pregnancy-msg - 5/30/11

Pregnancy in period. Handling it in the SCA.

NOTE: See also the files: children-msg, babies-msg, teething-toys-msg, baby-gifts-msg, child-clothes-msg, clothing-MN-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
************************************************************************

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
From: orilee at xerox.com (Orilee Ireland-Delfs)
Subject: Re: Need Pennsic Info - bring camper?
Organization: Xerox Corporation, Webster NY
Date: Mon, 24 Apr 1995 16:50:58 GMT

I attended Pennsic 8 1/2 months pregnant with my second child (she was born
in Sept.) and lived out of our tent as usual.

I made sure we had a reasonable proximation of a real bed to
sleep on so I was off the ground and had some padding.  A camp cot works
just fine (kept me from attempting to roll onto my back which was my
biggest problem : )

I did not plan on doing much and if I did leave camp it was for
short periods of time (short shopping trips, etc.)

Just make sure you are close to a port-a-privy for those midnight
callings!

Reasonably comfortable chairs and an understanding going in that
you will take it easy while you are there (wait on her a lot!)

Pennsic will consider she has a medical condition and be sure to 
note it on her registration at the Gate.

You may also wish to discuss the trip with her doctor (mine wasn't
keen on the idea but told me he couldn't tell me not to go).  You will
need to consider adding time to the trip since she shouldn't ride for
more than 2 hours without getting out and walking (and add the extra 
potty breaks as well).

The only other issues are keeping cool - lots of lightweight full garb -
make sure she has plenty of liquid to drink (water and fruit juice),
eats regularly, and gets plenty of sleep.

I must admit that I felt the most in-persona when I was pregnant at the
War!

As long as she is healthy and has an uncomplicated pregnancy, she should
do fine even without the camper.

(I would also be prepared for the possibility of early delivery with,
at least, her physician's name and phone number as well as any information
on medical conditions or alergies that will affect her delivery).

Good luck!
Orianna


Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Need Pennsic Info - bring camper?
From: una at bregeuf.stonemarche.org (Honour Horne-Jaruk)
Date: Sat, 29 Apr 95 15:38:58 EDT

cerdic at mcmi.com (david h corson) writes:
> Okay, so some folks do just fine pregnant at the War, but I seem to 
> remember almost loosing a friend at PW 13---and the child, due to not 
> enough food or liquid.....Alizonde(sp) are you there to comment????
> Anyhow, Please think this through very carefully, we really do not want 
> to deal with a birth at the War......
> Elaina of Oaklawn, who uses a bed because at her age the floor is just 
> too hard to get up from, and so understands the need for one......
> Elaina, Information Officer, PW24

	Respected friend:
	I was Pregnant at pennsic, I did get sick at Pennsic (I get sick
at every Pennsic, I have a chronic illness that does that sort of thing to 
people)... but my pregnancy was never in any medical danger. I was 
hospitalized _overnight_, for _monitoring_, after catching the Pennsic
Plague. I know I was back on-site the next day; I've got pictures of Amber
putting a Laurel medallion around the neck of someone wearing my garb, and
jewelery, and hair. (And I would _so_ love pictures of the front of me, from
any source whatsoever... I think my son thinks I hatched him.)
	I was also at TYC, where one of the attending Royals left the site
to give birth to a daughter and returned to walk in the next day's procession.
Pregnancy in an otherwise-healthy adult is less dangerous under camping
conditions than is medical obesity under the same circumstances. 
	I was dehydrated due to to the flulike illness that also laid low
so many fighters, cooks, jongleurs and (other) merchants. I took better care 
of myself than most of them did, specifically because I was pregnant, and 
recieved lavish attention for the same reason. Alex was born not only 
full-term, but at three weeks, one day _after_ his due date. (16 Oct., to be 
precise.) Obviously Pennsic did neither of us any lasting harm.
	A birth occurring while the mother was away from home would be an
inconvenience, especially for her relatives who wouldn't get to harass her 
in the hospital as easily as they could at home. But it would be nothing more.
	Unless the mother was a complete mute, she would not have a chance of 
actually giving birth _at_ Pennsic. Somebody would call the medics in plenty 
of time.
	Please don't worry. They're planning ahead, they have plans in place, 
and they've got at least as good a chance of being just fine as does any of
the one thousand airheaded 19-year-olds who will show up with no warm clothes
and no clue.
	Remember, I wasn't healthy _before_ I got pregnant. And I did just 
fine.  

