herbs-cooking-msg – 5/4/08
Period herbs used in cooking.
NOTE: See also the files: herbs-msg, spices-msg, p-herbals-msg, herb-uses-msg, garlic-msg, capers-msg, lavender-msg, mandrake-art, rue-msg, seeds-msg, mint-msg.
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NOTICE -
This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday.
This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org
I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter.
The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make no claims as to the accuracy of the information given by the individual authors.
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Thank you,
Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous
Stefan at florilegium.org
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From: greg at bronze.lcs.mit.edu (Greg Rose)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Period plants
Date: 11 Jan 1995 05:18:35 -0500
Organization: Guest of MIT AI and LCS labs
Greetings, all, from Angharad ver' Rhuawn.
Meli ferch Iasper responds to someone else (I believe it was Alix de Mont
Fer; the email address references Emily Epstein), who questioned the
claim that parsley was a relative latecomer to England.
>> This seems odd to me. There are English recipes that call for parsley
>> from considerably earlier than that. A quick peek in my files comes
>> up with Mounchelet (lamb stew) from one of the books in Hieatt's _Curye_
>> on_Inglysch_ (15th century), and Ravieles (ravioli) from her
>> "Two Anglo-Norman Culinary Collections" (13th century, I think. I'll
>> have to look it up.)
{snip}
> Could you please tell me where editions of these books can be gotten?
>Are there ones currently in print, or perhaps there are isbn numbers for the
>editions, since I can trot to the online catalog for the Library of Congress?
Constance B. Hieatt and Sharon Butler, _Curye on Inglysch_, Oxford
University Press (London, New York, Toronto), 1985, ISBN0-19-722409.
In print.
The Anglo-Norman collections are published in an article coauthored with
(I believe) Robin Jones, which appeared in _Speculum_ in 1986. Any decent
university library should carry _Speculum_; it is a major research
journal among scholarly historians. (My actual copy of the article, and
a fair amount of my other resources, are at home.) One of the Anglo-
Norman collections is indeed late 13th C; the other is early 14th C,
and is duplicated by one of the MSs in _CoI_ (that is, an early 14th
C translation from Anglo-Norman into (Middle) English exists, and is
included in _CoI_).
I fully agree with the observation that parsley is surely older than
the quote disputed here suggested. My notes on ingredient frequency
show that it occurs in 30 out of 447 recipes from England prior to
the 15th C, and indeed is the most common herb in them (next is sage,
at 22 recipes). It seems clear, from many, that fresh parsley is
intended.
Cheers,
-- Angharad/Terry
From: greg at bronze.lcs.mit.edu (Greg Rose)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Period plants
Date: 11 Jan 1995 05:27:15 -0500
Organization: Guest of MIT AI and LCS labs
Angharad ver' Rhuawn, again. I just wrote:
>I fully agree with the observation that parsley is surely older than
>the quote disputed here suggested. My notes on ingredient frequency
Bad fingers; don't leave words out! Also, don't overstate the case.
The claim does not have to do with how old parsley is as a plant,
but with how far back it was grown in England (as opposed to on the
continent. My position, in agreement with the previous poster, is
that it is highly unlikely that parsely was not grown in England
at least as early as the 13th C. (It's still possible; but I think
it very unlikely, given the evidence from the cookery literature.)
The rest is short, so I'll let it stick around.
>show that it occurs in 30 out of 447 recipes from England prior to
>the 15th C, and indeed is the most common herb in them (next is sage,
>at 22 recipes). It seems clear, from many, that fresh parsley is
>intended.
Cheers,
-- Angharad/Terry
From: "Mark A. Sharpe" <yb867 at freenet.victoria.bc.ca>
Date: Thu, 8 May 1997 14:34:02 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Re: SC - Mastic Thyme
On Thu, 8 May 1997, LYN M PARKINSON wrote:
> If you get this twice you are on both my cookery lists, sorry, but I need
> a fast answer. Taillevent refers to 'mastic thyme' in his Cameline
> Bruet. None of my herb books give the word 'mastic' although they do
> claim there are 200-400 varieties of thyme. Does anyone know if 'mastic
> thyme' is simply a variety or if it refers to something else?
>
> Allison
Acording to The Herb Society of America Encyclopedia of Herbs mastic thyme
(thymus mastichina) is also known as Spanish wood marjoram. It is found
in Spain and Portugal on rocky ground and beside roads. It has a strong
camphoraceous aroma. The leaves can be added to strong flavored meat dishes
and its oil, known as oil of wild marjoram, is used in the food industry
to flavor meat sauces and soups.
The Herb Society also has a web pageat http://www.herbsociety.com.
Terrendon the Wanderer
From: KandL Johnston <woodrose at malvern.starway.net.au>
Date: Tue, 08 Jul 1997 19:44:55 +1000
Subject: Re: SC - semolina and mixed herbs
ND Wederstrandt wrote:
>
> Also, I was reading a few redactions and originals this past
> weekend and noticed that many times when the period recipe calls for herbs
> people generally use spinach. Is there a reason? Is it because we are a
> nation of non-green eaters (hoping I'm not offending anyone here) Is it
> that spinach is milder than most greens or is more readily available . Has
> anyone tried say " A Tarte of Herbes " and not used spinach. The book I
> was using is To the King's Taste and/or To the Queen's Taste but many other
> books usually have some reference to herbes.
>
> Clare St. John
Yes and while it sounds very off, the herbs as long as they are fresh
make a very delightful, watercress, leeks, spring onions, fennel,
parsley (lots), rosemary, mint, sage, thyme, plus whatever else is in
season.
- -- Nicolotte --
- ---------------------------------------
Rudolf von der Drau and Nicolette Dufay
Baron and Baroness, Stormhold
Date: Thu, 21 Aug 1997 11:21:10 -0500 (CDT)
From: nweders at mail.utexas.edu (ND Wederstrandt)
Subject: Re: SC - Crustade Lombard - a redaction
>(There was a discussion on one of the newsgroups about using nettle tops in
>this way. I missed the end of the discussion - did anyone read it?)
>If, indeed, cheese was intended in Crustade Lombard, and parsley was the
>intended curdling agent, I find it more likely that the remains of the
>previous day's cheesemaking (left in the bowl through improper washing)
>would be responsible for curdling the mixture.
Nettle has been used as a curdling agent in cheeses as well as some species
of Gallium(?) of which some grow wild in the US. Cleavers is a member and
grow in early spring down in our part of Ansteorra. Ladies bedstraw (also
a Gallium) , nettles, sage and a few other plants have been used to curdle
cheese. I've seen cheese renneted with nettle on the market and next time
I see it I will get more info. Parsley is not one of the rennet herbs as
far as I can tell but I have no books with me and will look it up tonight.
The latin name is close if not the name, I'm sure some one will correct it
if I am wrong.
You can buy dried cleavers at some herb stores/ health stores....It's used
for dandruff and as a fasting herb.
Clare St. John
Date: Wed, 3 Sep 1997 15:30:32 +0000
From: "Nick Sasso(fra niccolo)" <grizly at mindspring.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Licorice sticks
> > And what do you mean by licorice sticks? When I think of licorice sticks
> > I think of the long red or black "noodles". But I thought those were a
> > candy. Perhaps these are like modern marshmallows are to the real thing?
