Subject: Re: Medieval European food

From: [email-masked] (david director friedman)
Date: Mon, 10 Apr 1995 04:50:30 GMT

JoAnn Turner writes:

"there are a number of cookbooks available from book merchants in the
SCA, notably Dagger-Licking Good and the Complete Dagger-Licking
Good, and How to Cook Forsoothly."

None of which, I believe, is a reliable source for period cooking. In
general, the fact that a cookbook is published in the SCA does not
mean that it limits itself to period recipes--in my experience, the
majority do not. 

"Pleyn Delit is another cookbook I use a lot"

The authors are first rate scholars in the field--a very reliable
book.

"A good general guide to the food available, as well as cooking
technology and other miscellanea is Fabulous Feasts."

I have not gone over it myself, but people I trust tell me that it is
very unreliable--indeed, that the author has confessed to inventing
one recipes (parsley bread, I believe).

On the subject of berries, I believe the following is correct but it
is late at night and I do not have time and energy to check my
sources ... .

There is a european relative of the American Blueberry (the
bilberry), but it is smaller and less useful for food purposes. There
are two quite different things called cranberries (high bush and low
bush--similar berries on different plants). What is now grown
commercially is a new world variety of one of them, and the name
"cranberry" is modern, but I believe there are old world varieties of
one or both.

David Friedman

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From: [email-masked] (Bryan J. Maloney)
Date: 12 Apr 1995 00:57:40 GMT

David Freidman is too modest.

If any are in print, his collections of medieval cookbooks and translations from
same are quite good.

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From: [email-masked] (Matthew Hill)
Date: Tue, 11 Apr 1995 15:09:12 GMT

Has it occured to anyone that a group devoted to ANACHRONISM
ought on principle not to be concerned with historical accuracy? 
 
Matthew Hill ([email-masked])