                                Yours in service to the Society-
                                (Friend) Honour Horne-Jaruk R.S.F. 
                                Alizaunde, Demoiselle de Bregeuf C.O.L. SCA
                                Una Wicca (That Pict)


Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
From: ojid.wbst845 at xerox.com (Orilee Ireland-Delfs)
Subject: Re: Costuming and Pregnancy
Organization: Xerox Corporation, Webster NY
Date: Mon, 15 Jan 1996 17:50:47 GMT

First of all, I agree with Tangwystyl - if you've never done any form of
camping or even if you've camped but are new to the SCA, camping at 6-7 months
pregnant is something to seriously consider not doing.  I've done Pennsic for a
week at 8 months, but that was with my second pregnancy and having been in the 
SCA for a *lot* of years.  If you wish to attend 30 year, I recommend finding 
accomodations that are not camping (a local hotel or motel) where you can have 
hot and cold running water, flushing toilets, a real bed, and AIR CONDITIONING 
(at that stage of your pregnancy, you will need all of the above). Conversely, 
attend smaller events now to get a feel for what you are getting yourself in for 
and save big events (like xx yr celebrations) for later when you are more comfortable and know what you are in for.

Garb - there have been some good suggestions.  Many periods had garb that was 
ideally suited for pregnancy and was generally very easy to make. You will want 
it loose and cool.

Whatever you do, be aware that it is very easy to overtire and dehydrate at 
events (even one day events) and it is especially easy to do when pregnant.  
Take it easy and don't try to do everything at once.  There will be plenty of 
opportunities to see and do all there is to do at future events.

Orianna Fridrikskona


Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 16:47:47 -0800
From: "Crystal A. Isaac" <crystal at pdr-is.com>
Subject: Re: SC - very OOP & OT

Excellent documentation for medieval pregancies:

Rowland, Beryl, editor and translator. _Medieval Woman's Guide to
Health: The First English Gynecological Handbook_. Published by Kent
State University Press, Kent Ohio. 1981. ISBN 0-87338-243-9

It even has drawings of the various ways a fetus can be positioned
within the womb, perhaps a precursor to ultrasound pictures?

Crystal


Date: Tue, 27 Jan 2009 14:31:15 -0600 (CST)
From: jenne at fiedlerfamily.net
Subject: [Sca-cooks] obstetrical food question...
To: sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org

Um, nobody may have mentioned it, but one of the reasons I've been pretty
peripatetic on the list is that I'm expecting a baby boy, due before
February 23, 2009. (We also moved to NJ a couple of months ago, just to
make everything more interesting, and most of my books are still packed.)

As a result, I've been re-reading some of my period obstetrical texts
(well, trust me, with Gestational Diabetes the modern 'you're having a
baby' books are less than helpful anyway) and came across the statement in
the _Rosegarden for Pregnant Women and Midwives_ that before a certain
point in the pregnancy one should eat costive foods, and towards the end,
laxative foods. This squares with advice from my nurse-practitioner, who
pointed out that getting the runs is sometimes considered a good way to
provoke labor.

Now, I'm familiar with the usual list of *modern* foods that *are* costive
(Bananas, Dark Chocolate, Rice, Tea, Applesauce, etc.) and that fresh
fruit in particular are usually considered laxative, both in period and
today. In fact, anything with high amounts of fiber is now considered
laxative.

