[Sca-cooks] Question about rue....

Gaylin Walli gaylinwalli at gmail.com
Mon Nov 24 06:43:30 PST 2008


I recently posted a comment on this on the Apicius list and I'll repost it
here for you. I wrote:

Re:logical substitutions??

Others have spoken on the celery and pumpkin substitutions, but no one
yet has commented on the rue issues and the reasons for the
substitutions. Growing rue is ridiculously easy if you have the garden
space, but a quick google search will net you information on the
possibility of contact dermatitis when the plant is handled (luckily I
do not have this problem at all). The reason most people don't include
it in recreation recipes is not the dermatitis issue, but the
possibility of Rue acting as an abortificant. There is evidence to
suggest that pregnant women or women trying to get pregnant should
avoid this plant completely.

That having been said, I do use it in my personal cooking for recipe
testing, so I can get a decent idea of the taste. My personal opinion
is that the leaves of radishes works the best. They give the herbally
green taste and the bitterness you're seeking. Rosemary or even celery
(which people have suggested in the past) don't even come close to
matching the taste of rue like radish greens do. Just remember to wash
them carefully. I personally think of it as a bonus. Most people toss
their radish greens without using them. This is the perfect way to use
everything!

Iasmin



On Mon, Nov 24, 2008 at 9:36 AM, Elaine Koogler <kiridono at gmail.com> wrote:

> OK...I understand that rue is probably not a good thing to use in cooking,
> that it can have some unfortunate side effects.  Am I correct in this?  If
> so, does anyone have any idea what to do about all those recipes from the
> Anonymous Andalusian Cookbook that call for the herb?  I'm contemplating
> using a number of Andalusian recipes for my Middle Eastern feast in
> February, but worry about all of that rue!  I don't want to "rue" my
> choices...nor for my diners to do so!  ;-)
>
> Also...I have run across a number of references to a measurement called *
> kail*.  Any idea how much that would be?
>
> Thanks!!
>
> Kiri
> _______________________________________________
> Sca-cooks mailing list
> Sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org
> http://lists.ansteorra.org/listinfo.cgi/sca-cooks-ansteorra.org
>


More information about the Sca-cooks mailing list