[Sca-cooks] Source review - Charles Potter's translation of Messisbugo

[Louise Smithson]

Raffaella wrote: 
In addition to the menus there is also a page of Italian weights and measures from the middle ages to the nineteenth century. 
I haven't had a chance yet to compare these to the ones listed in the new translation of Scappi, 
but I have some question about the measurements as translated from Scappi anyway. :)   

Interestingly although the weights and measures of Messisbugo (located in Ferrara) and those of Scappi 
(located in Rome) are very close and can be approximated they aren't actually the same.  
The whole Italian peninsula was a mess with each city state and sometimes village having their own 
measurements.  Basilius gave me my copy of the book Italian Weights and Measures (http://tinyurl.com/lz5lhp) 
which frankly is invaluable for trying to work out whether a boccale in Rome in the 16th century is the 
same as one in Naples in the 14th.  And other esoterica, interestingly the Libro Novo libra (pound) and the 
Scappi libra are slightly different sizes being 0.345 at Ferrara and 0.339 at Rome, but each consisting of 
12 ounces.  OK so that is only 6g difference but I'm a geek so shoot me. 
Helewyse