books-food-msg

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books-food-msg - 2/21/08

Books about food. Not cookbooks.

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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.

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

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From: ferzocog at ere.umontreal.CA (Ferzoco George)

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

Subject: A must-read on medieval cuisine

Date: 9 Apr 1993 20:02:04 -0400

For all of you interested in the state of the art of research on medieval

cookery, get the book

Carole Lambert, ed., "Du manuscrit a la table. Essais sur la

cuisine au moyen age et repertoire des manuscrits medievaux

contenant des recettes culinaires." Montreal and Paris: Presses

de l'Universite de Montreal and Champion-Slatkine, 1992.

It contains 25 articles in English and French (with abstracts for each in

English and French), an incredibly useful (to scholars) list of manuscripts

containing culinary recipes, a complete bibliography, and indices of:

titles and authors of cookery books

Incipits of culinary texts

titles of isolated recipes

language of the texts

place of production of the manuscripts

Ciao, George Ferzoco ferzocog at ere.umontreal.ca

From: David Schroeder <ds4p+ at andrew.cmu.edu>

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

Subject: Sweet Thoughts, etc.

Date: Sat, 10 Apr 1993 15:04:25 -0400

Organization: Doctoral student, Industrial Administration, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA

Greetings good gentles --

I have recently been reading an entertaining volume, "Seeds of Change," by

Henry Hobhouse (a journalist, not a professional scholar). The book looks

at the historical import of five key plants or plant products: quinine,

sugar, tea, cotton, and potatoes. [c.1985 ISBN: 0-06-091440-8 (ppbk)].

Some of the more interesting tidbits are worth sharing. For example, here's

a chart of the relative cost of 10 pounds of sugar expressed as a percentage

of 1 ounce of gold (taken as an average of London, Paris, and Amsterdam)...

Period Sugar % Honey %

1350-1400 35.0 3.30

1400-1450 24.5 2.05

1450-1500 19.0 1.50

1500-1550 8.7 1.20

Note that Hobhouse doesn't cite his sources for this table and doesn't

mention that the "value" of an ounce of gold may have changed in the

last period due to the huge captured troves of the Aztecs and Incas,

but it's still an interesting chart, if only to see the relative expense

of sugar and honey. Clearly, using refined sugar in a dish would have

been an expensive proposition during almost all of the Society's scope.

Hobhouse also says:

"The sugar industry survived the gradual expulsion of the Moors from

the Mediterranean littoral, and was carried on by both Moslems and

Christians as a profitable, expanding concern for two hundred years

from about 1300. [Production was centered in Syria, Palestine, the

Dodecanese, Egypt, Cyprus, Crete, Sicily, North Africa, and Southern

Spain. *B*] The trade (as opposed to production) was under the domi-

nance of the merchant bankers of Italy, with Venice ultimately con-

trolling distribution throughout the then known world. The first sugar

reached England in 1319, Denmark in 1374, and Sweden in 1390. It was

an expensive novelty and useful in medicine, being unsurpassed for

making palatable the odious mixtures of therapeutic herbs, entrails,

and other substances of the medieval pharmacopoeia."

Apparently, sugar cultivation in the Caribbean basin was substantial in

the second half of the 16th century leading to cheaper sugar prices and

a shift in leadership in the trade from Venice to Amsterdam.

TEA

On the matter of tea Hobhouse reports that in 1700 England was importing

50 short tons of tea with a wholesale value of 4,000 pounds sterling or

about two pounds of money for one pound of tea. Again, not a cheap item!

He further states (in what is probably a typographical error) that:

"Tea, coffee, and cocoa all arrive in London in the same year, 1652.

[Could it be 1562 or 1552?] The word "tea" occurs in Shakespeare

and "cha," the Canton-Macao form, crops up in Lisbon from about 1550."

It's hard to understand the Bard's use of a term for something introduced

to England years after his death...

I'd best sign off now and return to my reading... I found the book

remaindered for $1.98 at my local Borders Bookstore, so you may have

good luck finding a copy of your own.