> >
> > Stefan li Rous
> Stefan, let me know any event you will be at and I will bring you a true
> licorice "stick". It really is a stick and doesn't taste all that much like
> licorice. I bought some sticks of it at Pennsic.
>
> Gunthar
Gunthar and Stefan,
you can find it at homebrew supply stores as 'brewer's licorice'. A
bit more expensive than if you get it at an herb store.
fra niccolo
(a brewer at heart.....and mug)
Date: Wed, 3 Sep 1997 18:05:25 -0400 (EDT)
From: Uduido at aol.com
Subject: Re: Re- SC - Spices
<<And what do you mean by licorice sticks?>>
Licorice sticks are another term for the dried root of the licorice plant.
These were used as a sort of candy during the middle ages. The idea being to
suck on a piece of the root.
If a recipe calls for licorice, use licorice. Many people say aniseed, star
anise, fennel and licorice taste the same. If you were to taste each of these
side by side you would immediately see the differences between each one.
Yours in Service to the Dream,
Lord Ras (Who loves fennel and aniseed but only eats licorice if it's served
to him)
Date: Tue, 23 Sep 1997 12:38:38 -0400
From: Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>
Subject: Re: SC - A quick question. . .
Varju at aol.com wrote:
> Are bay leaves period? I have a vague memory that they aren't. . .
>
> Noemi
They very occasionally appear in medieval English and French recipes,
and appear somewhat more often in Roman recipes.
You also find them in later period recipes...
Adamantius
Date: Tue, 30 Sep 1997 08:43:39 -0500
From: "Decker, Terry D." <TerryD at Health.State.OK.US>
Subject: RE: SC - bay leaves
>Were what we now call bay leaves used as a food flavoring by the
>European cultures before 1600 AD?
>
> Stefan li Rous
I believe you will find bay laurel to be of southern European origin and
used in Greek and Roman cooking in Antiquity. Giacosa's A Taste of
Ancient Rome has at least one recipe calling for bay berries (if I read
the Latin correctly).
Schivelbusch in Tatses of Paradise quotes a late-medieval account book
on a banquet for forty, "one pound of columbine powder. . .half a pound
of ground cinnamon. . .two pounds of sugar. . .one ounce of saffron. .
.a quarter pound of cloves and grains of guinea pepper(grains of
paradise). . .an eighth of a pound of pepper. . .an eighth of a pound of
galingale. . .an eighth of a pound of nutmeg. . .an eight of a pound of
bay leaves." Unfortunately the source is not specifically stated. The
American version of this book is fun, but not much value as a historical
reference (it doesn't even have an index). Since Schivelbusch is a
historian, it may be a case of diluting the German original for the
American market.
I've seen some other references to bay in period, but I would have to go
dredging to find them, as I did not make note of them.
Bear
Date: 14 Oct 1997 10:08:29 -0500
From: "Sue Wensel" <swensel at brandegee.lm.com>
Subject: SC - Re: sca-cooks V1 #358
><< Many of the herbs used in period really aren't safe for ingestion. >>
>Say what?
>Ras
That's what I get for throwing off a note from work. Some of the herbs used
in period are of dubious safety for ingestion; comfrey, tansy, rue, and
pennyroyal (and I have recipes using these) come to mind. Other herbs can
cause contact dermatitis, photosensitivity, etc. and it is wise to know this
before you begin experimentation.
So using a modern herbal to verify the use of period herbs is a sensible
precaution.
Derdriu
Date: Thu, 23 Oct 1997 16:46:53 -0400
From: Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Re: eggs
Christi Redeker wrote:
> This is the first time I have seen cilantro mentioned on the list. Was this a
> period spice used commonly?
The simple answer is yes. The more complex answer is that it depends on
where you lived in period. The plant from which cilantro grows was
pretty much spread across much of the Eurasian land mass. Cilantro
generally refers specifically to the green leaves, stems, and roots of
the plant, while the seeds are generally referred to as coriander.
In general, the Northern portions of the Eurasian landmass are where the
coriander seeds would be used in cooking, whereas the southern parts is
where you would find cilantro being eaten, particularly in places like
the Middle East and India.
Now, it's also very common in the cuisines of South America.
Adamantius
Date: Sun, 26 Oct 1997 16:04:27 -0500
From: John and Barbara Enloe <jbenloe at mindspring.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Tansy:To poison or not to poison
Not only is tansy poisonous, it is a very powerful abortive in the smallest
doses -- ladies have been known to abort from the amounts absorbed through
the skin by touching the leaves.
Jon
Date: Sun, 26 Oct 1997 16:44:18 -0500
From: John and Barbara Enloe <jbenloe at mindspring.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Tansy:To poison or not to poison
Re: the below:
Per The Herb Society of America Encyclopedia of Herbs & Their Uses by Deni
Bown
Pages 359-360; There are various types of tansy out there and they are
referred to as "extremely pungent, potent herbs and should be used with
caution. Benefits are listed in the book; some of the cautions refer to it
as NOT being given to pregnant women,... dermatitis and mouth ulcers in
some cases,... possibly unsafe for internal use, especially in pregnancy,
...the oil is highly toxic for both internal and external use, and very
small amounts may prove fatal,...excess (among other things) can cause
venous congestion of abdominal organs, and convulsions. It is rarely used
internally."
In light of this information, it may be very much worth your while to
discuss any use of this herb with an experienced herbalist. They may be
able to give you types and amounts that are not harmful...without that, I
would hesitate to use this herb. Just as a note, I keep my supply
grown/dried/stored away from all the rest of the herbs I grow to limit
access to it.
Ania
Date: Sun, 26 Oct 1997 00:17:43 -0400
From: Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Tansy:To poison or not to poison
Michael P Newton wrote:
> I have a quandary which has come up again: is tansy poisonous, and if so,
> why do I keep running into recipes in period or near period, which call
> for tansy as the main flavorings?
Lawyers, my dear lady. Lawyers. That is why. Seriously, though, I
suspect the simplest answer is that tansy contains some toxic element or
ingredient which you are unlikely to absorb unless you really immerse
yourself in the stuff. In other words, casual and occasional consumption
of tansy probably wouldn't do you any harm, but that doesn't mean it is
impossible for it to do you harm. It's just that I don't know what
constitutes a harmful dosage.
> It is especially madding considering that I have planted three tansy
> plants outside my kitchen window to repel the ants {which worked for a
> while}. When I bought them, they came with a warning that they were
> poisonous, then I found some recipes in my herbal books, but our local
> herbalist thought they were similar to wormwood, in that flavoring
> wouldn't kill you but it was to picky to mess around with.Now I find two
> more recipes in the _A concise encyclopedia of Gastronomy_, one of which
> says that a "Tansy" in England was the name of a custard flavored with
> tansy or other bitterish leaves. The other recipe is for a pudding.
> Has anyone else come across these or similar recipes,preferably in
> period sources? Is it really poisonous or only in large quantities? Does
> anyone have any other uses for tansy?
