBN: 0-7818-0878-2
> Hippocrene Books, New York
> 220 pages
> 2001


Anyway she recently asked this question:
<<<<
When Norse immigrants arrived in Iceland, were there bees ... what  
did they have to add a sweetener to their food in the 9th and 10th  
century?

Pauline Kulseth
pkulseth at rconnect.com
 >>>>

My feeling is that they would not have had sugar and even honey is  
questionable. I don't know if they brought bees with them, nor am I  
sure whether honey bees would even survive in Iceland. Trade was  
scarce between Iceland and Scandinavia even at first and got more so  
as the mini-Ice-Age developed, so I'm not sure it was imported or not.

Anyone have any comments on this? Please remember that Pauline is not  
on this list and copy her on your message just in case I don't see it  
to forward it.

Thanks,
   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 ****





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