[Sca-cooks] Venison, not necessarily deer meat?

[lilinah at earthlink.net]

I wrote:
SNIP
>"venaison" was (my translation) "flesh of large
>"gibier", such as red deer, fallow deer, roe
>deer, boar." Looking up "gibier" it said (my
>translation) "edible wild animals that one takes
>in the hunt", and "the meat coming from such
>animals".
SNIP
>[So] does
>"venison" or spelling variations of it in
>SCA-period English cookbooks merely mean some
>sort of more or less generic "deer" meat, as i
>think most Americans assume, or does it really
>signify what the French does - meat from any of
>several large game animals?

Phlip said:
>Actually,venison as large animal meat is known to most serious
>hunters, because it crops up in various hunting manuals, but
>generally, since most large animals available to hunt are deer and
>related species, it tends to be thought of as specific to deer
>meat,similar to the way "corn" tends to refer specifically to maize
>here in the US.

Bear said:
>Middle English "veneson" derives from the Latin "venetio" (hunting) via Old
>French. In its archaic form, it refers to the meat of any game animal being
>used as food. The limitation to deer meat is a more modern definition.

Thorvald said:
>One source suggests: "stag (of the European red deer), doe (of the
>European red deer), fallow deer, roe deer or hare". Also, boar is
>included. So yes, the meaning of venison to the French is, I think,
>fairly inclusive.

Johnnae said:
>I did an article on Venison in 2009 for the regional newsletter.
>My opening paragraph was:
>
>"In this region of Pentamere where white tailed deer abound, it may
>come as a shock to learn that in the medieval period, venison wasn't
>always the flesh of a deer. In fact venison might have been the flesh
>of any game animal killed by hunting or through the chase. Venison
>might extend to the flesh of a boar, a bear, a hare or rabbit, as well
>as the flesh of a deer. As late as 1672, Josselyn's New England's
>Rarities would record "Bears are very fat in the fall of the leaf, at
>which time they are excellent venison." In Scotland venison could even
>refer to the flesh of a goat, although that meaning is listed as archaic
>and rare."
>from Venison. Contributed by Johnnae llyn Lewis, CE which appeared in
>the Gauntlet, October-December, 2009.

Although no one explicitly answered my question, most replies so far 
have supported what i posted. So i am led to infer that in SCA-period 
cookbooks, including those in English, any recipe for "venison" could 
be made with boar (although most of us have access only to pig), meat 
of other large game animals, and perhaps hare (or what is sold as 
rabbit these days),  as well as whatever species of deer meat is 
available.

I think this perhaps may change how those reading this list may cook 
"venison" recipes in the future.
-- 
Urtatim [that's err-tah-TEEM]
the persona formerly known as Anahita