[Sca-cooks] Coarse for feasts

[David Friedman]

Manuscrito Anonimo has a discussion of the question:

The first dish to be presented is a feminine one, such as /baqliyya 
mukarrara/ and the various kinds of /tafâ yâ s/; after this the dish 
/jimli/; then /muthallath/ (meat cooked with vegetables, vinegar and 
saffron); then the dish of /murri/; then /mukhallal/ (a vinegared dish); 
then /mu'assal/ (a honeyed dish); then /fartun/; then another 
/mu'assal/. This is the succession of the seven dishes and the order in 
which they are eaten. Many of the great figures and their companions 
order [p. 25, recto] that the separate dishes be placed on each table 
before the diners, one after another; and by my life, this is more 
beautiful than putting an uneaten mound all on the table, and it is more 
elegant, better-bred, and modern; this has been the practice of the 
people of /al-Andalus/ and the West, of their rulers, great figures, and 
men of merit from the days of 'Umar b. 'Abd al-'Aziz[1] <#_ftn1> and the 
Banu Umayya to the present.[2] <#_ftn2>


------------------------------------------------------------------------

[1] <#_ftnref1>An Umayyad caliph. (HM)

[2] <#_ftnref2>The practice of serving a dinner in courses, so 
characteristic of /Al-Andalus/, is not found in Baghdad or Damascus. It 
was introduced to Spain by a Persian musician and /arbiter elegantiarum/ 
named Ziryab, who had been driven from Baghdad by Ishaq al-Mausili as a 
dangerous rival and found a home in the Umayyad court. (CP)

This was in the ninth century. (DF)

When we did a feast at thirty year, wonderfully supported by the local 
cooks, we did the old-fashioned (and eastern rather than western) style, 
which we found a good deal easier. Each table gets a platter with a 
mound of rice and several main dishes on the rice. Platters assembled in 
the kitchen, and servers only have to carry out food once.

I'm pretty sure I saw somewhere a modern account of service somewhere in 
the middle east which seemed to be still doing it in the way that the 
Andalusian source argues against.


On 9/9/14, 2:34 PM, Susan Lord Williams wrote:
> Concerning the order of the medieval feast, Ziryab came to the Hispano-Muslim court of Cordoba, Spain  from the Orient at the beginning of the 9th century. Prior to that and after the Romans, the Visigoths, in Spain, served all dishes  at the same time, sweet and salty. Ziryab established or reestablish an order to the presentation of courses:
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziryab: Cuisine He was an arbiter of culinary fashion and taste, who also "revolutionized the local cuisine" by introducing new fruit and vegetables such asasparagus, and by introducing the three-course meal served on leathern tablecloths, insisting that meals should be served in three separate courses consisting of soup, the main course, and dessert. He also introduced the use of crystal as a container for drinks, which was more effective than metal. This claim is supported by accounts of him cutting large crystals into cups with the only tool capable of doing such a feat in his time which was his mind.[citation needed] goblets.[29] Prior to his time, food was served plainly on platters on bare tables, as was the case with the Romans.”
> The question then would be did Hispnao-Muslim or Bagdad culinary customs or Knights, which certainly catered to this order of courses, get to the scene of your banquet.
>
> When I do banquets, I stick to the Ziryab style to give my kitchen help and waiters breathers. All at once is almost impossible to serve all warm.
>   
> I think part of a good feast is to eat a little and chat with diner partners. Then eat a little more and chat some more. Fast food gluttons can go to McDonalds if they are too vulgar to savor the cuisine. and appreciate the ambiance.
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Sca-cooks mailing list
> Sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org
> http://lists.ansteorra.org/listinfo.cgi/sca-cooks-ansteorra.org
>
>

-- 
David Friedman
www.daviddfriedman.com
http://daviddfriedman.blogspot.com/