My best -- Bertram

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

Bertram of Bearington Dave Schroeder

Debatable Lands/AEthelmearc/East Carnegie Mellon University

INTERNET: ds4p at andrew.cmu.edu 412/731-3230 (Home)

+------------------------ PREME * Press On * PREME ---------------------+

Angharad/Terry asks for enough info about that book out of Montreal

that I mentioned to order it. The Following might be helpful.

Title: _Du Manuscrit a` la Table_

Editor: Carole Lambert

Publisher: Les Presses de l'Universite' de Montre'al

2910, boul. E'douard-Montpetit, Montre'al (Qc), Canada

H3T 1J7

tel. (514) 343-6929, facs. (514) 343-2232

Distributer (?): gae[umlaut]tan morin e'diteur

diffuseur exclusif des Presses de l'Universite' de

Montre'al

C.P. 180, Boucherville (QC), Canada, J4B 5E6

tel. (514) 449-7886, facs. (514) 343-2232

ISBN: 2-7606-1564-2

and to whet your appetite:

TABLE DES MATIE`RES

(extraits)

Forward (or preface) by Carole LAMBERT

_I - ESSAIS SUR LA CUISINE AU MOYEN A^GE_

1. SOURCES

Constance B. HIEATT "Listing and Analyzing the Medieval English

Culinary Recipe Collections: a Project and its Problems"

Johanna Maria van WINTER "Une livre de cuisine ne'erlandais du XVIe

sie`cle"

Allen J. GRIECO "From the Cookbook to the Table: a Florentine Table

and Italian Recipes of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries"

Bi SKAARUP "Sources of Medieval Cuisine in Denmark"

Danie`le ALEXANDRE-BIDON "A` la table des miniaturistes: arche'o-

iconographie des gestes et des mets"

2. DIFFUSION DES LIVRES ET DES RECETTES

Philip et Mary HYMAN "Les livres de cuisine et le commerce des

recettes en France au XVe et XVIe sie`cles"

Melitta WEISS-AMER "The Role of Medieval Physicians in the Spread of

Culinary Recipes and Cooking Practices"

Mary Ella MILHAM "Platina and Papal Politics"

3. CUISINE ET DISTINCTIONS SOCIALES

Bruno Laurioux, "Table et hie'rarchie sociale a` la fin du Moyen A^ge"

Odile REDON "La re'glementation des banquets par les lois somptuaires

dans les villes d'Italie (XIVe - XVe sie`cles)

Agathe LAFORTUNE-MARTEL "De l'entremets culinaire aux pie`ces

monte'es d'un menu de propogande"

4. PARTICULARITE'S RE'GIONALES

Barbara SANTICH "les e'le'ments distinctifs de la cuisine me'die'vale

me'diterrane'enne

Rudolf GREWE "Hispano-Arabic Cuisine in the Twelfth Century

Jeanne ALLARD "Nola: rupture ou continuite'?"

Noe[umlaut]l COULET "La cuisine dans la maison aixoise du XVe sie`cle

(1400-1450)

Jean-Louis FLANDRIN "Structure des menus francais et anglais aux XIVe

et XVe sie`cles

Michel BALARD "E'pices et condiments dans quelques livres de cuisine

allemands (XVe-XVIe sie`cles)

5. CUISINE ET CONTRAINTES

Terence SCULLY "Les saisons alimentaires du _Me'nagier de Paris_"

Carole LAMBERT "Astuces et flexibilite' des recettes culinaires

me'die'vales francaises"

Laurier TURGEON et Denis DICKNER "Contraintes et choix alimentaires

d'un groupe d'appartenance: les marins-pe^cheurs francais a' Terre-

Neuve au XVIe sie`cle"

6. LES DOUCEURS ET LE PLAISIR

Liliane PLOUVIER "Le <<letuaire>>, un confiture du bas Moyen A^ge"

Lucie BOLENS "Les sorbets andalous (XIe-XIIIe sie`cles) ou conjurer

la nostalgie par la douceur"

Mary HYMAN "<<Les menues choses qui ne sont pas de ne'cessite'>>: les

confitures et la table"

Bruno ROY "Trois reagards sur les aphrodisiaques"

_II - RE'PERTOIRE DES MANUSCRITS ME'DIE'VAUX CONTENANT DES RECETTES

CULINAIRES_

Pre'sentation

Re'pertoire

Bibliographie

Index

Now doesn't that make your mouth water! If no enterprising Pennsic

merchant offers one for sale, my parents have offered (without too

much arm twisting) to get me it for my birthday. Grad student budget

or not, I cant miss this one. I've just got to start those French

lessons now...