But, since I can't lay my hands on my copy of Galen On Food and Diet, can
people suggest some other period/modern 'laxative' foods?
-- 
-- Jenne Heise / Jadwiga Zajaczkowa


Date: Tue, 27 Jan 2009 16:00:40 -0500
From: "Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius" <adamantius1 at verizon.net>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] obstetrical food question...
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

On Jan 27, 2009, at 3:31 PM, jenne at fiedlerfamily.net wrote:
<<< But, since I can't lay my hands on my copy of Galen On Food and  
Diet, can people suggest some other period/modern 'laxative' foods? >>>

http://books.google.com/books?id=j30JqDTWqFEC&pg=PA294&lpg=PA294&dq=Andrew+Boorde+Diet&source=bl&ots=fzxQ8oUmsH&sig=vWPusPmsUGGe9Mv90E19xaEkcLw&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result#PPA299,M1

Or here:
http://tinyurl.com/cfezn6

This'll get you to Google Books and Andrew Boorde's (he was a big  
Galen devotee, as I recall) views on the subject. Among other things  
he says,

"They that hath any of the iiii kyndes of the Idropyses /
must refraine from al thynges the which be constupat and costyue, and  
use all thynges the which be laxatyue /
nuttes, and dry almondes, and hard chese is poyson to them; a ptysane  
and posset ale made with colde herbes doth comfort them."

It sounds like he's thinking in pretty basic humoral terms, with the  
things that open the chest (or in this case, the bowels), versus  
closing them. I thought nuts, being high in fiber, would be considered  
a laxative food, but hard cheese, at least in period viewpoints, is  
definitely not one, so it sounds like he's telling a constipated  
person (that being one form of dropsy) to avoid nuts, dry almonds, and  
hard cheese, in favor of a nice cooling posset...

Adamantius


Date: Thu, 13 Jan 2011 15:38:16 -0800 (PST)
From: Raphaella DiContini <raphaellad at yahoo.com>
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
Subject: [Sca-cooks] Thoughts on food as medicine

Greetings, 
      I'm currently doing research on fertility and childbirth in Renaissance 
Italy.  This is a slight tangent in the overall focus of the paper I'm working 
on that will look at food recommendations for all stages of fertility from 
what would supposedly help in getting pregnant (and what would supposedly help 
create a much desired male child), through all stages of pregnancy and 
finally possibly tying up with the symbolic food related gifts the mother was 
given after birth.   
 
One of the things that caught my eye when reading "Diet during Pregnancy in the 
Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries by MICHAEL K. ESHLEMAN" was a mention of 
something I had seen before in Italian sources (this article is fantastic but is 
focused on English sources). One of the things that jumped out at me in this 
article is a list of diet recommendations for women who are weak and thin or 
experiencing blood loss (with their capitalization, but my emphasis)-" A 
strengthening and cooling Diet, feeding on Meat that breeds good Blood and 
thinkens it; as are good Broths made with Poultry; Necks of Mutton, Knuckles of 
Veal, in which are proper for her: *Ler her drink the Water in which Iron is 
quenched*, with a little syrup of Quince... " From Mauriceau, Diseases.
The part about the quince syrup is new to me, but I've definitely heard 
recommendations for water in which a hot iron has been quenched in my Italian 
sources. The one I have closest to hand is from Marinello.  Wine is beneficial 
for the stomach and generates good spirits and heat. A light red is best, and if 
you mix it with water, then use water in which you have extinguished a hot 
Iron". [Giovanni] Michele Savanarola also mentions both wine and water, but says 
that a mother to be should drink red wine that is "subtle, aromatic and well 
aged", which could be mixed with a "little water" if it's felt that such a wine 
should be an aperitif. White wine should be avoided until the ninth month, 
although it's apparently it's more fashionable for ladies as he says "it's true 
the white wine looks better in your hand". Most tellingly he says that "Cold 
water is not good at all - better to drink wine". 

At first I thought this recommendation could be potentially a) to balance the 
humors to more hot than the cold nature of water, b) to purify the water making 
it safer to drink, or c) to act as an Iron supplement, like cooking something in 
cast iron. That this reference specifically calls for it context of women who 
are weak or have experienced blood loss it leads me to see this more as a way to 
introduce more Iron into the diet, like a supplement.

