[Sca-cooks] Leven: yeast or sourdough?

[Stefan li Rous]

Johnnae quoted:
<<< OED defines leaven as a noun as "A substance which is added to dough  
to produce fermentation; spec. a quantity of fermenting dough reserved  
from a previous batch to be used for this purpose (cf. sour-dough)."

With quotations such as:
1471 RIPLEY Comp. Alch. IX. viii. in Ashm. (1652) 175 Lyke as flower  
of Whete made into Past, Requyreth Ferment whych Leven we call.
1699 EVELYN Acetaria 53 Add a Pound of Wheat-flour, fermented with a  
little Levain. >>>

So, does this mean that baking soda, baking powder, hartshorn etc. are not considered leavens, since they don't work through fermentation?

Stefan

--------
THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
   Mark S. Harris           Austin, Texas          StefanliRous at austin.rr.com
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