flavord-butrs-msg – 10/26/10
Period and SCA, flavored butters. Herb butters. Honey butter.
NOTE: See also these files: butter-msg, dairy-prod-msg, Honey-Butter-art, cheese-msg, cheesemaking-msg, Cheese-Making-art, cheesecake-msg, fresh-cheeses-msg, spreads-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.
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, 05 May 1998 10:39:43 -0400
From: Ceridwen <ceridwen at commnections.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Seeking period recipes & sources...
> I am playing with butters, and would like to know what the best
> reference there may be for that.
Don't know about best, nor of any specific instruction for making
butter, but Hugh Plat has instructions for flavoring butters with the
oils of sage, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace (and etc.) He says these are the
distilled oils from the herbs abd spices. I think these are what we
would call essential oils and would take a *very small* amount.
Ceridwen
Date: Fri, 14 May 1999 00:29:57 -0400
From: "Alderton, Philippa" <phlip at morganco.net>
Subject: Re: SC - Flavored Butters
I have, compliments of Cariadoc, a reference to honey butter
from the physician Anthimus, about 5th century Byzantium, but it is
indicated as something to be given to consumptives as a medicine, rather
than a food.
I agree with Ras (we do agree occasionally ;-) that the usage of bread and
flavored butters is not very period, so with that in mind, the first course
of the Feast I'm working on is fruits, as suggested in Platina.
LXXVII De Butero
Similiter et de butero recentum si acceperit tisecus, sed buter ipsum sale
nec penitus non habeat nam si aburit salepeius exterminat. Si purum et
recentum et mel modicum admixtumfuerit sic linguat catamodicum et supinus se
ponat. Tamen de tissecus diximus esse aptum quos non longo tempore
obtinuerit causa nam si uulneratus fuerit pulmo et purulenta excreant nec
illis congruum.
LXXVII Of Butter
Likewise of butter, if a consumptive take it. But the said butter should
have no salt at all, for if it has salt, it does great damage. If it is
clean and fresh, let a little honey be mixed with it, and let the patient
lick it a little, and then lie down flat. Furthermore, about consumptives,
it is better for those who have not had it for a long time, but if the lung
is punctured and excretes pus, it is not good for those people.
Incidently, when I was discussing this with Adamantius, he said it looks
like it also contains the first known recipe for a souffle, # XXXIII, Of
Afratus. Cariadoc, would you care to comment on that?
Phlip
Date: Wed, 19 May 1999 15:10:47 -0500
From: "Paul Shore" <shore at dcainc.com>
Subject: SC - Honey Butter
I was reading Anne Willan's "Great Cooks and Their Recipes from Taillevent
to Escoffier" and I came across a reference to honey butter in late period.
On page 42 while discussing Bartolomeo Scappi's "Opera" (1570) she
captions a drawing "Scappi advises a cool place with high windows as a
dairy. A kitchen boy twirls a whisk between both hands while another at
right stirs honey butter." The drawing itself has captions which may support
her translation.
Does anyone know what "Luochi freschi doue fá lauoreri de latte" translates
as? Or "Si fa lauoreri di latte"? Or "neueue si fa"? Or "latte mele si fa"
I also wonder, is the boy with the whisk whipping cream?
Arglwydd Aeddan ap Trahaearn
Shire of Mooneschadowe
Kingdom of Ansteorra
Date: Thu, 20 May 1999 08:10:06 -0700
From: Anne-Marie Rousseau <acrouss at gte.net>
Subject: Re: SC - Honey Butter
hi all from Anne-Marie
Arglwydd tells us:
At 03:10 PM 5/19/99 -0500, you wrote:
>I was reading Anne Willan's "Great Cooks and Their Recipes from Taillevent
>to Escoffier" and I came across a reference to honey butter in late period.
>On page 42 while discussing Bartolomeo Scappi's "Opera" (1570) she
>captions a drawing "Scappi advises a cool place with high windows as a
>dairy. A kitchen boy twirls a whisk between both hands while another at
>right stirs honey butter." The drawing itself has captions which may support
>her translation.
>
>Does anyone know what "Luochi freschi doue fá lauoreri de latte" translates
>as? Or "Si fa lauoreri di latte"? Or "neueue si fa"? Or "latte mele si fa"
>
>I also wonder, is the boy with the whisk whipping cream?
This particular picture is the source of much discussion in the Madrone
Culinary Guild. We have a couple bodies who specialize in Italian food
history, and I believe the general take was that The kitchen boy twirling
the whisk is indeed making whipped cream ("he makes snow" I believe is the
caption). The other boy, at the butter churn is cited as "he makes sweet
milk". There is some debate as to whether or not this is really making
honey butter (will butter churn with honey added? or is he just taking soft
butter and using the churn to mix it? seems wasteful... though somone gets
to lick the paddle :)), or whether he’s making sweet butter, ie not salted...
