[Sca-cooks] Looking for some recipe help

[David Friedman]

>Greetings good gentles.  I am new to this list but have some 
>questions that I hope you can help me with.
>I am preparing the 12th Night feast for my Barony in January with 
>the theme that "All Rods Lead to Byzantium"  I am looking to prepare 
>a feast of 30 items .as we are celebrating our 30th anniversary.  My 
>cunning planis to prepare 3 removes each representing some different 
>culture or region that would have been found in Constantinople.

Despite widespread SCA usage, "remove" is not a period term for a 
course. It is a post-period term for a dish in a course that is 
removed part way through the course and replaced with another--a sort 
of mini-course.

>I have chosen India, Greece and the Middle East for my areas.  I am 
>looking for some items to add to my menu, particularly some period 
>chutney or relish recipes from India and some Greek Savouries.  I 
>have already 6 dessert items from the Miiddle East including 
>Iranian, Jewish and a couple that just seem to be found all over the 
>region.

You don't say whether you are looking for period recipes; it isn't 
safe to assume that modern ethnic food is necessarily period. If you 
are looking for period recipes, there are lots and lots of surviving 
middle eastern recipes, from the 10th century on. Including some 
tasty desert items. I could offer recipes, as could other people here.

I have my doubts about indian food being found in Byzantium. So far 
as sources are concerned, I think there are only two period sources 
available. One is the _Ain i Akbari_, which is 16th c. Mughal, and 
the other is the The Ni'matnama Manuscript of the Sultans of Mandu: 
The Sultan's Book of Delights, translated by Norah M. Titley. Also 
Mughal, c. 1500. Both of those are from after the fall of the 
Byzantine Empire. I've done a little cooking from the former, which 
provides ingredient lists with quantities but without 
instructions--the opposite of the usual period recipes. I haven't 
tried the latter.

I don't know of any surviving period Greek cookbooks; other people 
replying have mentioned what's out there on Byzantine cooking.

...
-- 
David/Cariadoc
www.daviddfriedman.com