I've got a couple of potential blacksmith volunteers who will allow me 
to  fill a quenching barrel/ bucket/ whatever for him and keep a sample of the 
water as a control. I'd like to then test the water after the first three 
quenches as a baseline idea of the increase per quench (if it's enough to even 
register) and then test it again at the end of the day. If we did this at June 
Fair I could even potentially test it again at the end of Sunday. I'm also 
hoping to test for bacteria at the same time as I do the Iron testing so I can 
test both the sterelizing and enriching theories. I've found two options each 
for the bacterial and Iron testing, but I have no idea what might work best for 
these experiments. 

Raffaella di Contino / Heather Ruiter 
P.S. My life is just starting to calm down after returning to work 
post-maternity leave. 


Date: Fri, 14 Jan 2011 08:29:39 -0500
From: Johnna Holloway <johnnae at mac.com>
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Thoughts on food as medicine

Don't know if you are interested but the Mauriceau, Diseases
is featured at:
http://historical.hsl.virginia.edu/treasures/mauriceau.html

The English edition of his book The Diseases of Women with Child ...
 By Fran?ois Mauriceau, Hugh Chamberlen from 1727 is up on Google Books.
(His dates are 1637-1709)
Searching under the term iron in the book turns up some other calls for iron
in water. Using the plain text function (and you should check the  
actual text versus the plain text}

page 60 discusses vomiting during pregnancy--
To hinder this Vomiting from afflicting the Woman much, or long, (it  
being very difficult to hinder it quite) let her use good Food, such  
as is fpecify'd before in the Rules of Diet 5 but little at a time, that

the the Stomach may contain it without Pain, and not be constrained to  
vomit it up, as it must when they take too much, because the big Belly  
hinders the free Extension of it; and for to comfort and strengthen it  
(being always weak) let her season her Moat with the Juice of Oranges,  
Limons, Pomgranates, or a little Verjuice or Role-Vinegar, according  
to  her Appetite. She may take likewise a Decoction made of French  
Barley-Flower, or good Wheat-Flower, having dried the Flower a little  
before in an Oven, mixing the Yolk of an Egg with it, which is very  
nourishing, and of easy Digestion: She may likewise eat after her  
Meals a little Marmalade of Quinces, or the Jelly of Gooseberries ;  
let her Drink be good old Wine, rather Claret than White, being well  
mix'd with good running Fountain-Water, and not that which hath been  
kept long in Cisterns,as is most of the Water of our Fountains of  
Paris., which acquire by that Stay an evil Quality: If she cannot get  
such fresh Water, let her rather use River Water taken up in a Place  
free from Filth, in which she may sometimes quench hot Iron: Above  
all, let her forbear all fat Meats and Sauces, for they extremely  
moisten and soften the Membranes of the Stomach, which are already  
weak enough, and relaxed by the Vomitings j as also all sweet and  
sugared Sauces, which are not convenient for her, but rather such as  
arc a little sharp, with which it is delighted and comforted.

But if notwithstanding these Precautions, and this regular Diet, the  
Vomiting (as it sometimes happens) continues still, altho' the Woman  
be above half gone, it is a clear Sign there are corrupt Humours  
cleaving to the Insides of the Stomach

----
With regard to miscarriages and losing a child- page 80
and accustom her self to good Food of easie Digestion, and little at a  
time, that so her Strength may be able the easier to concoct and  
digest it; she should drink a little deep Claret-Wine, mixed with  
Water in which Iron hath been quenched, instead of Ptijan, which is  
not proper in this Case, provided she have not a strong Fever j for if  
it be but a small Fever, Wine on this manner is to be preferred,  
forasmuch as the fewer she hath at that time, is but fymptoma* tick,  
caused by this Debility of Stomach, and will vanish as soon as this is  
fortified j which will be yet more promoted, if the Woman before and  
after Meals takes some Corroboratives, as a little of that Burnt-Wine  
we mentioned for the Cough in the ifth Chapter of this Book j or a  
little good Hippocras, or right Canary, of any of them according to  
her Palate j neither will it be amiss if she eats a little good  
Marmalade of Quince before Meals: She may likewise wear upon the Pit  
of her Stomach a Lamb-Skin with the Wools, to preserve it, and augment  
its natural Heat, which is very necessary to digest  Food; Food j *  
observing above all, to give no purging Medicine, when  this Flux is  
only caused by Weakness, lest it be thereby augmented.

page 81 continues--

If it be a Diarrh?a, ..... snipped

but if it continues above four or five Days, it is a Sign then that  
there are ill Humours contained and cleaving to the Inside of the  
Guts, which provoke them often to be discharged, and ought to be  
removed with some purging Medicine that may loosen and evacuate them,  
after which the Flux will certainly cease, some light Infusion of  
Senna and Rhubarb, with Syrup of Succory, or an Ounce of  
Diacatholicon, with a little Rhubarb for a Bolus, to be taken in a  
Wafer.