I have seen the reference you mention. There are several recipes from
period sources that indicate that a tansy (apparently contracted from
the Greek term, "athanasia", which more or less means "banishing death",
or some such) is more of an omelette than a custard. The herb tansy does
sometimes appear as an ingredient in a tansy, if you get my meaning, but
sometimes it is absent, in favor of a mixed assortment of herbs and
greens. If you find a recipe for an herbolaste, erbolaste, or arbolaste,
they are virtually the same, except those last often contain cheese,
which a tansy lacks, IIRC. The impression I get is that a tansy would be
eaten as a Spring tonic, to cure or forestall the effects of various
vitamin-deficiency diseases like scurvy, which could have come on over
the Winter, when fresh vegetable matter was hard to come by.
A friend of mine, who used to dabble in herbal medicine, made me a
marvelous bruise ointment of lanolin, with infusions of tansy, boneset,
comfrey, oil of cloves, and oil of wintergreen. It killed pain almost
immediately on contact, and somehow flushed the bits of coagulated blood
from the injury, causing it to heal up much faster. I'm talking fighting
bruises here, not casual elbow-cracks. Unfortunately the recipe seems to
have been lost, but I still have quite a bit of the stuff left, and it
seems to grow more potent with age.
Adamantius
Date: Mon, 27 Oct 1997 08:36:58 -0400
From: Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>
Subject: Re: SC - white drinks and other
david friedman wrote:
> At 12:35 AM -0500 10/27/97, Varju at aol.com wrote:
> >Yes, coriander== cilantro.
> >
> >Noemi
>
> Cilantro is the leaves and stems of the coriander plans. The seeds are
> usually called "coriander." Hence the potential confusion--both today and
> in the past. 13th c. Andalusian recipes, for example, routinely use both
> and distinguish between them.
>
> David/Cariadoc
Agreed as to the definition of the distinction, but there is still a
distinct source of confusion, since what we now call cilantro used to be
called coriander by most of the English-speaking world. The term
"cilantro" has only entered the mainstream English-speaking culinary
terminology in the last ten or fifteen years.
So, generally speaking, the seeds of the coriander plant seem always to
be called coriander. The leaves, stems, and sometimes the roots can be,
and are, referred to in English as coriander, green coriander, cilantro,
culantro, Chinese parsley and Arabian parsley, and heaven knows what
else.
Sometimes you have to go by the context.
Adamantius
Date: Mon, 08 Dec 1997 17:22:44 -0500
From: Woeller D <angeliq1 at erols.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Fritelles
James L. Matterer wrote:
> 177. (Clary Fritters): Take the herb called clary and grind it, steep it
> in pure water and beat well sieved flour into this; add in some honey
> and a little white wine and beat these together until smooth; then fry
> small spoonfuls of this mixture in oil, as is done for fritters, and put
> rosemary generously on each fritter; squeeze your fritters between two
> blades to drain off the oil, then put them in a fine new pot beside the
> fire. Dress them on a plate with sugar. (Le Viandier de Taillevent,
> Terence Scully's edition, p. 297)
>
> Scully says Clary is Clary Sage (Salvia sclarea) which "has tall
> flowering spikes and a taste reminiscent of grapefruit." He also goes on
> to say that the Liber de coquina has another version of the recipe that
> "offers a broad choice in the matter of flavoring by specifying
> elderflowers or any other flower."
>
> I would prefer to use actual Clary in this recipe: does anyone know of
> availability or a viable substitute?
>
> Huen/Jim Matterer
> http://www.labs.net/dmccormick/huen.htm
The essential oil of clary sage is widely available (several brands) at
any local health food store.(In VA- hopefully, the same where you are)
You should be able to get the DRIED herb in the bulk herb section, as
well. Your health food store might be able to order fresh for you, or
you may be able to special order it through the produce dept. of your
local grocery. (Giant, in this area gets fresh herbs, including sage.
Though I've not yet seen clary sage, I haven't asked.)
For use in aromatherapy, some folks use regular cooking sage (salvia
officianalis) in place of clary sage, but the smell is very different.
Regular sage has the familiar smell I associate with sausage & stuffing,
clary sage has a smell that is musky, earthy & reminds me of
fresh-turned earth in a vegetable garden (In a GOOD way!)
:) If you can't get clary, you could TRY sage. BTW the smell of clary
sage is wonderful for relaxation, combatting stress, depression and
tension.
Bon chance
Angelique
Date: Mon, 8 Dec 1997 22:32:49 EST
From: LrdRas <LrdRas at aol.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Fritelles
<< I would prefer to use actual Clary in this recipe: does anyone know of
availability or a viable substitute? >>
Exotic Plant Manual, Fascinating Plants to Live With (For Horticulturists and
Botanists, Professional Decorators, Libraries, Schools, Plant Fanciers) by
Alfred Byrd Graf, 3rd Revised Edition, pub. Roehrs Company, 1974, ISBN
0-911266-11-9, LOC Cat. No. 74-75310, illus. pg. 322, text pg. 699
Salvia (Labiatae)
sclerea (So. Europe). "Clary Sage": handsome hardy biennial with clammy-hairy
herbaceous stem 1/2-1 m high; pubescent broad-ovate, scalloped, pebbly gray-
green leaves often to 22 cm long, smaller higher up the 1 m flowering stalk,
the flowers whitish-blue in clusters, and with floral bracts colored rose and
white. Use: foliage for flavoring wine, beer and ale.; leaves may be eaten in
omelettes or as fritters or to flavor soups, also employed in sachets, Flowers
make tea. Oil from seeds used in perfumes. From seed.
C: 76 p. 322
There you have it. It appers to be a useful plant, at least commercially in
the Current Middle Ages and should be available from most good herb companies
as seed. I will check around tomorrow as I am off from work. :-)
Ras
Date: Tue, 9 Dec 1997 17:08:37 EST
From: DianaFiona <DianaFiona at aol.com>
Subject: Re: SC - clary sage-source
A number of seed catalogs carry this. One that I'm very fond of is
Nichol's Garden Nursery. They do have a website
(http://www.pacificharbor.com/nichols/), but, frustratingly, you seem only to
be able to order a catalog or *from* the catalog online, *not* look through
the catalog! I believe that they have live plants of clary, as well.
Another place that I *think* has dried clary is Frontier Herbs. Again,
they have a large and informative website--but the catalog it's self is not
online! (My mom has *my* catalog, or I'd check it.) For what it's worth, their
address is:
http://www.frontierherb.com/homepage.html
They are a great source for a huge number of items, but they only sell
their bulk herbs by the pound. :-( Maybe if you were doing these for an event
you'd need that much, otherwise.........try to find some friends to split it
with you? Or convince a local healthfood store that they *would* sell the rest
of the pound and let them order it? It sounds like it would be good for
potpourri or bath mixes..........
Ldy Diana
Date: Fri, 9 Jan 1998 00:46:17 -0500
From: David Friedman <ddfr at best.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Apricot recipes?(was Byzantine Cooking)
>And one last minor querry--it calls for mastic, which I
>would have to mail order. How strong a flavor does mastic have, and what might
>it be similar to? (In other words, if I just leave it out will it make a big
>difference, and is there a reasonable substitute?)
