angelica-msg - 9/13/04
Period use of Angelica. Recipes. Candied angelica.
NOTE: See also the files: herbs-msg, herbs-cooking-msg, lavender-msg, seeds-msg, spices-msg, Candying-art, candy-msg.
************************************************************************
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.
Please respect the time and efforts of those who have written these messages. The copyright status of these messages is unclear at this time. If information is published from these messages, please give credit to the originator(s).
Thank you,
Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous
Stefan at florilegium.org
************************************************************************
Date: Tue, 14 Dec 1999 10:01:45 +0100 (MET)
From: Par Leijonhufvud <parlei at algonet.se>
Subject: Re: SC - Sweets to the sweet, have some fruitcake...
On Mon, 13 Dec 1999, Lilinah biti-Anat wrote:
> Also, i remember from long ago reading some recipes that called for
> candied angelica. Is this something anyone has found or made, and if
> so, how does it taste?
Angelica archangelica?
One of the few exported plants from scandinavia during the medieval
period. Supposedly protected from the plague.
/UlfR
- --
Par Leijonhufvud parlei at algonet.se
Date: Tue, 14 Dec 1999 10:29:50 -0000
From: nanna at idunn.is (Nanna Rognvaldardottir)
Subject: Re: SC - Sweets to the sweet, have some fruitcake...
>Angelica archangelica?
>
>One of the few exported plants from scandinavia during the medieval
>period. Supposedly protected from the plague.
And against witches and magic. Almost every part of the plant is actually
edible - here in Iceland, the stalks were peeled and boiled and eaten with
butter, or with milk and cream. The roots were eaten raw or boiled, with
dried fish or dulse, the seeds were used as spice, and the leaves were used
for salads.
Nanna
Date: Tue, 14 Dec 1999 07:51:56 -0800
From: "David Dendy" <ddendy at silk.net>
Subject: Re: SC - Sweets to the sweet, have some fruitcake...
>Also, i remember from long ago reading some recipes that called for
>candied angelica. Is this something anyone has found or made, and if
>so, how does it taste?
Sort of sweet and green, a coolish sort of flavour, not extremely strong,
but pleasant. We do have candied angelica in stock (see the "Sweet Stuff"
page) if you want to try some.
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/
Date: Tue, 14 Dec 1999 20:05:01 -0000
From: "=?iso-8859-1?Q?Nanna_R=F6gnvaldard=F3ttir?=" <nannar at isholf.is>
Subject: Re: SC - Sweets to the sweet, have some fruitcake...
òlfR wrote:
>But make sure you get the right species. Mistakes can be fatal.
Not a problem here - there are only two species, Angelica archangelica and
Angelica sylvestris, and both were used.
>BTW, are those uses period or later?
Certainly some uses were period - the sagas mention digging for angelica
roots, and the oldest Icelandic law texts mention them too. Many farms had
angelica gardens and it was the only plant used as a vegetable that was
grown here throughout the Middle Ages. They are not much used these days but
I have recipes for, amongst other things, pickled angelica, candied angelica
and dried angelica leaves. And rhubarb and angelica jam.
And if anyone has read F—stbr¾Ýra saga (sorry, can«t remember the English
name), there«s a wonderful story of the two ribalds, Þorgeir H‡varsson and
Þorm—Ýur Kolbrœnarsk‡ld, who went to pick hvšnn (angelica) in L‡trabjarg, a
seacliff in Northwestern Iceland, and climbed somewhat down the cliff.
Þorm—Ýur went up with some of their harvest but when he came down again he
didn«t see Þorgeir anywhere. He thought he was so absorbed in his
angelica-havesting that he had forgotten himself and called out: "Don«t you
think you have enough by now?" Then Þorgeir answered: "I think I shall have
enough when I have the one I hold now." And when his foster brother went to
look for him, he saw that Þorgeir was clinging to an angelica stalk for dear
life, with a sheer drop of hundreds of meters into the ocean below. But he
was too much of a man to yell for help ... (sorry, I«m quoting from memory
only, I«m sure there is a translation online somewhere, but this is a
passage most Icelanders know very well).
Nanna
Date: Tue, 14 Dec 1999 22:13:28 EST
From: Peldyn at aol.com
Subject: Re: SC - Sweets to the sweet, have some fruitcake...
nannar at isholf.is writes:
> òlfR wrote:
> >But make sure you get the right species. Mistakes can be fatal.