But if, notwithstanding fit Purges and a regular Dyet, this Flax  
continues, and changes into a Dyfenteria, the Patient voiding every  
Moment bloody Stools, with much Pain and Needing, she is then in great  
Danger of miscarrying, and its Prevention ought to be endeavoured, if  
possible. Therefore, after having purged away the ill Humour, (with  
the Medicines' above-mentioned) which were in the Guts, and hindring,  
by a good Dyet, that no more be engendredj to which purpose let her  
use good Brooths made of Veal or Chicken, with cooling Herbs, to  
temper the Acrimony of these hot Humours ;."let her eat Pap with the  
Yolk of an Egg new layed, being well boiled: Such Dyet softens and  
sweetens the Guts within. Let her Drink be Water, in which Iron or  
Steel was quenched, with a little Wine, if she be not feverish, for  
then half a Spoonful of Syrup of Quince or Pomegranates is better to  
mix with the forefaid Water ; She may likewise eat a little Marmalade  
of Quince, or other Astringents and Strengthners, provided her Body  
was well purged before:

The advice that you cited can be found on pages 85 and 86.

Wine and water in which iron is quenched is also mentioned on page  
261and 248.

---

The 1975 Eshleman paper is cited very infrequently, so a citation  
search only turned up this possible other paper that might be of  
interest.

Abel EL  "Who goes drunk to bed begets but a girl": The history of a  
Renaissance medical proverb  JOURNAL OF THE HISTORY OF MEDICINE AND  
ALLIED SCIENCES  54  1  5-22  JAN 1999

It's English based but Audrey Eccles 1982 work Obstetrics and  
gynaecology in Tudor and Stuart England might be of interest.

Johnnae


Date: Fri, 14 Jan 2011 17:14:20 -0300
From: Suey <lordhunt at gmail.com>
To: sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Thoughts on food as medicine

Raphaella wrote:
<<< I'm currently doing research on fertility and childbirth in Renaissance
Italy... One of the things that jumped out at me in this
article is a list of diet recommendations for women who are weak and thin or
experiencing blood loss >>>

Wheat was the first food to represent fertility. Ancient Greeks 
dedicated quinces to the goddess of love and thought them to be the 
symbol of fertility. In the Arab world figs were synonymous with**love 
and fertility. Sweet almonds were thrown on newly weds as a symbol of 
fertility. In Al-Andalus cucumber came to mean fertility as well as 
carrots. Hawthorn symbolized spring, hope, marriage and fertility. In 
Europe, parsley seeds were eaten by men and women to increase fertility 
but not in England. Parsley is not recorded there until 1548.

Avenzoar, 1091-1161, physician of the Almoravide and Almorhad Emirs of 
Cordova, claimed that men and women should ingested ivory shavings before 
having sex in order for the woman to become pregnant. He continued to 
state that if the left paw of a hare is hung on the woman's thigh during 
sex she will become pregnant as it possesses that peculiarity; 
nevertheless to insure this effect another paw should be hung on the 
girdle of the man. Avenzoar thought that pregnant mothers, during the 
last trimester of their term, should eat pawns and other shellfish such 
as lobster and shrimp, as they contain what we now call Omega 3, a 
polyunsaturated acid, that helps the development of intelligence and the 
brain. A medieval wives' tale is that pregnant women who ate plenty of 
quinces produced very intelligent children.


Those are some nicities. There were some pretty gross ways to get women 
pregnant you do not want to hear about.
Bleeding was not common in Spain as Avenzoar was against it.

