[Sca-cooks] breadcrumbs & grain disheswas:gingerbread

[Raphaella DiContini]

This one's a favorite, I've served it at least 6 times and it's always a hit! 

I would suggest taking a look at what your serving it with and make sure the spices compliment each other and appropriate to the context. Luckily in this same source there are several spice mixes given, and that really helps take some of the guess work out of it. 

LXXIII. Specie fine a tute cosse.
Toi una onza de pevere e una de cinamo e una de zenzevro e mezo quarto de garofali e uno quarto de zaferanno. 
LXXIII Fine spices for all dishes (things) 
Take one ounce of pepper, one of cinnamon, one of ginger, half a quarter (of an ounce) of cloves, and a quarter (of an ounce) of saffron. 

LXXIV. Specie dolce per assay cosse bone e fine.
Le meior specie dolze fine che tu fay se vuoi per lampreda in crosta e per altri boni pessi d'aque dolze che se faga in crosto e per fare bono brodetto e bon savore. Toi uno quarto de garofali e una onza de bon zenzevro e toy una onza de cinamo leto e toy arquanto folio e tute queste specie fay pestare insiema caxa como te piaxe, e se ne vo' fare piú, toy le cosse a questa medessima raxone et è meravigliosamente bona. 
LXXIV Sweet spices, enough for many good and fine things 
The best fine sweet spices that you can make, for lamprey pie or for other good fresh water fish that one makes in a pie, and for good broths and sauces.  Take a quarter (of an ounce) of cloves, an ounce of good ginger, an ounce of soft (or sweet) cinnamon, and take a quantity (the same amount of?) Indian bay leaves (*) and grind all these spices together how you please.  And if you don’t want to do more, take these things (spices) in the same ratio (without grinding) and they will be marvelously good. 
* the glossary at the end of the Arnaldo Forni edition of this book indicates that folio in this recipe refers to malabathrum or Cinnamomum tamala also known as Indian bay leaf.  Follow this link for further information. 

LXXV. Specie negre e forte per assay savore.
Specie negre e forte per fare savore; toy mezo quarto de garofali e do onze de pevere e toy arquanto pevere longo e do noce moscate e fa de tute specie. 
LXXV Black and strong spices for many sauces. 
Black and strong spices to make sauces.  Take half a quarter (of an ounce) of cloves, two ounces of pepper and an (equal) quantity of long pepper and nutmeg and do as all spices (grind). 

Translations by Helewyse de Birkestad, Original transcription by Thomas Glonings. 

This has been my pet source for the last 6 years or so, like the pair of shoes that gets worn most often. :) I haven't redacted all of the recipes in it, but I'd say I've done at least 1/2 if not more. 

In joyous service, 
Raffaella 

--- On Wed, 9/9/09, Susan Lin <susanrlin at gmail.com> wrote:

> From: Susan Lin <susanrlin at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] breadcrumbs & grain disheswas:gingerbread
> To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
> Date: Wednesday, September 9, 2009, 3:08 PM
> III. "Agliata", roasted garlic
> sauce.
> Agliata to serve with every meat.  Take a bulb of
> garlic and roast it under
> the coals (substitute an oven in the current middle
> ages).  Grind the
> roasted garlic and mix with ground raw garlic, bread crumbs
> and sweet
> spices.  Mix with broth, put into a pan and let it
> boil a little before
> serving warm.
> 
> Okay - this sounds yummy - what sort of spices do you
> consider 'sweet'?
> And, since I'm not usually into strong spices - how much?
> 
> Shoshanna
> (Mistress - this sounds like it would be yummy at Hunter's
> Feast!!)
> _______________________________________________
> Sca-cooks mailing list
> Sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org
> http://lists.ansteorra.org/listinfo.cgi/sca-cooks-ansteorra.org
>