It has a strong flavor and it is similar to turpentine--or, more politely,
retsina. Resiny. We use it in very small quantities (typically 1/16 t for a
recipe that uses a pound or two of meat), and in those quantities find that
it adds a noticeable and attractive tang.
David/Cariadoc
Date: Sat, 10 Jan 1998 09:16:42 -0800
From: David Friedman <ddfr at best.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Apricot recipes?(w
><Snip>>And one last minor querry--it calls for mastic, which I
>>would have to mail order. How strong a flavor does mastic have, <snip>It has
>a strong flavor and it is similar to turpentine--or, more politely,retsina.
>Resiny. We use it in very small quantities <snip>
>
>Would something like juniper berries work as a substitute? Or a small shot of
>Retsina? Or is it one of this irriplacible things?
I think retsina would be closest in taste. Of course, wine doesn't appear
in period Islamic recipes. You can probably order mastic from one of the
mailorder spice sources--I think I list two near the beginning of the
_Miscellany_.
David/Cariadoc
Date: Fri, 23 Jan 1998 11:50:22 -0800
From: david friedman <ddfr at best.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Sumac (was: Imam Bayaldi)
At 9:44 AM -0800 1/23/98, Mike C. Baker wrote:
>> sumac
>
>I've had an outstanding request from my (mundane) brother for
>sources and alternatives for this ingredient.
Try an iranian grocery store. I don't remember what the call it, but I
believe it is a standard ingredient/condiment. Iranian restaurants
sometimes put it on the table.
David/Cariadoc
Date: Fri, 23 Jan 1998 21:18:37 -0500
From: margali <margali at 99main.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Sumac (was: Imam Bayaldi)
> I've had an outstanding request from my (mundane) brother for
> sources and alternatives for this ingredient. I understand that it
> might also be marketted as "zamak" or some other spellynge
> variations. I have inquired at halal markets and some Oriental
> groceries, but have yet to find this commercially available.
Can be ordered from Penzey's, ltd- 414-697-7207, 1/2 cup glass jar for
$4.59, stock number 48253
they [penzeys] also sell zatar, 23731, 2.19$ for a 1/4 cup jar. It is a
spice blend that they put on tables to dip bread in. penzeys also has a
web site.
margali
Date: Fri, 03 Apr 1998 18:05:59 -0800
From: "Crystal A. Isaac" <crystal at pdr-is.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Rapes Recipe
Decker, Terry D. wrote:
> > <<<snip>
> > 1 tsp dried sweet basil>>
> Basil may be valid. It is Indian in origin and may have been introduced
> into the Mediterranean countries by Alexander's armies. It appears in one
> recipe in Apicius.
Basil also appears in the Anonymous Andalusian Cookbook of the 13th
Century. I seem to recall reading it in a European source as well, but
cannot dig it up at the moment.
Crystal
Date: Sat, 4 Apr 1998 08:53:14 EST
From: LrdRas <LrdRas at aol.com>
Subject: SC - Horseradish
In a message dated 4/3/98 11:09:18 PM Eastern Standard Time,
heilveil at students.uiuc.edu writes:
<< Horseradish recipes >>
Again from WR, "Food">
Horseradish was known in Egypt at least by 1500 C.E. and is one of the 5
bitter herbs used by the Jewish population eat at Passover. The Romans were
divided on it's use as a culinary plant with some expounding it's use in
winter as a warming herb and other's like Apicius thought it much too bland
and accompanied it with peppered wine and/or garum. Still others saw it as a
cure for gallstones, asthma or to be used to improve eyesight and overcome
menstrual problems.
It was being used early on in the Middle Ages in Germany as a food but in
England it was grown in the 13th century C.E. as a medicinal up until the 16th
century when an English herbalist mentions it's use as a suce on fish and meat
made in a fashion similar to mustard.
A simple recipe is to grate the root finely, add a touch of salt and some
distilled vinegar although I much prefer using cider vinegar which
unfortunately discolors it as Mr. Root points out.
I am of the opinion that this herb deserves a place in the Modern Medieval
Garden. :-)
Ras
Date: Tue, 23 Jun 1998 12:21:23 -0500
From: Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Silphium & Alisander (fwd)
> Flicking through Alexis Soyer's "Pantropheon" (not the most reliable source
> I will admit) I came across two seasonings/spices that I am unfamiliar
> with, silphium and alisander. does anyone know what they are?
>
> Andrea Willett
Alisander is probably the same thing as Alexander, which is known in
English as horse-parsley.
Silphium is a little more complicated, I'm working from memory here, so
please bear with me: Sylphium is a plant grown in, I believe, India and
Persia, and its aromatic gum is powdered for use as a spice. The
best-known variety would be asafeotida, also known as hing and
teufelsdreck (devil's-dung). On a related note, silphium appears in some
Roman cookery as a substitute for laser root, an entirely different
plant which appears to have become either unobtainable or perhaps
extinct during, approximately, the early Roman Empire. Anyway, silphium
is pretty rank-smelling, a little like garlic going off, but tiny
amounts of hing powder are often used in Indian curries, particularly
vegetable and fish varieties. The idea is to season the dish and bring
out the other flavors, rather than to make the dish smell or taste of
hing. It also appears pretty frequently in Apician fish recipes.
Adamantius
Date: Tue, 23 Jun 1998 12:45:04 EDT
From: LrdRas at aol.com
Subject: Re: SC - Silphium & Alisander (fwd)
charlesn at sunrise.srl.rmit.edu.au writes:
<< I came across two seasonings/spices that I am unfamiliar
with, silphium and alisander. does anyone know what they are?
Andrea Willett
>>
Silphium is presumably a plant which the Romans literally ate to extinction.
Most scholars agree that the use of asefoetida is a viable substitute. It can
be found in stores that sell food common to India. Alisander has me stumped.
Ras
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1998 21:02:47 -0700
From: "needlwitch at msn.com" <needlewitch at email.msn.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Rosemary Usage
to rub the
>called for amount between my hands rapidly, which pulverizes the needles
>rather handily (No, I wasn't deliberately punning, unlike some people I
>could mention, A).It takes only a few seconds, and you release the
>essential oils with the heat of friction
This also works with any dried herb, from my experience. You rub it to
release the essential oils before adding it to a dish. Works wonders.
Thorbjorn the Cook (finally passing on a trick he learned in school)
Shittemwoode/Antir
{Northwest Washington}
Date: Sun, 17 Jan 1999 18:39:35 EST
From: LrdRas at aol.com
Subject: Re: SC - Sumac?
melisant at iafrica.com writes:
<< Could someone please tell me what sumac or sumach is? >>
Sumac is the roots or bark of the Sumac tree. as a culinary ingredient.
Usually it refers to the berries of non-poisonous sumac. These berries are
reddish colored and fuzzy. They grow in tight clumps at the ends of Sumac
branches.
<<none of my cookbooks mention it. >>
That doesn't surprise me. :-) It is found most often as an ingredient in
Middle Eastern dishes.
