[Sca-cooks] Leftovers, questions and discussion [long]

[Daniel Myers]

> -------- Original Message --------
> From: "Claire Clarke" <angharad at adam.com.au>
> 
> I remember reading somewhere (in a book about period cookery, not some
> random place, but I cannot remember where) that the lower classes would
> basically put all their food in one pot (vegetables, grain, bacon etc) and
> boil it up, and then the next day just add some more to whatever was left
> over and so on and so on. The 'pease porridge in a pot nine days old' rhyme
> was quoted in support of this. This seemed rather dubious to me at the time,
> not to mention a recipe for serious food poisoning. 

The bit about the nursery rhyme being a reference to medieval cooking
practices is all over the internet, and probably in various books as
well.  As far as I can tell, it's total bunk.

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the word "porridge" did not
come into use until the 17th century.

There's a nice debunking of the "Life in the 1500s" factiod email (which
mentions this meme) at the link below.  The author is a bit defensive -
apparently he saw the email as being anti-catholic - but his facts and
reasoning are sound.

http://www.traditioninaction.org/History/A_005_Myths1500s.shtml

- Doc