[Sca-cooks] Sawdust/wood shavings in recipes?
JIMCHEVAL at aol.com
JIMCHEVAL at aol.com
Sat May 3 08:29:17 PDT 2014
A recipe from Cato includes "virga lauri deradito"; that is, shaved laurel
(bay) wands or twigs
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k2820632.image.r=mustaceum.f41.langEN
"Virga" has several meanings, none of which include "bark"
http://books.google.com/books?id=M1dFAAAAYAAJ&lpg=PA923&ots=XH1UiCM2-z&dq=vi
rga%20twig&pg=PA923#v=onepage&q&f=false
but one translator has used that sense for the above.
So as far as I can see, yes, one is meant to use wood shavings in this
recipe for cakes given at weddings (not wedding cakes, per se). I suppose one
could make a tenuous connection with "virgo" (virgin) in this case, but that
seems strained.
Has anyone found wood shavings in recipes, Medieval or otherwise?
Jim Chevallier
_www.chezjim.com_ (http://www.chezjim.com/)
Beyond Apicius: alternate sources on Roman food
_http://leslefts.blogspot.com/2014/04/beyond-apicius-alternate-sources-on.ht
ml_
(http://leslefts.blogspot.com/2014/04/beyond-wine-water-and-beer-what-else.html)
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