[Sca-cooks] War Fare review
Johnna Holloway
johnnae at mac.com
Sun Jun 5 11:47:23 PDT 2011
It's been suggested that I should share my review of this lovely work
with this list.
Hope you enjoy it
Johnnae
Feinberg, Bonnie and Marian Walke. War Fare: A collection of recipes
and remembrances from The Sated Tyger Inn and Battlefield Bakery, two
famous food purveyors at the Pennsic Wars of the Society for Creative
Anachronism. Redmond, WA: Layer Five Group, 2010. 172 pages. With
photos.
As the 40th anniversary of the Pennsic War rapidly approaches, there
has appeared on the market, this marvelous compilation of recipes and
anecdotes from the earlier days of Pennsic. Long ago two cookshops,
namely The Sated Tyger Inn and Battlefield Bakery made it their
business to feed people at the War. This is a true account of those
endeavors written by the two ladies that made it all happen. The book
also captures that elusive magic of the War, that magic of gathering,
those two weeks in August, and of friends, and of the community. So
much of what makes the war an experience that draws people back and
back yet again can be found in the volume. It preserves and celebrates
the War in a warm fashion in a volume with distinctive style. As such
it would make a grand gift for those that once attended Pennsic but
cannot now participate due to age or infirmity. It’s a wonderful
volume for provoking memories.
And almost as a bonus, it includes the recipes for the foods once
served through those cookshops. These tried and tested recipes have
been reworked for the home cook and for amounts now suitable for
families, rather than for armies! For the bakers among us, there’s a
valuable chapter titled “Medieval Breads and How to Make Them With
Some Degree of Authenticity.”
The co-author of this volume Marian Walke, known to her countless
friends on many cookery lists and in person as Old Marian / Marion of
Edwinstowe, sadly passed away shortly before the book was published in
the fall of 2010. I am sure that she would have approved of the
results. Co-author Bonnie Feinberg is to be commended for her work in
bringing the volume to life. Marian’s passing sadly reminds us that
many of older members are aging and taking their memories of the
Society with them. It’s a reminder that the older generation and their
insights (not to mention their recipes and accounts) are passing away
with them. It’s past time to assemble more accounts and gather up more
recipes before it is too late and our own culinary and Society history
is lost forever. The past, after all, even the Society’s past should
be celebrated by all.
As Food History News’ Sandy Oliver noted, “It is a fun read, full of
terrific illustrations of field ovens, food in the past, dishes made,
and baked goods, and full of accessible recipes for all kinds of
medieval dishes for modern people.”
I can think of no better way to celebrate Pennsic XXXX than to acquire
one’s own copy of War Fare. (Devra has copies, so contact her for
details.)
Review by Johnnae llyn Lewis, CE
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