[Sca-cooks] Easter Observances

Kingstaste kingstaste at comcast.net
Tue Mar 17 14:20:17 PDT 2009


Thank you Bear, that is very interesting.  I first heard of Simnel cakes and
Mothering Sunday in that early SCA standard "How To Cook Forsoothly".  I
have read other apocryphal descriptions, so it is nice to see some concrete
references.  
Christianna

<snip>

A wood cut in Chambers Book of Days (1864) shows large and small simnels 
having a copped outer crust and a filled center.(Fig. 1)  Chambers describes

simnels as:

"...raised cakes, the crust of which is made of fine flour and water, with 
sufficient saffron to give it a deep yellow colour, and the interior is 
filled with the materials of a very rich plum-cake, with plenty of candied 
lemon peel, and other good things. They are made up very stiff; tied up in a

cloth, and boiled for several hours, after which they are brushed over with 
egg, and then baked. When ready for sale the crust is as hard as if made of 
wood..."

<snip>

Bear







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