[Sca-cooks] Khuskananajcuskynoles

David Friedman ddfr at daviddfriedman.com
Fri Jul 30 17:08:20 PDT 2010


This has been one of my standards for many, many years--one of the 
things I offer my guests at the bardic circle. You can find my 
redaction in the Miscellany. There is a more detailed recipe for a 
variant in al-Warraq's 10th century cookbook; for the most part it 
confirms the guesses I had to make. 

Quoting emilio szabo <emilio_szabo at yahoo.it>:
>
> Katherine,
>
> I think you are right or at least on the right path. Having pondered this
> question a while ago, I might add, that there is a recipe in the "Baghdad
> Cookery Book", that might be worth considering. No fruits mentioned; however,
> the overall architecture is not so far from the dish in question:
>
> "KHUSHKNANAJ. -- Take fine white flour, and with every ratl mix three 
> uqiya of
> sesame-oil, kneading into a firm paste. Leave to rise: then make into long
> loaves. Put into the middle of each loaf a suitable quantity of 
> ground almonds
> and scented sugar mixed with rose-water, using half as much almonds as sugar. 
> Then press together as usual, and bake in the oven: remove." (Islamic 
> Culture,
> 1939, p. 212). I know there is the more modern translation by Perry, but I
> cannot find the book for the moment. 
>
> As for the wandering of arabic recipes and dishes into medieval 
> Europe, Maxime
> Rodinson has described some impressive examples. 
>
> On the tabular form of the Tacuini:
>
> Tabular Form In Four Arabic Medical Texts From the 11th Century 
> .FaridS.HADDAD
>
> http://www.ishim.net/ishimj/2/11.pdf
> (Journal of the International Society for the History of Islamic Medicine)
>
> If I find my notes on the point, I might add one or more further 
> reference(s). 
> Perhaps the specialists on arabic cookery books might want to chime in. 
>
> E. 
>
>
> From Katherine:
>
>
> I've got no horses in the cuskynole race, but the translation of Le Taquim
> al-Sihha (Tawini Sanitatis) d'ibn Butlan came yesterday evening and I have
> been engrossed in it.  I wish I could read Arabic, but since I can read
> the French translation I thought I'd pass along the entry that correlates
> to "cuskabenchi" in the Schachtafelen der Gesundheyt illustration I
> posted.  Happily the mysterious dish name meanings are also revealed -
> thanks Emilio!
>
> While the illustration shows a round cake like food, it is clear that the
> German illustrator (Hans Weiditz I believe) just drew what he thought it
> might look like. For example, the drawing for a paradise apple correlates
> to the entry for banana - apparently an unknown thing, or it is
> incorrectly translated into the latin source. 
>
> On table XXV under Desserts
>
> Khashkinanj and Dry Delicacies
>
> Le khashkinanj, quand il est digéré est le plus nourrissant des desserts
> grâce au pain qui entre dans sa composition.  Il descend lentement parce
> que l'huile résiste même à la cuisson du pain.  Frits, ils sont plus
> indigestes que cuits au four parce quie l'huile y est abondante et qu'ils
> sont très gras.  Tous deux conviennent aux sportifs.  Parmi les friandises
> sèches, l'ilk des difficile à digérer à cause de la malléablité qu'il a
> acquise en étant mélangé à des oeufs sur le feu.  Celles qui fondent ont
> les caractéristiques contraires. 
>
> The khashkinanj, when it is digested is the most nourishing of the
> desserts thanks to the bread that enters into its composition.  It
> descends slowly because the oil resists even the cooking of the bread. 
> Fried, they are more indigestible than oven baked because the oil is
> abundant in them and they are very fatty.  Both of them suit the
> sportsmen.  Regarding the dry delicacies , the "ilk" are difficult to
> digest because of the malleability that it obtains while being mixed of
> eggs on the fire.  Those that dissolve have the opposite characteristics
> [the German specifies melt under the tongue]. 
>
> The translator notes that khashkinanj is "Crêpe faite de farine de froment
> pure, de beurre, de sucre, d'amandes ou de pistaches, et de friandises
> sécheses. (al-Mu'jam is reference).   [Crepe made with pure [white?] wheat
> flour , butter, sugar, almonds or pistachios and of dried delicacies.]
>
> "Ilk" is noted as the word for "toute gomme-résine masticable" (al-Munjid
> reference). [All chewable gum-resins]. 
>
> This is an 11th century treatise.  Maybe cuskynoles are based on this
> Arabic food and came to Europe with the crusades?
>
>
> Katherine
>
> p.s. for Stefan -
> [No diacritical marks:]
> Le khashkinanj, quand il est digere est le plus nourrissant des desserts
> grace au pain qui entre dans sa composition.  Il descend lentement parce
> que l'huile resiste meme a la cuisson du pain.  Frits, ils sont plus
> indigestes que cuits au four parce quie l'huile y est abondante et qu'ils
> sont tres gras.  Tous deux conviennent aux sportifs.  Parmi les friandises
> seches, l'ilk des difficile a digerer a cause de la malleablite qu'il a
> acquise en etant melange a des oeufs sur le feu.  Celles qui fondent ont
> les caracteristiques contraires. 
>
>
>
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