<<The recipe requires you to boil the
sumac and then cook the lamb in the sumac water - what would this do? >>
One of the modern uses of sumac berries is to make a beverage that tastes very
similar to lemonade. The berries are acidic and produce a liquid which has
been described as lemony. The flavor actually is about as similar to lemons
as rabbit is to chicken. :-)
<<Is it a thickening or binding agent, or is it just for flavour? >>
Flavor. It adds no body to the finished dish.
A word of caution: if you collect your own sumac berries or bark be very
careful not to collect poison sumac. Although poison sumac looks very
different from edible sumac, there are people who have somehow mistaken the
two. Edible sumac has hairy stems and leaves with tightly clumped hairy red
seed heads. Poison sumac has smooth bark and shiny leaves and the smooth
berries are born in very loose racemes and are a different color. Edible sumac
is available at any good middle eastern grocersand, rarely, at health food
stores.
<< Melisant >>
Ras
Date: Mon, 18 Jan 1999 10:50:45 +0000
From: Robyn Probert <robyn.probert at lawpoint.com.au>
Subject: Re: SC - Sumac?
At 22:00 17/01/1999 +0200, Melisant wrote:
>Could someone please tell me what sumac or sumach is?
Sumac is a spice - a ground red dried berry of the sumac bush. It looks
like a dark red coarse powder and has a great lemon tang. I buy it from
middle eastern food stores. I guess you could substitute lemon juice in the
water if you can't get sumac.
Rowan
Date: Sun, 17 Jan 1999 22:14:37 -0500
From: James Gilly / Alasdair mac Iain <alasdair.maciain at snet.net>
Subject: Re: SC - Sumac?
At 18:39 17-1-99 EST, Ras wrote:
>Poison sumac has smooth bark and shiny leaves and the smooth
>berries are born in very loose racemes and are a different color.
White.
>From the *EB*:
sumac, any of certain species of shrubs and small trees belonging to
the genus *Rhus*, in the cashew family (Anacardiaceae), native to temperate
and subtropical zones. All sumacs have a milky or resinous sap, which in a
few species can cause a contact dermatitis. Used in the past as a source
of dyes, medicines, and beverages, sumacs are now valued as ornamentals,
soil binders, and cover plants. The sumacs grown for landscape use display
a graceful habit, spectacular fall colour, or colourful fruit clusters.
The smooth, or scarlet, sumac (*R. glabra*), native to the eastern and
central U.S., is the most common. It grows to a height of 5 metres (20
feet), with an open, flattened crown and a few stout spreading branches. A
cultivated variety has much dissected, fernlike leaves. Somewhat taller is
the staghorn, or velvet, sumac (*R. typhina*), up to 9 m, named for the
dense or velvety covering on new twigs. Its fall foliage is orange-red to
purple. It also has a variety with finely cut leaves.
Poison sumac, or poison elder (*R. vernix*, or in some classifications,
*Toxicodendron vernix*), is an attractive narrow shrub or small tree native
to swampy or acidic soil of eastern North America. It has whitish waxy
berries on loose hanging stalks, unlike the upright reddish, fuzzy fruit
clusters of other sumacs. The clear sap. which blackens on exposure to
air, is extremely toxic for many people.
The smaller sumacs are the shining, winged, or dwarf sumac (*R.
copallina*) and the lemon, or fragrant, sumac (*R. aromatica*). The former
is often grown for its shiny leaves, the leaflets of which are connected by
ribs along the axis, and showy reddish fruits. The fragrant sumac has
three-parted leaves, scented when bruised; it forms a dense low shrub
useful in landscaping.
The Sicilian sumac (*R. coriaria*), from the Mediterranean region, is
cultivated as a source of tannin in southern Italy.
[*The New Encyclopaedia Britannica*, 15th edition, vol 11, pp 381-382.
Copyright 1986 by Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.]
We had sumac (presumably scarlet sumac) growing in our back yard and at our
neighbours' in Michigan when I was a kid, but it never would have occurred
to me that it was edible. 8)
By the way, for those who aren't familiar with it, it's "shoo-mac."
Laird Alasdair mac Iain of Elderslie
Dun an Leomhain Bhig
Canton of Dragon's Aerie [southeastern CT]
Barony Beyond the Mountain [northern & southeastern CT]
East Kingdom
Date: Sat, 6 Feb 1999 18:14:02 -0600
From: LYN M PARKINSON <allilyn at juno.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Dan Gillespie <dan.gillespie at erols.com>: a favor to ask
Sylvia Landsberg's _The Medieval Garden_ contains references to rocket
and sweet rocket. Rocket is listed under Herbs for salad, and Sweet
Rocket under additional plants from a variety of sources as aesthetically
appealing plants.
Allison
allilyn at juno.com, Barony Marche of the Debatable Lands, Pittsburgh, PA
Kingdom of Aethelmearc
Date: Fri, 16 Apr 1999 23:24:05 -0700
From: "David Dendy" <ddendy at silk.net>
Subject: SC - Re: Borage
> I haven't found Borage as an herb to buy in a store, but you can find the
> plants at nurseries. I had a nice start on some last year, but the
> family feeding the cat while I was at Pennsic didn't bother to water my
> pricey herb garden start, so I haven't gotten any to try for recipes.
>
> If you want borage, either plant some yourself, or find a gardener in
> your group and persuade them to plant the borage seedlings you buy.
You won't usually find borage offered as a dried herb, as it doesn't dry
well, losing its flavour. Seed or plant some, though, and you'll soon have
more than enough -- it self seeds. The fuzzy leaves have a nice cucumbery
taste, good in drinks and also nice chopped fine in a salad. Choose young
leaves, which are not quite as fuzzy, and chp small -- I've discovered not
everyone likes their salad fuzzy ;) The blue flowers are also very
attractive floated in a punchbowl.
Francesco Sirene
Date: Sat, 17 Apr 1999 15:36:47 EDT
From: Aelfwyn at aol.com
Subject: Re: SC - Re: Borage
ddendy at silk.net writes:
<< The fuzzy leaves have a nice cucumbery
taste, good in drinks and also nice chopped fine in a salad. Choose young
leaves, which are not quite as fuzzy, and chp small -- I've discovered not
everyone likes their salad fuzzy ;) The blue flowers are also very
attractive floated in a punchbowl.
Francesco Sirene >>
Francesco's comment that borage self-seeds is putting it mildly. I grew a few
plants one year about 6 years ago and have had more than plenty as well as
weeding the seedlings out of that garden plot each year. The flowers are
beautiful, do I also remember correctly that they can be "candied" like
violets and violas for confection use?
Aelfwyn
Date: Wed, 28 Jul 1999 20:28:35 -0700
From: "David Dendy" <ddendy at silk.net>
Subject: Re: SC - spikenard
I have attached (below) the entries on "spignel" and "spikenard" (incomplete
as they are) from the glossary of spice names I am working on writing. It
would seem that Spikenard is usually the root etc. of "Nardostachys
jatamansi", but may on occasion be "Meum athamanticum". We sell the
jatamansi (which is certainly what is meant in 90% of the references, going
back to Roman times, but haven't found a source of the meum yet (anyone know
one?).
