Subject: Re: 19th c. Oscar Wilde- muffins

From: [email-masked] (Robert Hart)
Date: 1 Apr 1995 00:10:45 +0800

[email-masked] wrote:

: TRADITIONAL HIGH-SOCIETY BRITISH MUFFINS?

: What is the traditional shape and size (and recipe) of English muffins, such as those consumed by Algernon in Oscar Wilde's famous comedy The Importance of Being Earnest?

: And what about the tea-cake? (Both in end of act II) We have a play in production and because we aim to be as earnest as possible this information is invaluable. 

Sorry - I cant help with tea-cakes, but 19th Century muffins were
approximately rectangular (4 to 6 inches by 2.5 to 3.5 inches) with
rounded corners. Typically they are appraoching one inch in thickness.

(Modern "muffins" are nothing like them in looks OR flavour!)

(Source - English bread and yeast cookery book - Elizabeth David. Can't
give a reference as thisbook is not to hand!)

-- 
Robert Hart                                  [email-masked]
Voice: +61 (0)91 72 0429                     Fax:   +61 (0)91 72 3560
Hedland College, PMB 1, South Hedland WA 6722 Australia