[Sca-cooks] January 2009 MK Cooks Challenge

[Stefan li Rous]

About a week ago Selene said:

<<< My father, a wine columnist who writes as "The Grape Escape" in L.A.
area papers, is a harsh critic of phrases like "grassy" and "raspberry
notes" etc.  "If I want raspberries, I'll eat raspberries" he
complains.  I don't really agree with him totally;  for some subtle
distinctions, how else can you word it?  Like every other style of
jargon it can be taken to extremes, of course.  My usual "don't be a
jerk" guidelines apply. >>>

Maybe I've just not trained/refined my wine tasting enough, but I'd  
have to agree with your father. I don't taste all these different  
flavors being talked about in wine.

  <<< Tangentally:  I am spearheading the activity organization for  
the 25th
Anniversary of the Right Noble Brewers' Guild of Caid est. September
1985] and am examining these suggestions most carefully. I would like to
appropriate the vinegar-tasting concept if nobody minds, including the
caveat about not overdoing it with too many samples. >>>

How are thinking about carrying on this vinegar tasting? Different  
bowls of vinegars and you are providing the participants with bread  
to dip in them?

Several years ago I attended one of Mistress Jadwiga's mustard making  
classes at Pennsic. Afterwards it devolved into a Sekanjabin tasting  
at a nearby camp. Although they were all based on Master Cariadoc's  
redaction, there was a surprising amount of variation in taste. One  
of the big differences was in the vinegar used. If the rest of the  
ingredients were kept the same, this might (or might not) be a  
reasonable way to taste different vinegars. I'm not sure balsamic  
vinegar sekanjabin would be very good, but it doesn't appear that  
balsamic vinegar is period, anyway.

I am curious though, since vinegar is usually *not* what a Brewer's  
Guild tries to create, why the choice of vinegar?

Just in case anyone is interested, here are the Florilegium files on  
vinegar. In the FOOD section.
Vinegar-art       (20K)  6/26/01    "What's so special about  
Vinegar?" by
                                        Mistress Christianna MacGrain.
Vinegar-NJFCC-art (18K) 10/23/01    "Vinegar: Not Just for Cleaning  
Coffeepots"
                                        by THL Mirin ben DhIarmait.
vinegar-msg       (92K)  1/10/08    Vinegar in period. Making vinegar.

Of course if anyone here has made vinegar (intentionally) and would  
like to write an article on making vinegar or vinegar making in  
period, I'd love to have it.

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 ****