[Sca-cooks] MidWinter Feast

[Terry Decker]

The Silk Road is a collection of routes, some of which have been used for 
eight thousand years.  If you want to promote historical cooking in the 
context of the East-West trade that is lumped under the term "Silk Road," I 
would say, set your background and your timeframe, which will bring your 
participants into a common structure.  I might suggest 14th Century, which 
was the heyday of trade along the Road.  I would suggest either the 
Kiev-Xian route or the Antioch-Xian route.

Your major stops on the first route would be Kiev (Russian), Gorgan or 
Mashad (Persian), Merv (Persian Turkmenistan), Bukhara (Persian Uzbekistan), 
Samarquand (Mongol Uzbekistan), Kashi (Kashgar, Mongol), Dunhuang (Chinese), 
and Xian (Chinese).  The second route exchanges Kiev for Antioch (Mamluk 
Syrian) and Baghdad (Persian).  It is worth noting that the 14th Century 
marks the disintegration of the Mongol Empire from Baghdad to Beijing, the 
rise of the Seljuk Turks, and that toward the end of the century, Tamerlane 
made Samarquand his capitol.

A number of years ago, I talked a reluctant cooking into preparing period 
rather than modern ethnic food.  She acceded and produced a fine 16th 
Century German feast, but I had to provide research assistance, advice and 
moral support and encouragement.  I wouldn't try to force anyone to prepare 
period recipes, but I would certainly lend a lot of support to anyone who 
did and definitely let them take all the credit for their work.

Sorry I won't be in the Outlands that weekend.

Bear

> The theme is "spices along the Silk Route"
>
> We're either going to move East to West or vis versa and the head cook for
> that time slot can choose which country (and which time period for that
> matter)  They're not cooking a mini feast - just letting them make "small
> bite" items and maybe one main dish since it's not a day of sit down
> feasting but it's supposed to allow people to eat when they're hungry and
> not save up for dinner.  It'll also let court go on without worrying about
> dinner drying out or burning.  I did a Zakuska table when I did the
> Russian/Rus feast a few years ago.  People liked it - but I still did a
> feast in the evening.
>
> I'll be trying to organize people most of whom have never cooked feast and
> some that are enthusiastic but have never even helped in a big kitchen.
>
> I'm getting some pushback on my hope that we could choose more period 
> items
> then just letting people make modern recipes from the countries along the
> route.
>
> I want to encourage new cooks to get into period cooking and I don't want
> to scare them away with - first translate this...
>
> Any suggestions? will be gratefully accepted.  I'm not used to letting
> others take charge but I"m trying really hard not to end up in the kitchen
> much since I'm the co-autocrat.  I am taking charge of the bread product
> and drinks just so that's one less thing the cooks have to worry about.
>
> Oh, and if you'd like to join us:
>
> December 14, 2013, 1st Congregational Church, 1500 9th Ave., Longmont
> Colorado