I'd be very interested in experiences, recipes, and comments from people who
have used spikenard. We have only recently added it to our stock, and I
haven't got around to doing much testing yet.
Francesco Sirene
David Dendy / ddendy at silk.net
partner in Francesco Sirene, Spicer / sirene at silk.net
Visit our Website at http://www.silk.net/sirene/
SPIGNEL
[English 1579; "spignale" 1502 (OED2 "Spignel")] Also known as "meum" or
"baldmoney".
"The aromatic root of the umbelliferous plant Meum athamanticum, used, when
dried and ground, in medicine as a carminative or stimulant, or as a spice
in cookery." (OED2 "Spignel")
This was used in some spiced wine concoctions (viz. "1502 Arnolde Chron.
(1811) 188 Take cloues and gelofre, . . gynger and spignale, . . and temper
hem with good wyne." OED2 "Spignel")
It may on occasion have been used as SPIKENARD, particularly where the
recipe calls for "spykenard de Spayn" (Hieatt and Butler 1985, p. 143), as
spignel was on occasion known as as "spygnal of Spaine" and Turner's 1562
Herbal says it "peraduenture was ones called Spiknard." (OED2 "Spignel")
SPIKENARD
[English c.1350; from the late or medieval Latin spica nardi, rendering the
Greek (also ) (OED2 "Spikenard")]
(1) "The source of the true or Indian nard is now identified as
Nardostachys jatamansi, a plant of the family Valerianacae, the fibrous
root-stocks or Ôspikes' of which are still collected in Bhotan and Nepal."
(Encyclop¾dia Britannica 1932, vol. 21, p. 216)
FlŸckiger and Hanbury confirm that Indian Nard is the rhizome of
Nardostachys Jatamansi DC., and is one of several substances known under the
name of sumbul, an Arabic word signifying an ear or spike. (FlŸckiger and
Hanbury 1879, p. 312)
The ointment made from the plant is said to have gone under the name of
sinbul Hindi or Indian spike. (Walker 1957, p. 196)
Jatamanshi is mentioned as a spice in Indian sources of the era 400-200
B.C. (Achaya 1994, p. 37)
The perfume is actually in the lower hairy stems (the indian name
jatamansi refers to the shaggy hair, or Ôermine tails', covering the stems).
These are tied together by the roots. (Walker 1957, p. 196) It is stated to
still be sold today [1957], as in New Testament times, in alabaster boxes
which preserve the essential perfume. (Ibid.)
As an aromatic ingredient in costly perfumes and unguents of the Romans
and the Middle Eastern peoples of classical times, spikenard was highly
prized. "The ointment prepared from it is mentioned in the New Testament
(Mark xiv. 3-5; John xii.3-5) as being Ôvery costly,' a pound of it being
valued at more than 300 denarii (over £10 [work out modern equivalent value,
based on wages]). This appears to represent the prices then current for the
best quality of nard, since Pliny (H.N. xii, 26) mentions that nard spikes
reached as much as 100 denarii per lb." (Encyclop¾dia Britannica 1932, vol.
21, p. 216)
The spice appears in Roman sources under several variant names: the late
4th or early 5th century cookbook of Apicius has nardostachyum and spica
Indica (Apicius 1958, pp. 56, 146, 164, 184, 211) In the Excerpts of
Vinidarius, an Ostrogoth living in North Italy in the fifth or sixth
century, his "Brevis Pimentorum" ("List of Condiments") includes both spica
indica and spicanardi, suggesting that the two are not precisely the same
thing. (Apicius 1977, p. 234; Apicius 1984, p. 282)
(2) Garcia da Orta, a Portuguese physician and apothecary who spent 35
years (from 1534 on) at Goa in India, "verified that the spikenard of the
ancient Greeks was Cymbopogon schoenanthus, rosha grass that grew on the
banks of the Ganges." (Achaya 1994, p. 169) This, formerly designated
Andropogon SchÏnanthus L., is a grass of Northern and Central India, which
yields by distillation the oil known as Rœsa Oil or Oil of Ginger Grass.
(FlŸckiger and Hanbury 1879, pp. 725-726)
(3) See SPIGNEL, which may on occasion have been meant, particularly when
"Spykenard de Spayn" is referred to.
(4) "Ploughman's Spikenard" (1597 OED2 "Spikenard") is Inula conyza
(formerly assigned to the genera Baccharis and Conyza), a sweet-scented
shrubby plant which grows wild in Britain. It was used medicinally, and as a
garland plant, but no mention is made of culinary use. (Gerard 1994, p. 183)
(5) There are several other plants which have acquired the name spikenard,
but which will not have been meant during the period covered here. Aralia
racemosa is known as American spikenard or great spikenard, but it is a
North American plant and there is no evidence of its use before 1600 (it is
now sold by herbal suppliers, in North America at least, simply as
"spikenard", so buyers would be wise to check the botanical name of what
they are buying). Another species of the same genus, Aralia nudicaulis, as
well as being called wild sarsaparilla is also known as wild spikenard and
small spikenard, but is again of American extraction. In the West Indies
Hyptis suaveolens is called spikenard. (Encyclop¾dia Britannica 1932, vol.
21, p. 216; OED2 "Spikenard")
Date: Thu, 9 Sep 1999 10:53:40 EDT
From: LrdRas at aol.com
Subject: Re: Parsley (was Re: SC - Experiments)
cnevin at caci.co.uk writes:
<< So did they use flat-leaf or curly parsley in medieval times? >>
Flat leaf parsley is the culinary parsley used throughout history. Curly leaf
parsley is a mutation which occurred post-period and is used for garnish. The
species is Petroselinum crispum. Both flat leaf and curly are the same
species but curly leaf is a variety, for instance, P. crispum var. crispum.
There are no other species of parsley.
Although curly leaf parsley can be used in cooking, it is a poor substitute
and the flavor pales when compared to flat leaf.
Ras
Subject: RE: ANST - Lard
Date: Mon, 20 Sep 99 14:35:17 MST
From: "Decker, Terry D." <TerryD at Health.State.OK.US>
To: "'ansteorra at ansteorra.org'" <ansteorra at Ansteorra.ORG>
> What is a good substitute for Lard in today's cooking world and for penny
> royal?
>
> F. Havas
> ches at io.com
Lard is a pretty good substitute for lard. It is available in stick form
and by the bucket. About the same price as solid vegetable shortening.
<snip of more lard info. See cooking-oils-msg>
You might try substituting mint for pennyroyal. There are two different
plants that I know of with the name pennyroyal. Mentha pulegium is the
Eurasian mint which produced the aromatic oil used in medieval Europe.
Hedeoma pulegioides is North American pennyroyal whose aromatic oil is used
in insect repellent. I've never experimented with the stuff, so I don't
know if the two can be used interchangeably.
Bear
Date: Mon, 7 Feb 2000 02:02:12 EST
From: LrdRas at aol.com
Subject: Re: SC - Apicius and Platina
acrouss at gte.net writes:
Lazer "root" is the root of
laser, a plant used by Romans in cooking, which I believe is now extinct? >>
Extinct is correct. However, asafoetida is the standard substitute for laser.