>
> Not a problem here - there are only two species, Angelica archangelica and
> Angelica sylvestris, and both were used.
I think the worry was over mistaking Angelica for Hemlock. They look very
similiar to each other.
To candy Angelica, take cut pieces of the stem and soak them in a simple
sugar syrup for a couple days. Take them out and let them dry a bit.
BTW there is another species of angelica, Angelica atropurpurea that is found
growing wild in North America.
Peldyn
Date: Tue, 14 Dec 1999 23:32:30 EST
From: LrdRas at aol.com
Subject: SC - angelica.
nannar at isholf.is writes:
<< Pickled angelica, candied angelica
and dried angelica leaves. And rhubarb and angelica jam. >>
Recipes, please? I have been growing angelica for several years to the point
where it has developed a woody base and have found no substantial recipes in
which to use it. I have been diligently picking off it's flower heads each
year to assure it's survival until the next year since it oftentimes acts
like a biennial and dies after setting seed but maintains it's perennial
nature when kept seed free :-)
Ras
Date: Wed, 15 Dec 1999 10:28:06 -0000
From: nanna at idunn.is (Nanna Rognvaldardottir)
Subject: Re: SC - angelica.
Ras wrote:
>Recipes, please? I have been growing angelica for several years to the point
>where it has developed a woody base and have found no substantial recipes in
>which to use it. I have been diligently picking off it's flower heads each
>year to assure it's survival until the next year since it oftentimes acts
>like a biennial and dies after setting seed but maintains it's perennial
>nature when kept seed free :-)
I don«t think there are any period recipes but the plant seems to have been
much used - our highest mountain (Hvannadalshnœkur) is named for it, for
instance - and many old sources mention "root excursions" into the
wilderness, which had to be undertaken either in early spring or in late
autumn. In between the root is considered too bitter. Also, the root of a
plant that grew partly in a shade was considered less bitter than one which
grew in the sun so I don«t know how plants grown in a warmer climate than
here will turn out.
I haven«t found any recipes for the root yet but many descriptions of their
use - they were eaten fresh, plain or with dried fish, butter and often
dulse. Or they were fried in butter or grilled. Or preserved, either in whey
or simply wrapped in hay and buried in the ground. Or used to flavor brandy
(angelica root brandy is still being produced commercially here).
The stalks were cut when young, before they became woody. They were eaten
raw with butter, or chopped fine and eaten as a salad with fresh fish. Or
used in soups and stews along with the leaves, or in jam with rhubarb (after
mid 19th century). Or boiled and preserved in whey. Or chopped, raw, and
mixed with skyr (curds).
A few recipes (I«ll try to find more, I have them somewhere)
Pickled angelica
250 g (1/2 lb) young angelica stalks
salt
3 medium-sized angelica flower clusters
3 dl (1 1/3 c) good vinegar
2 dl (1 c) water
150 g (2/3 c) sugar
2 tsp mustard seeds
6 black peppercorns
a small piece of ginger, fresh or dried
6 cloves
Simmer the stalks in salted water for about 15 minutes, then drain them, let
them cook and peel them. Simmer the flowers in the same water for 5 minutes,
then drain. Mix vinegar, water, sugar, mustard seeds, peppercorns, ginger
and cloves in a saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes or so.
Arrange stalks and flowers in a hot, sterilized jar, pour the boiling
vinegar in the jar to cover. Close and seal.
Rhubarb and angelica jam
1 kilo (2 lbs) rhubarb stalks
500 g (1 lb) angelica stalks
1 kilo (2 lbs) sugar
2 1/2 dl (scant 1 cup) water
Peel and chop rhubarb and angelica stalks and soak them in cold water. Put
sugar and water in a nonreactive pan, bring slowly to the boil and stir
until the sugar has dissolved. Let boil for one minute, then add the drained
rhubarb and angelica. Simmer for an hour or more, or until the jam is fairly
thick. Ladle into hot, sterilized jars and seal.
