[Sca-cooks] Was vinegar or verjuice most used in sauces?

[JIMCHEVAL at aol.com]

Well, one poor man's way to do it is to count  the finds of "vinaigre" in 
Pichon's version of the  Viandier:

5
http://books.google.com/books?id=RdQsAQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=inautho
r:taillevent&hl=en&sa=X&ei=rEgFU6_nNoPmoAS24oCACA&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAQ#v=snippet&
q=vinaigre&f=false

and  "verjus":

37
http://books.google.com/books?id=RdQsAQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=inautho
r:taillevent&hl=en&sa=X&ei=rEgFU6_nNoPmoAS24oCACA&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAQ#v=snippet&
q=verjus&f=false

Even  allowing for some missed hits, the difference is pretty clear.

On volume  2 of the Menagier, "vinaigre" gives  you:

55
http://books.google.com/books?id=DRFRAAAAcAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=intitle
:menagier&hl=en&sa=X&ei=RUkFU-j3OoS7oQThgIGgAg&ved=0CEEQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=v
inaigre&f=false


"verjus":
7
http://books.google.com/books?id=DRFRAAAAcAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=intitle
:menagier&hl=en&sa=X&ei=RUkFU-j3OoS7oQThgIGgAg&ved=0CEEQ6AEwBA#v=snippet&q=v
erjus&f=false

But  "vertjus":
69
htt
p://books.google.com/books?id=DRFRAAAAcAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=intitle:menagier&hl=en&sa=X&ei=RUkFU-j3OoS7oQThgIGgAg&ved=0CEEQ6AEwBA#v=snippet&q=v
ertjus&f=false

So  for France in the fourteenth century, I'm going to vote for verjuice. 
This said,  it may be that they were considered approximately interchangeable 
and it just  seemed classier to say verjuice.

Really the use of a tart liquid in  cooking is long-standing, going back to 
the Romans.


Jim  Chevallier
www.chezjim.com

"Belgian (Walloon/Liègeois) food in the  fourteenth century"
http://leslefts.blogspot.com/2014/02/a-fourteenth-century-dietetic-belgian.h
tml

In  a message dated 2/19/2014 4:09:36 P.M. Pacific Standard Time,  
StefanliRous at austin.rr.com writes:

Hmmm. This brings up an interesting  question. Was it really more common to 
use verjuice instead of vinegar in  period?