Suey


Date: Fri, 14 Jan 2011 13:16:29 -0800 (PST)
From: Raphaella DiContini <raphaellad at yahoo.com>
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>,	Johnna
	Holloway <johnnae at mac.com>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Thoughts on food as medicine

My focus is really more on the Italian, but I have been searching further afield 
to try to get the broadest base of information possible before I narrow it down 
so I'm not relying on just 1-2 sources. I've been looking at information from 
other sources (i.e. not just Italian) in hopes of seeing if medical 
recommendations were spread much like the blatant copying of recipes/ cookbooks 
that happend at this time. 

I actually found "Who goes drunk to bed begets but a girl": The history of a 
Renaissance medical proverb- online Monday and read it on the bus ride home. 
It's also mostly focused on the English, but provides some interesting back 
ground and succinct summation of Aristotelianism, vs. Hippocratic theory and how 
Galen straddles the two (mostly leaning towards Aristotelianism, except for 
being more in line with Hippocrates's two-seed theory of procreation). I found 
it amusing, and It's definitely worth a read. 

If by any chance you might know where I can get my hands on the 1593 Obstetrics 
textbook, La commare o raccoglitrice I would be extremely and eternally 
grateful, or electronic versions of any of the many health manuals printed in 
Italy1400-1600. I'd love to get my hands on a copy of Luigi Belloni's edition of 
Michele Savanarola, Gioberti, Marinello, or Mecurio. 

I've found some great books, but most of them just lightly touch on a small 
aspect of what I'm looking at. I bought myself a bunch of related books as a 
holiday gift.

Here's my current reading list: 
The Medical Renaissance of the 16th Century, Marriage Wars in Late Renaissance 
Venice, Collected Letters of Renaissance Feminists, Women in the Streets (Essays 
on Sex and Power in Renaissance Italy), Women, Family and Ritual in Renaissance 
Italy, Women and Men in Renaissance Venice (Twelve Essays on Patrician Society), 
and The Renaissance Man and His Children (Childbirth and Early Childhood in 
Florence 1300-1600), the Boundaries of Eros (Sex Crime & Sexuality in 
Renaissance Venice). 

I had also found a bunch of interesting articles, several of which I've written 
reviews for, if anyone is ineterested, this is just a small selection. 

The fate of popular terms for female anatomy in the age of 
print:??http://www.jstor.org/stable/286711
http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/286711.pdf acceptTC=true
Anatomizing the past: Physicians and History in Renaissance Culture:
http://www.jstor.org/stable/2901531
Science and humanism in the Italian Renaissance: 
http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/1852869.pdf acceptTC=true
Theory, Everyday Practice and Three Fifteenth Century Physicians: 
http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/301784.pdf
Medieval Women's Guides to Food During Pregnancy: Origins, Texts, and Traditions 
http://journaldev.cbmh.ca/index.php/cbmh/article/viewFile/292/291
and this, The Sources of Eucharius R?sslin's "Rosegarden for Pregnant Women and 
Midwives' (1513)" 
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2668903/pdf/medhis5302-01-167.pdf

The book that started this field of study for me is "How to Do It - Guides to 
Good Living for Renaissance Italians" by Rudolph M. Bell and I can't recommend 
it enough. It's packed full of fantastic information and I think it's lively 
enough for even non-scholars to be kept interested. 

Raffaella 


Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2011 15:20:22 -0800
From: lilinah at earthlink.net
To: sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org
Subject: [Sca-cooks] "Middle eastern" drinks for pregnant people

Aldyth wrote:
<<< I have just been asked to do vigil food for a wonderful lady. She is
"Norman" but wants Middle Eastern food and drink. I am OK on the food
aspect. She is a very high risk pregnancy and will be 6 months along at her
elevation. She would like teas. >>>

Tea, i.e., camellia sinensis, is something I have seen no evidence 
for in the Middle East within SCA period. Warm beverages of various 
sorts, on the other hand, are :)

> And was interested in the mint and yogurt over ice.

Mmm.mmm.mmm, ayran (Turkish)/doogh (Persian) (pronounced dew/doo). I 
will have to double check, but I may have seen a period reference for 
this.