Hoping that helped,

Thomas/David

David Tallan (tallan at flis.utoronto.ca)

or David_Tallan at magic-bbs.corp.apple.com

snail: 42 Camberwell Rd. Toronto ON M6C 3E8

From: "Philip W. Troy" <troy at asan.com>

Date: Thu, 17 Apr 1997 13:49:23 -0400

Subject: Re: SC - Guinea pigs

Christi Redeker wrote:

> Also the same I believe with Guinea Pigs. They have Capybara (sp?) in

> most central and south American areas. Which are the largest rodent and

> in the same direct family with the Cavy (guinea pig) that we know today.

> The guinea pigs they eat in those countries are very large,

> comparatively, to what are raised as pet shop $$. They have an average

> weight of 2-3 pounds more than the average pet type guinea pig. (Yes

> ladies and gentlemen, I raised guinea pigs and rabbits as a child and

> actually showed them, there is and an association called the ACBA

> (American Cavy Breeders Association) just for those out there who do.

Have a great book somewhere. It is called "Unmentionable Cuisine," and

concerns all the foods against which taboos exist in various cultures,

i.e. in the continental U.S., that means virtually EVERYTHING. Author

is Charles Schwabe, if I remember correctly. There's a neat chapter on

guinea pigs, among several such. I seem to recall most of the recipes

call for the cavy to be scalded and de-haired, but not skinned.

Yum!

Adamantius, thinking about pies now

Date: Thu, 01 May 1997 22:51:40 -0600

From: Bob Angelone <epicurus at epicurus.com>

Subject: Epicurus Online

Newsgroups: rec.crafts.brewing,rec.food.drink.beer,rec.org.sca,alt.beer,ba.food,alt.food.wine

As publisher of 'Epicurus Online', I would like to personally invite all

of you to visit our newest issue.

This month's focus is on Flowers as Food. Articles by Carol Wilson, Bob

Pastorio and others are among the many interesting and recipe filled

tidbits you will find in this issue.

Please join me in thanking Cindy Renfrow, our Editor-in-Chief for a job

well done by visiting the ezine and enjoying it's wonderful, informative

articles. And while you're there, please sign our guestbook.

Epicurus Online - http://www.epicurus.com/ezine1.htm

If you like Epicurus Online, please check out our main site as well:

http://www.epicurus.com

Thanks and I hope to see you there soon!

Bob Angelone

Publisher

From: alysk at ix.netcom.com (Elise Fleming )

Date: Wed, 2 Jul 1997 14:21:03 -0500 (CDT)

Subject: SC - PPC and Markham

Greetings! PPC (Petits Propos Culinaires) is published by Prospect

Books and is in English. If you live in the US, one year is $23.50 and

two is $45. Your check should be made payable to PPC North America and

sent to PPC North America, 45 Lamont Road, London SW10 OHU. One year

consists of three issues of a small hand-size treatise. To me it is

well worth the price, for if there is something on the Middle Ages or

Renaissance you can be sure it is documentable. A recent issue had a

brief article on Aphrodisiacs which I meant to send to this list. Ask

for it as a gift from relatives!

Alys Katharine

Date: Mon, 8 Sep 1997 10:19:32 -0500 (CDT)

From: nweders at mail.utexas.edu (ND Wederstrandt)

Subject: Re: SC - Columbus cookbook

Here's the info on the Columbus book plus some of the info in it.

The name of the book is Columbus Menu, Italian Cuisine after the First

Voyage of Christopher Columbus, by Stefano Milioni printed by the Istituto

Italiano per il Commercio Estero (Italian Trade Commission) It came out in

1992.