Angelica soup
1 kilo (2 lbs) angelica leaves
3 litres (3 quarts) good meat or vegetable stock
60 g (1/4 c) butter
75 g (1/2 c) flour
1/2 - 1 tsp sugar
salt
2-3 carrots
1 medium rutabaga (swede), or turnip
Wash the leaves and blanch them in lightly salted water for 2 minutes or so,
then drain and chop them. Peel the vegetables, chop them roughly and parboil
in lightly salted water until almost tender. Heat the stock to boiling point
and . Melt the butter in a large pan, stir in flour and cook for a minute or
two, then gradually whisk in the hot stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for
5 minutes. Add angelica leaves and vegetables and simmer for 5-10 minutes
more. Season to taste with sugar and salt and serve with quartered
hard-boiled eggs or dumplings.
The book I quote from gives virtually the same recipe for scurvy-grass soup
and Northern dock soup, BTW.
Nanna
Date: Wed, 15 Dec 1999 18:58:45 EST
From: Peldyn at aol.com
Subject: Re: SC - Sweets to the sweet, have some fruitcake...
Hi Ras! I think the problem would be trying to harvest angelica in the wild
if you don't know how to tell it apart from water hemlock. They grow in the
same places and look almost exactly alike.
Peldyn
Date: Thu, 23 Dec 1999 10:14:53 -0500
From: "Daniel Phelps" <phelpsd at gate.net>
Subject: Re: SC - angelica.
Sorry to be so late on this thread, playing catch up I am, did anyone
mention the recipe for candied angelica root found in "Joy of Cooking"?
I've used it for ginger root.
Daniel Raoul
Date: Sun, 26 Dec 1999 13:33:38 -0500
From: "Daniel Phelps" <phelpsd at gate.net>
Subject: Re: SC - angelica.
I wrote:
><< did anyone
> mention the recipe for candied angelica root found in "Joy of Cooking"?
> I've used it for ginger root.
>
> Daniel Raoul >>
Ld. Ras wrote:
>NO. Could you post it please? :-)
>
> Since I have other cookery manuals that I consider far better for me
>personally than 'Joy of..,' I have never added it to my library.
Candied or Crystallized Roots and Stalks
Wash:
2 cups of angelica roots and young stalks or cleaned scraped acorus calamus
roots. Place them in a crock. Pour over to cover 1/2 cup salt 2 cups
boiling water. Cover crock and let the angelica soak for 24 hours. Drain,
peel and wash in cold water. Cook to 238 F:
2 cups of sugar
2 cups of water
Add the cleaned angelica roots and stems. Cook for 20 minutes. Drain the
angelica, but reserve the sirup. Put the angelica on a wire rack in a cool
dark place for 4 days. Then bring the sirup and roots to 238 F and cook for
20 minutes or until the sirup candies the roots. Drain on a rack until
thoroughly dry. Store tightly covered.
Date: Sun, 7 Sep 2003 15:14:01 -0700 (PDT)
From: Huette von Ahrens <ahrenshav at yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Lovage vs Angelica??
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
--- Elise Fleming <alysk at ix.netcom.com> wrote:
> Greetings. In an article about lovage, the
> editor equates it with
> angelica and writes "Remember, angelica is
> lovage." The dictionary
> says that lovage is an apiaceous herb,
> "Levisticum officinale" and
> that angelica is an umbelliferous plant of the
> genus Angelica, esp.
> A. Archangelica". Therefore, these two can't
> be the same, can they?
> Do the two look alike? Taste alike?
>
> Alys Katharine
They don't look alike from the pictures I have
seen. The only relationship I can see is a
common use as a substitute for celery.
The Oxford Companion to Food says of Lovage:
Lovage: Levisticum officinale, an umbelliferous
plant that grows in S. Europe and as far north as
England. It resembles wild celery in appearance,
and was formerly used in the same way, but is
milder and sweeter with a distictively warm,
spicy fragrance.
Lovage was popular as a flavouring herb in
classical times, and is often mentioned in
Apicius. The Romans called it ligusticum because
it grew abundantly in Liguria. The altered form
of levisticum, common in late Latin, was the
origin of the English and other modern names, and
was later adopted as the botanical name. The
hardier and coarser-flavoured plant which is
sometimes called 'Scotch' or 'black' lovage, but
whose correct name is Alexanders, was given
Ligusticum as its generic name (but has since
lost it in favour of Smyrnium).
Lovage continued to be grown in medieval kitchen
gardens. The leaves were used as a flavouring
and to make a cordial; the stems were cooked like
celery; and the roots were made into a sweetmeat.
The suggestion of 'love' in the name is also
seen in German; the plant had a reputation as a
love potion.