Apparently the laser plant was similar in flavor to that substance if not
actually another species of the same plant.
Ras
Date: Mon, 07 Feb 2000 22:18:41 -0800
From: Anne-Marie Rousseau <acrouss at gte.net>
Subject: Re: SC - Apicius and Platina
hey all from Anne-Marie
we are asked re: asafetida.
Is there a more commonly known name for this?
aka "that really stinky stuff that lives inside a solid sealed plastic tub
inside no less than three zip lock bags in the backest back of my spice
cupboard and I can STILL smell it when I open the door!" :)
wonderful stuff...and a fun addition to our cucumber salad from apicius.
gives it the faintest oniony garlicly flavor.
- --AM
Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2000 00:12:37 EDT
From: DianaFiona at aol.com
Subject: Re: SC - hyssop
Seton1355 at aol.com writes:
<<
what does Hyssop taste like? Where can I get some and what is a good
substitute?
>>
The seeds are readily available from most seed companies with a good
selection of herbs--and I found the plants for sale locally this spring, to
my glee. ;-) The taste is a bit minty, so that would be my best guess for a
substitute, perhaps with a touch of rosemary and thyme added............
If you need a seed catalog source, try these:
http://www.thymegarden.com/, http://www.gardennursery.com/,
http://www.superseeds.com/, http://www.richters.com/,
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/, http://www.papagenos.com/,
http://www.burpee.com/ I have plenty more, but these are sufficient to find
all the hyssop you could use! ;-)
Ldy Diana
Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2000 14:37:08 +1000
From: "Craig Jones." <craig.jones at airservices.gov.au>
Subject: Re: SC - hyssop
>my glee. ;-) The taste is a bit minty, so that would be my best guess for a
>substitute, perhaps with a touch of rosemary and thyme added............
I found that dried hyssop tastes very much like dried parsley with a
touch of mint. I find fresh hyssop tasting like a cross between thyme
and pennyroyal.
Just shows ya that everyone taste buds are different.
Drake (who likes the taste of saffron only if well combined with other
ingredients and spices)
Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 02:56:22 EDT
From: allilyn at juno.com
Subject: Re: SC - Anise
Elinor Fettiplace's Receipt Book, by Hilary Spurling, uses anise in white
biskit bread, and biskit bread, which turn out to be meringues.
Someone else, whom i can't find at the moment, candies the anise seed to
use as after-dinner comfits. Check the books which specialize in
banquets, with all the sweet dishes.
Redon, et al, The Medieval Kitchen, list it for Poached Pears in Spiced
Syrup, and Spiced Plum Mousse with Honey.
Regards,
Allison, allilyn at juno.com
Date: Sun, 6 Jul 2003 10:25:52 -0400
From: Kirrily Robert <skud at infotrope.net>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks]2 - medieval herb garden
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
> What a terriffic list of herbs! I am impressed!!
> What is *Good King Henry*?
It's a potherb. Here's where I bought it, they have some details:
http://richters.com/Web_store/
web_store.cgi?product=X2950&cart_id=6457107.25107
I haven't found out whether it's actually period or not, but I figured
there hasn't been a King Henry in England since 15whatever, so the
chances were moderately good.
Katherine
--
Lady Katherine Rowberd (mka Kirrily "Skud" Robert)
katherine at infotrope.net http://infotrope.net/sca/
Caldrithig, Skraeling Althing, Ealdormere
Date: Sun, 6 Jul 2003 10:53:10 -0500
From: "Terry Decker" <t.d.decker at worldnet.att.net>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks]2 - medieval herb garden
To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
> What a terriffic list of herbs! I am impressed!!
> What is *Good King Henry*?
> Phillipa
Chenopodium bonus henricus, a pot herb AKA, fat hen, allgood, English
mercury, mercury goosefoot, tola bona, and smearwort. It is related to red
goosefoot and white goosefoot. It is in the same family as spinach and
beets.
Bear
Date: Thu, 29 Sep 2005 13:33:18 -0500
From: "Terry Decker" <t.d.decker at worldnet.att.net>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Re: ancient Roman cookery
To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
Silphium (AKA sylphium, silphion, laser, laserpicium, etc.) is an extinct
member of the genus Ferula, unless one takes the opinion that it is Ferula
tingitana. The plant is dipicted on the back of Cyrenian coins. If
silphium is F. tingitana, it is making a comeback in North Africa and is not
total extinct.
There is a question as to whether or not laser was originally attributed to
silphium and then transferred to asafoetida, or whether it was always used
for asafoetida. In either case, I gather that asafoetida was considered a
poor substitute for silphium.
I also doubt lemongrass is a proper substitute for silphium.
Gernot Katzer provides some interesting information on the subject.
http://www.uni-graz.at/~katzer/engl/generic_frame.html?Silphion.html
Bear
Date: Thu, 29 Sep 2005 14:48:26 -0400
From: "Lonnie D. Harvel" <ldh at ece.gatech.edu>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Re: ancient Roman cookery
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
OK, I am now confused... (no surprise there)
Some sources say that the ancient Laser is Laserpitium, others say that
it is Asafoetida, another says that Laserpitium's name was changed to
Asafetida. The taste of these, however, are described quite differently.
(Laser vs. Laserwort?)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Asafoetida, from the epicentre:
http://www.theepicentre.com/Spices/asafetid.html
Asafoetida is a hard resinous gum, grayish-white when fresh, darkening
with age to yellow, red and eventually brown. It is sold in blocks or
pieces as a gum and more frequently as a fine yellow powder, sometimes
crystalline or granulated.
*Bouquet:* a pungent smell of rotting onions or sulfur. The smell
dissipates with cooking.
*Flavour: *on its own, extremely unpleasant, like concentrated rotten
garlic. When cooked, it adds an onion-like flavour.
Other Names:
Asafetida, Assafetida, Assafoetida, DevilÕs Dung, DevilÕs Durt,
Food of
the Gods (Persian), Laser (Roman), Stinking Gum
/French: /assa foetida, ferulr perisque
/German:/ Asafotida, Stinkender Asant
/Italian: /assafetida
/Spanish:/ asafetida
/Afghan: /kama-i-anguza
/Indian: /hing, hingu, heeng
/Tamil: /perunkaya
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Laserpititum from "Plants for a Future" website:
http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Laserpitium+latifolium&CAN=COMIND
Common name: Laserwort Family: Umbelliferae
Root - used as a flavouring[2, 105, 177]. It was used by the Romans with
cumin in order to season preserved artichokes[183].
A decoction of the seeds is used in beer[183].
------------------------------------------------------------------------
From Gernot Katzer's Spice Pages:
Silphion
*http://www.uni-graz.at/~katzer/engl/generic_frame.html?Silphion.htmlSynonyms*
In ancient Roman cookbooks, the spice was termed /silphion/,
/silphium/ or /laserpitium/ (also /laser/); later, the last name
was
transferred to asafetida
<http://www.uni-graz.at/%7Ekatzer/engl/Feru_ass.html> (which was
considered an inferior substitute).
*Used plant part*
Some kind of resin obtained by cutting the root or the stalk;
occasionally, leaves and root were eaten as a vegetable.