One of the more entertaining topics he author talks about is the

reason why forks started being used. He states it was the introduction of

the tomato to Italian cooking that caused the fork to be noticed. Milioni

states that the fork was around but that it was regarded as an oddity.

With the use of tomatoes as sauce, Pasta was harder to eat so the fork

started being used and quickly caught on. So thanks to spaghetti with

marinara sauce, forks became hot stuff.

He does have some dates on various food stuffs

Tomato - appeared in Spain early in the 16th century where it was a magical

or medicinal plant. Someone during this time tried eating it and described

the flavor as similar to eggplant but tastless. The book further states

that the tomato while known to Italian botanists in the 16th century was

not introduced until the 17th century. The book also suggests that it was

primarily grown as an ornamental but during a food famine someone succumbed

and cooked one and ate it. No recipes listed in period

Potato - introduced through Spain when it was brought back by the

Conquistadors. Clusius in 1588 described the plant based on tubers he

received from the governor of what is now modern Belguim. He ate them and

compared them to the turnip. During the 16th century, potatoes were being

shipped to the Spanish garrisons in the Flanders area to supplement the

rations of the soldiers there.They are also listed as food items in the

records of the Sangre Hospital in Seville (1573) These are white or

Virginian potatoes. In 1587, Sir Francis Drake sailed into what is now

Columbia and loaded provisions, including potatoes, on his ship. He was

supposed to take them to feed starving colonists in Virginia. When he got

there everyone wanted to go back to England so they and the potatoes went

back. That's the reason they were called Virginian potatoes. No period

recipes listed.

Clare St. John

Date: Sat, 13 Sep 1997 20:49:49 -0600 (MDT)

From: John or Fraya Davis <gameroom at infowest.com>

Subject: SC - Food Book!

Just picked up what I think is the best book for medieval cooks since the

cookbook! It's called "Food" by Waverley Root, Konecky & Konecky, NY ISBN:

1-56852-101-4. It's an authorative and visual history and dictionary of the

foods of the world. It includes much documentation of when foods were eaten

and some on how they were prepared by different cultures. It's amazing

what's in there about the potato! I didn't know that!

Gillian

Date: Thu, 16 Oct 1997 07:27:27 -0600 (MDT)

From: Mary Morman <memorman at oldcolo.com>

Subject: Re: SC - Alphabet pretzels

On Thu, 16 Oct 1997, Ian van Tets wrote:

> doesn't one of the recipes for jumbles recommend cutting them in Ss

> if no other letter springs conveniently to mind?

> Cairistiona

I have just gotten a nice little food book called The Dutch Table by

Gillian Riley. It is mostly 16th and 17th century Dutch paintings of food

and kitchens - with some commentary and many undocumented recipes that she

says are from an early 17th century source but does not quote in the

original. there are numerous paintings of bread dough letters both in

homes and in markets and the author talks about them being made for the

Feast of St. Nicholas on December 6th. There are also pictures of

traditional, twisted pretzels. It's hard to tell if the letters are

cookies or plain bread - there are some that look like each. Most of the

paintings are slightly out of period, but this is a lovely book.

elaina

Date: Wed, 29 Oct 1997 16:31:27 -0500 (EST)

From: Mark Schuldenfrei <schuldy at abel.MATH.HARVARD.EDU>

Subject: Re: SC - Cookbooks

Most of the cookbooks you mention are reviewed in back issues of Serve It

Forth (http://oldcolo.com/~memorman/sif_home.html).

Tibor

Here is my review of Fast and Feast:

Fast and Feast: Food in Medieval Society, by Bridget Ann Henisch. Published

0-271-01230-7 (hardcover) 0-271-00424-X (paperback, reviewed).

A book review by Mark Schuldenfrei (Tibor of Rock Valley)

So, should a Society cook read a book that doesn't have recipes? Yes, it

seems we should. "Fast and Feast" is well researched and indexed book

covering everything about food and foodways customs from late period, except

the details of redactions. It is also fun to read (I laughed out loud

several times), well indexed and copiously footnoted, and reasonably

priced (I paid $14.95)