[Sca-cooks] On Nattes

[Stefan li Rous]

Katherine asked:
<<< The next question is about wafers - ablaten/oblaten in this case.  I know
that they refer to unleavened communion wafers and are still available for
baking German lebkuchen.  It's used a with a little variation in Wecker,
so I'm not sure they are always these and medievally appeared to mean some
sort of baked good (outside of a communion host).  However, Anna Wecker
also says that they are made from round flat irons and implies that one
may "find them" rather than "make them".  Further, a recipe in another
cookbook for filled oblaten specified that one should take care to make
sure that it stayed white before frying them.  So I'm leaning toward the
white wafer concept.  Does anyone have a period recipe for a communion
wafer? >>>

I'm pretty sure a communion wafer is not what they are talking about.

I think they are talking about a variation of these:
wafers-msg (130K) 1/ 9/08 Period savory and sweet wafers. Recipes.
http://www.florilegium.org/files/FOOD-BREADS/wafers-msg.html

Often patterned wafers about 3 to 6 inches in diameter baked in a wafer iron. Similar modern one is a pizzelle iron. I seem to remember these coming from Scandinavia, at least as a modern fad. So you should be able to find one. You can get some which go over a burner or open fire. Both of mine are electric ones. I think there's details on where to find the irons in this file.

I also seem to remember some comments that the Catholic Church didn't pass out communion wafers, at least in medieval times. That the priests ate those and the wine but the regular folk got just the wine. In that case, depending upon where this book was, the year and whether the region was Catholic or Protestant, there may not have been communion wafers.

Stefan
--------
THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
   Mark S. Harris           Austin, Texas          StefanliRous at austin.rr.com
**** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:  http://www.florilegium.org ****