[Sca-cooks] (no subject)

[David Friedman]

>Our current Crown is based on the Crusades 
>theme.  Yes, I KNOW that covers a lot of 
>territory and time.  We have our local Major 
>Event, Candlemas, at the end of January.  By 
>major local event I mean this event will likely 
>draw around 50 attendees.  The current Crown 
>will be in attendance.  The other event 
>co-director and I would like to plan a meal 
>based on Foods from the Crusades.  This leaves 
>open some middle-eastern options and some 
>western European options.  We can factor in 
>allergies and personal dislikes as we go but we 
>are just starting the planning process.
>
>Our first pre-plan meeting is this Friday.  We 
>have a site arranged that has a full kitchen 
>(blessings abound).  I would like to have a 
>draft menu and some options in mind going into 
>this strategy session.  I confess to limited 
>knowledge of foods during the Crusades, food not 
>being one of those things discussed in High 
>School History classes.  I confess here to very 
>limited knowledge on the Crusades in general, I 
>was just never that interested in studying it. 
>SO Š wonderful knowledgeable people, where 
>should I start?  Aside from the Florigium I mean 
>Š I already KNOW that one.  If a local 'Family 
>of some political influence' were hosting the 
>King Richard on his way home from the Crusades, 
>inviting the rest of the local nobility for a 
>'Meet-n-greet' what would be served at table??

Take a look at the Miscellany, specifically the recipes.

http://www.daviddfriedman.com/Medieval/miscellany_pdf/Miscellany.htm

So far as I know, it has the largest collection 
of worked out period Islamic recipes 
webbed--unless Urtatim has something up I haven't 
come across.

King Richard is late 12th century. Our 
English/French recipe sources are a little later 
than that, but I think there is reason to believe 
that late 12th century would be the same cuisine 
reflected in the 14th and 15th c. sources, which 
we have lots of. The big 14th c. source is _Curye 
on Englysche_, which contains several different 
cookbooks. You can find quite a lot of worked out 
recipes from that cuisine in the _Miscellany_ and 
elsewhere online--or go to the sources and work 
them out yourself, which is more fun.
-- 
David/Cariadoc
www.daviddfriedman.com