[Sca-cooks] Spanish Food Service Resources

[Lijsbet de Keukere]

Hello!

This is my first time posting to this list - thank you for letting me
participate! I am Vrouw Lijsbet de Keukere, and I am from the Barony of
Delftwood in AEthelmearc. I have been cooking in the SCA for many years,
and have recently taken an interest in studying the art of food service in
Period. It is along these lines that I come to you with a question and a
pleas for some guidance.

I am involved in our kingdom's upcoming Perfectly Period Feast, which is
focused on 1526 Spain. It is my job to design and coordinate the menu for
the day - super exciting! However, I am hitting a road block when it comes
to the question of HOW the food was served. By this, I mean how the menu
was structured - what food was commonly served in which order? I would also
like to learn about the general meal structure during festivals or
celebrations like those surrounding important wedding feasts - were there
several meals during which ceremony, pomp, and circumstance were present?
Or was there one, large meal that came at a particular point in the
celebration?

We will be using Ruperto de Nola's 1520 El Llibre de Coch and its 1529
variant to create the menu. I understand that the beginning of this text
includes a service manual, however I have been unsuccessful in locating a
translated version of it. I know that the recipes have been translated, but
not that beginning portion that includes household information, carving
tips, and general food service instruction.  Heck, I'd be willing to
attempt my own translation if I knew of a reliable source to use like
Cotgrave's French/English or Florio's Italian/English dictionaries, because
I have exactly zero experience reading or speaking Spanish.

Does anyone here know of any resources I could use to gather the
information I'm looking for? I would be grateful for any leads on where to
look or who to speak to. Thank you all so very much for your time!

-- 
Yours In Service,

Lijsbet