*Plant family*
Apiaceae
<http://www.uni-graz.at/%7Ekatzer/engl/spice_bot.html#Apiaceae>
(parsley family).
*Sensory quality*
Unknown, but extremely pleasing.
Silphion was not only used as a spice, but also as a powerful herbal
medicine and even for birth control.
*Main constituents*
Unknown.
*Origin*
Northern Africa, about today's Libya. Several North African cities
controlled the silphion trade and built their wealth thereon
(Carthage, Kyrene); apparently, the product became known only after
the foundation of Kyrene in the 7.th century.
*Etymology*
Greek /silphion/ [σίλφιον] is probably a Semitic loan
Date: Thu, 29 Sep 2005 15:26:15 -0400
From: Barbara Benson <voxeight at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Re: ancient Roman cookery
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
OK, here is what one of my books has to say about the issue.
> From Around the Roman Table by Patrick Faas (p155 - 156):
*****
Laserpithium, or silphium as the Greeks called it, is extinct, and
this is the Romans' fault, The herb used to grow abundantly in North
Africa, in the province of Cyrenaica (Libya). It was the country's
main export, and became a national symbol, appearing on coins and
reliefs. The plant itself was eaten, the stem boiled or roasted, but
the juice extracted from the roots was more important. It was called
laser.
Sadly the plant could not be cultivated, and had to be gathered in the
wild. It was worth its weight in gold. Apicius, who was generally
happy to pay considerable sums for his food, provides a cooking tip to
make a little laser go a long way. He stored it in pine nuts, which
absorbed its flavour. When a recipe called for laser, Apicius used the
flavoured pine nuts.
With full-scale plunder of laser for Roman gourmets the herb became
increasingly scarce. For some decades it appeared to have died out,
but then one more plant was found. Rather than leave it alone in the
hope it might propagate itself, it was picked and sent to Rome, where
it was given to Nero. The last laser plant vanished into the fat
emperor's belly.
From that point on the Romans fell back on substitutes. Silphium
parthicum grew in Persia and Armenia. Pliny suggests that this variety
was greatly inferior. It still exists, known as ferula asafoetida. An
extract is made from the root juices and can be bought from Indian
grocers as a liquid, paste or powder under the name asafoetida or
heeng. It is a popular ingredient in India, Afghanistan and the Middle
East, but its strong, garlicky aroma has never appealed to northern
European palates.
Asafoetida - which means 'stink root' - has a penetrating flavour. The
tiniest amount enriches a dish, while too much makes it inedible. It
is not used in Italy, where it failed to become an accepted substitute
for the real thing. Modern Italians use garlic where Apicius called
for laser. In a way garlic has always been a laser substitute. Even
when laser was still available, it was too expensive for the poor, who
used garlic (Plin, N.H. XIX-xv).
*****
I have never taken a poll regarding what people thought about the
accuracy of this source. It does not have a bibliography, but
frequently cites sources within the text (as seen above). Most of the
things that he discusses and addresses seems to jive with the other
sources that I have read - so I am inclined to give it weight.
I have some Asafoetida sitting on my shelf, but have not had the
opportunity to play with it yet. It appears to me, that if you cannot
get it then garlic is a perfectly appropriate substitute.
It also would not surprise me if it is indeed making a comeback from
some lost lonely plant that survived out in the wild. Where did you
see info regarding that Bear?
--Serena da Riva
Date: Sun, 11 Dec 2005 12:21:49 -0500
From: Kerri Martinsen <kerrimart at mindspring.com>
Subject: [Sca-cooks] Satury
To: SCA Cooks <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
Does anyone know what Satury (satureiam) is (besides a spice) and what
would be a fair substitute?
Reference: (Apicius)
{399} Leporem farsum: nucleos integros, amygdala, nuces siue glandes
concisas, piperis grana solida, pulpam de ipso lepore. et ouis fractis
obligatur, de omento porcino in furno. sic iterum impensam facies: rutam,
piper satis, cepam, SATUREIAM, dactylos, liquamen, caroenum uel conditum,
diu combulliat donec spisset, et sic perfunditur. sed lepus in piperato
liquamine et lasere maneat.
Vitha
Date: Sun, 11 Dec 2005 20:45:49 +0100
From: Volker Bach <carlton_bach at yahoo.de>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Satury
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
Am Sonntag, 11. Dezember 2005 18:21 schrieb Kerri Martinsen:
> Does anyone know what Satury (satureiam) is (besides a spice) and
> what would be a fair substitute?
It's a garden herb (Satureia hortensis aka S. brachiata, S. laxiflora, S.
officinarum, S. pachyphylla, S. viminea, Thymus cunila). In German, ist is
also known as 'Bohnenkraut' (bean herb) or 'Gartenquendel'. Kind of bushy,
witrh green-leafed twigs, sensitive to cold.
I can't really think of a substitute, but thyme might do the trick.
Giano
Date: Sun, 11 Dec 2005 11:14:21 -0800
From: lilinah at earthlink.net
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Satury
To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org
Vitha wrote:
> Does anyone know what Satury (satureiam) is (besides a spice) and what
> would be a fair substitute?
>
> Reference: (Apicius)
The translations i own say it is Savory, which is an herb.
--
Urtatim (that's err-tah-TEEM)
the persona formerly known as Anahita
Date: Mon, 12 Dec 2005 04:11:23 -0600
From: "otsisto" <otsisto at socket.net>
Subject: RE: [Sca-cooks] Satury
To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
My source says Winter Savory and that it tastes somewhat like Thyme.
So your suggestion of Thyme as a substitution would work.
Lyse
-----Original Message-----
It's a garden herb (Satureia hortensis aka S. brachiata, S. laxiflora, S.
officinarum, S. pachyphylla, S. viminea, Thymus cunila). In German, ist is
also known as 'Bohnenkraut' (bean herb) or 'Gartenquendel'. Kind of bushy,
witrh green-leafed twigs, sensitive to cold.
I can't really think of a substitute, but thyme might do the trick.
Giano
Date: Tue, 6 Mar 2007 18:26:07 +0100
From: Volker Bach <carlton_bach at yahoo.de>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] BertramKraut
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
Am Dienstag, 6. M?rz 2007 17:13 schrieb ranvaig at columbus.rr.com:
> I've been looking for the translation of BertramKraut or Pertrumkraut.
>
> http://www.uni-graz.at/~katzer/germ/Arte_dra.html
> says Tarragon in German is "f?lschlich Bertram"
> or false Bertam. "The German name Bertram is
> sometimes misapplied to tarragon, but should be
> reserved for Anacyclus pyrethrum (Asteraceae). It
> is an adaptation of the Greek plant name
> pyrethron".
>
> Tarragon seems more likely for use in cooking.
> Does anyone have more information on this?
I'd trust Gernot Katzer on this one. Bertram is definitely not tarragon. It is
still used in traditional South German cookery and German spicers sell
tarragon (Estragon) and Bertram as separate herbs. They certainly taste
different.
I've never had fresh Bertram, actually... the dried stuff is good
with cheese.
Giano
<the end>