[Sca-cooks] Above/Below the Salt was Greetings

Terry Decker t.d.decker at worldnet.att.net
Wed Mar 19 19:37:32 PDT 2008


> Daniel Myers wrote:
>
>>Wynkyn de Worde specifies larger quantities of food for those of
>>higher rank (e.g. king = one to a mess, earl = two to a mess, all
>>others = 4 to a mess), but doesn't say much about the quality (other
>>than telling the carver to give the better cuts to his lordship).
>>
> Does that mean _more_ food, or just smaller plates with fewer people
> sharing?
> -- 
> Antonia Calvo
> (formerly known as Adele de Maisieres)

To my knowledge, food leaving the kitchen was accounted for at the bar in 
terms of number of portions.  If the kitchen prepared, a messe of standard 
portion size for several people, it simplifies the accounting.  In this 
case, a messe is four portions to be shared by four people.

The portions going out had to match the quantity of food entering the 
kitchen or the cook might find himself facing charges of theft.

Bear 




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