[Sca-cooks] Redaction

[lilinah at earthlink.net]

I am comfortable using "redaction" within the SCA context. But i 
understand wanting some term that feels less SCA-specific.

I, too, have for the past couple years been using the phrase "worked 
out recipe", but it still feels awkward to me.

I would only use "adaptation" if i am making major changes, such as 
preparing a recipe without meat to suit vegetarians (such as burani 
without the meat balls, which i did at a feast that had plenty of 
meat in other dishes, or substituting a vegetarian protein for 
chicken in a tharida, which i did when cooking for a small group of 
friends at a camping event).

I think "reconstruction" would only be suitable in situations where 
there are no recipes, such as trying to reconstruct a dish based on a 
fairly detailed literary description (which i have done for a 16th c. 
Ottoman autumn and winter dish of bulgur with chestnuts) or based on 
a scientific analysis of the contents of an archaeologically 
discovered ancient pot or bowl.

I am getting to like "interpretation" for what we do with historical 
recipes. I think i will try to start using it. But, frankly, it can 
apply to using a modern style recipe for a modern dish if one is not 
slavishly following the directions. I often: reduce the amount of 
sugar when a chemical reaction is not dependent on it, because i 
prefer foods less sweet; alter the amounts of spices to suit my 
taste; increase the amount of garlic in timid American recipes from 
several decades ago (one clove for 6 to 8 people? are you kidding?); 
etc.
-- 
Someone sometimes called Urtatim