[Sca-cooks] Cinnamon in German cooking, esp knodeln

[David Walddon]

Just a quick further comment on the vinegar. 
So the red wine vinegar is at 5.1% acidity following a period recipe. 
BUT the complexity of flavor is VERY different than a modern Red Wine Vinegar. 
I am using dregs from several different red wines (I have in the past used one type and found it to be pretty much the same) and a purchased mother. 
It seems more astringent than a modern one and more acid but when tested it is not. And the aroma is way more interesting. 
It is not at all like modern red wine vinegar. BUT it is NOT more acid. 
Eduardo

________________________________________________________

Food is life. May the plenty that graces your table truly be a VAST REPAST. 

David Walddon
david at vastrepast.com
www.vastrepast.net



On Nov 26, 2010, at 4:36 AM, Amy Cooper wrote:

> Hopefully Ranvaig can chime in about German recipes - she's
> immediately who comes to mind, with her work on Rumpolt. I personally
> think that their tastes were somewhat different in period than in
> modern times. The first dish I EVER tasted in the SCA was like
> tortellini in a cinnamon flavored chicken broth. It was strange, yes,
> but GOOD.
> 
> I can believe, though, is that period vinegars were sharper than ours.
> I have noticed that almost all vinegars I buy are  5% acid - something
> I doubt occurs naturally. The recipes *may* turn out too sour to HIS
> tastes, but a sour sauce or whatnot makes sense to me - the point of
> acid is to cut through the rich fat of a recipe, right? And aren't our
> modern meats somewhat leaner than "traditionally raised" meats?
> 
> I guess what I'm getting at is that this fellow's palette may be a bit
> timid, and that's coloring his opinions...
> 
> Ilsebet
> 
> On Fri, Nov 26, 2010 at 2:25 AM, David Friedman <ddfr at daviddfriedman.com> wrote:
>> I've been having an online exchange with someone, I think German, who is
>> arguing that spices were included in recipes to show off, not because they
>> actually tasted good in the recipes. In particular, he claims that cinnamon
>> appears in recipes where it doesn't belong, and offers the example of
>> knodeln.
>> 
>> I, of course, don't believe it. But I also don't know the German sources.
>> Any comments from anyone who does?
>> 
>> He also claims that period vinegar was sharper than ours, and that dishes
>> come out too sour if you use it in the recommended proportions.
>> 
>> It's unclear to me whether he has actually cooked any significant number of
>> dishes from the relevant cuisine.
>> --
>> David/Cariadoc
>> www.daviddfriedman.com
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