[Sca-cooks] Easter Observances

[Terry Decker]

I'm always happy to provide references if I have them.  For simnels, there 
isn't much to go on, but let me provide a few additional ones to round out 
my comments.

Other than the paper I did for CooksCon 3, the only serious work on simnels 
of which I know (found with Johnnae's marvelous help) was C. Anne Wilson's 
"I'll to Thee a Simnel Bring," Petit Propos Culinaires 19, 1985, 46-52. 
There is also some information in David's English Bread and Yeast Cookery.

Wilson's title is from  Robert Herrick's To Dianeme (1648?);

  "I'll to thee a simnel bring,
 'Gainst thou go a-mothering:
 So that, when she blesses thee,
 Half that blessing thou'lt give me."

They are mentioned in the Assize of Bread (which is why I think it is likely 
a fine yeast bread), which was first formulated in 1266 and  in John de 
Garlande's Dictionaries (Paris 13th Century), simineus or simnenels were the 
equivalent of the Latin placentae.

Simnels are definitely period, but they have evolved over at least seven 
centuries and the earliest references I've leave a lot of room to speculate 
on what a Medieval simnel actually was.  It is definitely not the modern 
version of the Simnel cake and it probably isn't much like Chamber's 
version.

Bear

> 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
>