The eclipse of wild celery by the cultivated type
also led to the decline in the use of lovage,
which is now little known anywhere. This is a
pity, because the flavour is distinctive and,
used with discretion, very good in soups, salads,
and meat dishes alike.
The Oxford Companion to Food says of angelica:
Angelica: the name for a group of tall
unbelliferous plants with thick stems, in the
genus Angelica. Of the many species growing in
the most temperate regions of the world, the most
famous and useful, growing in Europe, is Angelica
Archangelica.
Parkinson (1629) observed that all Christian
nations call this plant by names signifying its
angelic associations, and "likewise in their
appellations hereof follow the Latine names as
near as their Dialect will permit". The basis
for the angelic associations is not clear,
although it may be connected with the plant's
reputation as an antidote to poisons; and the
archangelic ones might be due to the fact that
the flower would be in bloom on 8 May (old
calendar), the day of St. Michael Archangel.
A. archangelica grows well in Scotland, Germany,
Scandinavia, and Russia. It is among the few
tall plants which can withstand the weather in
Iceland and the Faeroes. It will also thrive
further south, and is grown in both France and
Italy; and likewise in many parts of N. America,
where it has been introduced as a cultivated
herb. It differs from most members of the genus
in having smooth stalks and leaves in all its
parts, and has a distinctive scent, often
described as musky.
Formerly the leaf stalks were blanched and eaten
like celery, and the leaves were candied. The
roots were made into preserves, and angelica
water was a well-known cordial. Its use as a
vegetable survives in some countries, e.g.
Greenland and the Feroes, where it is eaten
cooked. Nowadays, however, much of the most
common use is to candy the stalks, cut into short
pieces, for use in cakes and confectionary. In
England, it is frequently used to decorate a
trifle. Most of the angelica grown commercially
for candying comes from France and Germany.
The candied stalks have been sold as 'French
rhubarb' in the USA. Elsewhere, the addition of
a little angelica to stewed rhubarb is thought to
be a good way of reducing the acidity.
Growing and candying angelica have been a
speciality of Niort in France since the latter
part of the 18th century, and the Niortais now
have a monopoly in France. (Tales about the
origin of their specialization are of doubtful
validity, and it was not an invention of
Niort--the art of candying angelica was already
being practised in the south of France around
1600; but claims have been made that the angelica
grown at Niort is superior to any other.) The
process of candying angelica is elaborate,
involving many stages and takes up to a year or
more. Angelica jam is made and so are
chocolate-coated pieces of candied angelica.
Huette
From: "Terry Decker" <t.d.decker at worldnet.att.net>
To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Lovage vs Angelica??
Date: Sun, 7 Sep 2003 20:51:06 -0500
You are correct, with some caveats. Angelica can refer to a number of
plants in the genus Angelica, A. angelica is just the most common. A.
heterocarpa, Spanish angelica, more closely resembles lovage than A.
angelica. Angelica and lovage apparently are in closely related genera in
the family Apiaceae (or Umbelliferae in older texts) and are similar in
taste.
Bear
> Greetings. In an article about lovage, the editor equates it with
> angelica and writes "Remember, angelica is lovage." The dictionary
> says that lovage is an apiaceous herb, "Levisticum officinale" and
> that angelica is an umbelliferous plant of the genus Angelica, esp.
> A. Archangelica". Therefore, these two can't be the same, can they?
> Do the two look alike? Taste alike?
>
> Alys Katharine
Date: Sun, 7 Sep 2003 22:24:46 EDT
From: UrthMomma at aol.com
Subject: [Sca-cooks] Re: Sca-cooks Digest, Vol 4, Issue 27
To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org
Angelica is lovage ?? I don't know what folk names the author was accustomed
to, but angelica is not lovage. Lovage is good to use where celery is called
for, especially in stews where it can cook properly as fresh lovage, even
finely chopped can be rather coarse in texture, as in it feels like you are
chewing on maple or oak leaves.
Yea, angelica does somewhat resemble lovage in the garden as it also grows
tall and has hollow stems also and "cut" foilage if I recall from also killing
it about five years ago, but culinary uses the same as lovage ?? Certainly
not in the other modes of herb usage that I know of. Bees probably love the
flowers of both - "lovage is an apiaceous herb", but bees love the flowers of
most herbs.
Olwen Bucklond
plant killer extraordinarie
<the end>