* Beat until smooth good quality yogurt - works and tastes best if 
yogurt is without added stabilizers and thickeners.
* Beat in cold water or cold milk or cold cucumber juice or 
carbonated water until the consistency of whole milk.
* It can have mint added, and/or a pinch of salt
* This can be left for a couple days until lactic fermentation make 
it fizzy. (although perhaps not for this lady)

> Does anyone have ideas?

* Sharab/sherbet *

A common beverage is sharab (from which we get the word shrub for a 
cool beverage; the plural of the Arabic word sharab is sharbat). 
Sharbat are syrups made of sugar and fruit juice or various herbs and 
spices. While we tend to think of serving this cold, they were 
actually often served warm in Arabic speaking lands. Wealthy 
Ottomans, on the other hand, often served them, which they called 
sherbet, cold, over snow or ice collected from the mountains or saved 
from the winter.

In the Ottoman world, sherbet could be made of:
- Apple: Sour Apple
- Apple: Sweet Apple
- Bitter (Seville) Orange
- Citron
- Date
- French Lavender
- Grape (i don't know if fresh grape juice or pekmez/grape molasses)
- Honey (probably honey and sugar mixed)
- Jujube (Ziziphus zizyphus, sometimes called Chinese date or red date)
- Lemon
- Mint
- Mulberry
- Peach
- Pear
- Pomegranate: Sour Pomegranate
- Pomegranate: Sweet Pomegranate
- Quince
- Rhubarb
- Red Rose (made with fresh red roses)
- Rose and Lemon
- Rose Water (made with rose (gul) water (ab), aka juleb, whence julep)
- Sour (Morello) Cherry
- Sugar (i.e., without flavoring, aka simple syrup)
- Tamarind
or
- Violet

So you could make any of these and have an historical beverage. As 
far as how to, there are also number of sharbat recipes in the 
Anonymous Andalusian cookbook. Since she is high risk, i would skip 
most of the herb and spice blends, since i don't know how she would 
react to them. But there also are recipes for lemon and pomegranate 
syrups. Because pomegranates are not always in season, i buy 100% 
pure pomegranate juice (and some other 100% pure juices) you may have 
to check a health food store, since normal supermarkets often have 
100% fruit juices, but made with apple and/or grape juice along with 
whatever the main flavor it.

* Khoshaf/hoshaf/hoshab *

Another refreshing Ottoman beverage is hoshab/hoshaf, (from Persian, 
meaning, pleasant (khosh) water (ab)) which is made with fruits 
and/or nuts cooked with sugar and water. It served in a small bowl 
and was eaten with a small ladle-like spoon, drinking the liquid from 
the spoon, then eating the solids. In the 16th and 17th centuries it 
was made with only one fruit at a time:
- Apricots
- Cornelians (aka cornel cherries)
- Figs
- Grapes (or possibly raisins)
- Peaches
or
- Pears

In more recent times, however, it is often made with a combination 
of dried fruits and nuts such as almonds, walnuts, pistachios, and/or 
pine nuts. One modern recipe I have uses dried apricots, prunes, 
raisins, halved almonds, pistachios, pine nuts, water, granulated 
white sugar, rose water, and orange blossom water, and doesn't 
require cooking, just soaking together for a couple days.

This can be soothing, refreshing, and rejuvenating.

> Pomegranate tea sounds good,

Not sure what pomegranate tea would be. Please describe.

> but hibiscus doesn't.

Just curious, why not hibiscus (aka jamaica, pronounced ha.my.ka)? It 
is rich in nutrients and has a pleasant tangy flavor, not as sharp as 
lemon, but similarly refreshing.

Sekanjubin has been suggested. It is not a personal favorite, and I 
find it especially unpleasant if made with cider vinegar. Before 
serving your lady nothing but sekanjubin, I'd suggest letting her taste 
some to see if it agrees with her in her current state. Unless, of 
course, you find she is already enjoying it.
-- 
Urtatim [that's err-tah-TEEM]
the persona formerly known as Anahita

<the end>
Edited by Mark S. Harris	pregnancy-msg	Page 12 of 12