[Sca-cooks] Norse cooking

[Terri Morgan]

Skyr mixed with fruit is very tasty. "Siggy" brand yogurt has skyr bacteria
in it so has a closer flavour to the real thing (Whole Foods carries skyr,
btw). I have, at a Viking Norse re-enactment event used canned (Oregon
brand, canned in their own juice) blackberries (I know, I know, but coolers
were verboten) mixed into the standard skyr with the juice from the can
mixed into milk for a delicious beverage.

Grinding hazelnuts into a flour to mix with butter and bake on a griddle
makes lovely little cakes, especially if there is a bit of honey added to
the batter or drizzled over the top.

I second "An Early Meal" as a source book.

Also, if you are up for it, try cooking a cut of beef in a big pan of water
and then serving it with mustards and sauces on the side. It is a very odd
way of cooking nowadays but actually works quite well for browning the meat
and retaining its moisture. We tried it and found that when the cut releases
a 'circle' of red cells around it into the water it is done. (Our first
tries were a little overcooked). People watching were entranced by the idea
so if your sideboard has room for a teaching display this would be fun. And,
of course, tasty.

Stuffing a bird with lingon- or black-berries before roasting in leaves (we
used safe corn leaves from the Mexican store nearby since our swamp leaves
are dangerous from leeched chemicals) makes for a lovely bit of meat with a
rich fruit sauce.

Hrothny

-----Original Message-----
From: Sca-cooks
[mailto:sca-cooks-bounces+online2much=cox.net at lists.ansteorra.org] On Behalf
Of Terry Decker
Sent: Monday, November 14, 2016 8:46 PM
To: Cooks within the SCA
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Norse cooking

If it were I, half a roasted salmon, served cooled, whole grain barley bread

or rye bread baked on a hearth stone, skyr (hard to get in the US, plain 
yogurt is a cheat replacement) which can be used on the bread or the salmon 
or have fruit and nuts added for dessert, blackberries, walnuts (imported 
during the Viking Age), and a small pot of honey.  A grazing lunch.

I would also serve the Crown a mug of whole milk if they aren't lactose 
intolerant.  Scandinavians of the day drank whey and buttermilk after using 
fresh milk for cheese, butter and other dairy products.  Offering whole milk

would be a sign of respect and a subtle demonstration of wealth and power. 
And don't ask me about the documentation for that one.  I came across it 
about 40 years ago and the source has disappeared from my mind and my notes.

Sounds like a fun project.

Bear