Subject: Re: Saffron Info

From: [email-masked] (Michael Mccollum)
Date: 8 Jan 95 12:26:00 GMT

CW> I am interested in finding out about the history of the spice,
CW> saffron.

Cynthia, I found this info for you on Saffron. I hope it's something you
can use. The entire source reference listed below had all that
information written as the title. I left off all the medieval spellings
as this was originally written, and put it plain English for you. If
you'd like the article copied in it's original form, please let me know.
It would be no problem.

Another sentence found elsewhere in this book defined Cury as a branch
of the Art Medical, which signifies to dress victuals as to cure a
distemper.  Further study by some of my colleagues and I took this to
mean the art of dressing up the food as to be pleasing to the eye and
distract persons from ill temper by the pleasant appearance of their
food. That may be open to interpretation.

SOURCE:
"A Form of Cury, a Roll of Ancient English Cookery, Compiled, About A.D.
1390, by the Master-Cook of King Richard II, Presented afterwards to
Queen Elizabeth, by Edward Lord Stafford, and now in the possession of
Gustavus Brander, Esq., Illustrated with Notes, and a Copious Index, or
Glossary."  London, Printed by J. Nichols, Printer to the Society of
Antiquaries, M DCC LXXX

pg. xxiv

Saffron.  Saffrwm, Brit. whence it appears, that this name ran through
most languages. Mr. Weever informs us, that this excellent drug was
brought hither in the time of Edward III, and it may be true; but still
no such quantity could be produced here in the next reign as to supply
that very large comsumption which we see made of it in our Roll, where
it occurs not only as an ingredient in the processes, but also is used
for coloring, for flourishing, or garnishing. It makes a yellow, and was
imported from Egypt, or Cilicia, or other parts of the Levant, where the
Turks call it Safran, from the Arabic Zapheran, whence the English,
Italians, French, and Germans have apparently borrowed their respective
names for it. The Romans were well acquainted with the drug, but did not
use it much in the kitchen. Pere Calmet says, the Hebrews were
acquainted with anise, ginger, saffron, but no other spices.

Katie

... Primary reference sources Rule!
___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.12

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From: [email-masked] (Henry Polard)
Date: Wed, 11 Jan 1995 23:08:48 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>,
karen mercedes <[email-masked]> wrote:
>In article <[email-masked]>
>[email-masked] (Cynthia Wood) writes:
>
>> I am interested in finding out about the history of the spice,
>>     saffron.
>> 
>> Reply to:  [email-masked]
>> 
>More to the point, I'd like to find a source for CHEAP saffron.  Right
>now it costs more than gold, but less than good diamonds.
>
I just bought a 1 oz. tin of saffron for $19. The distributor is in
Brooklyn, NY (I gave the tin away, so I don't have the address). I got
it at Sanraj Grocery, 3650 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, CA, USA. 
I couldn't find their phone #.

I'd be happy to buy gold from you at thrice the price of that
saffron.

Henry Polard || My dictionary puts the cart before the horse.

---

From: [email-masked] (Stephen Bloch)
Date: Fri, 13 Jan 1995 22:05:06 GMT

Michael Mccollum <[email-masked]> wrote:
>I left off all the medieval spellings
>as this was originally written, and put it plain English for you....
>
>SOURCE:
>brought hither in the time of Edward III, and it may be true; ...

Just being picky here....  This paragraph was probably written in 1780,
or possibly in Elizabethan times, as part of the introduction to a
reprint of a book written in 1390.  (Yes, the 17th and 18th centuries
had people just like us, wacky enough to be interested in the cooking
of the distant past.)

>... Primary reference sources Rule!

That is, the quoted passage is far from being medieval, and can only be
considered a primary source if we're studying 18th-century antiquaries,
not if we're studying medieval cookery.

That 18th-century editor's reliability for information on medieval
cookery is another issue, which I'm not competent to tackle.

--
                                                 Stephen Bloch
                                           [email-masked]
                                          (or [email-masked])
                                        Math/CS Dept, Adelphi University