- --Anne-Marie
Date: Thu, 28 Sep 2000 15:32:39 PDT
From: "Bonne of Traquair" <oftraquair at hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Rosewater
I wrote regarding more and less concentrated rosewaters:
>>if used in
>>the quantities sometimes called for in the middle ages recipes, not
>>only will you go broke, but the dish will so reek of rose scent that
>>I'd bet not many people will eat it.
Cariadoc asked:
>What medieval recipe were you thinking of that specifies the quantity
I don't know of any that specify the quantity, but sometimes the quantity is
implied.
The recipe under discussion in another thread will serve. I know of two
times to wash butter: at the end of the churning process--to remove any
remaining whey or other impurities prior to use or to salting. And later to
clean out the salt used to preserve the butter and get it back to a usable
state. You mix and mash a quantity of water into the butter, so that the
water dissolves the salt and then clap the water back out again in order to
get back to a buttery consistency. If you are using rosewater as Plat
mentions, rose scent and taste will remain behind. IMO even if Plat is only
using this process to flavor and not actually to clean out salt, he'd still
intend for wash to mean wash, not sprinkle.
Other than that, I beleive others have spoken about recipes that say 'add
rosewater' to a fairly dry mix, and then do something to the resulting paste
or batter. A partial teaspoon of rosewater won't change the mix into a paste
or batter, you'd need in the range of a partial cup. Not recalling specific
instances, I'll hope someone else speaks up.
Personally, this morning I mashed a few drops of the concentrated stuff into
a stick of butter, with a tablespoon of sugar. This is good! Had nobody done
this before at feast? In places where the populace is more conditioned
toward acceptance of period food it could take over from honey butter pretty
quickly.
Bonne
Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2001 14:05:55 -0500
From: margali <margali at 99main.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Day Boards/rosebutter
Rose butter is fun, I cheated and added the diluted middle-astern
rosewater and sugar to heavy cream and then turned it into butter.
Worked nicely ;-) The fats picked up the flavorings and concentrated
them well. [go light on the rose, it does concentrate if you make it
this way] It can be a bit disconcerting if people are not used to
flowery flavors!
margali
Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2001 14:40:38 -0500
From: margali <margali at 99main.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Day Boards/rosebutter
Actually, rosewater is clear ;-)
In the process of washing the nuggets in rosewater and then finishing
the butter you would waste more of the rose 'essence' than the way I did
it, as the essential oil of rose is picked up by the butterfat that you
are separating out of the cream to be butter. The liquid part of the
rosewater leaves with the buttermilk, with the stronger smell and taste
of rose in the butter than in the buttermilk. If you were to mix the
rosewater with the butter you would get soggy butter and the rosewater
would tend to bead up on the surface of the butter. When you are making
butter, you rather vigorously smash the butter nuggets together
repeatedly during the working to get the excess liquid to come out of
the fat, so no matter which way you look at it you would get rose
drippings.
I would imagine it says to wash the butter nuggets in rose water so
that they could make a big batch of butter and divide the nuggets to bee
flavored or handled in different manners [like some with rosewater, some
with herbs and some with honey] as it seems to be more of a festive or
upper-class butter treatment. I would like to see what would happen if I
were to steep the actual rose petals in the cream sometime.
Date: Fri, 09 Nov 2001 12:25:12 -0600
From: "Mark.S Harris" <mark.s.harris at motorola.com>
Organization: Motorola Semiconductor Products Sector
To: SCA-Cooks maillist <SCA-Cooks at ansteorra.org>
Subject: [Sca-cooks] Honey butter
Someone recently asked about honey butter.
There is an article in the May 2001 issue of "Serve It Forth!" about
honey butter. "Is Honey Butter Period?" by Chris Adler (THL Katja
Davidova Oriova Khazarina). Basically as a spreadable bread
condiment, no. Her best guess is that it came into SCA use because
of a contemporary 1966 cookbook.
Unfortunately, I do not have this article in the Florilegium.
Perhaps there is an online repository for the Serve It Forth!
articles. Devra of Poison Pen Press does carry back issues it
says. Devra, Mary Morman or Katja want to comment here?
Stefan li Rous
From: Marilyn Traber <marilyn.traber.jsfm at statefarm.com>
To: "'sca-cooks at ansteorra.org'" <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
Date: Tue, 5 Mar 2002 07:00:16 -0600
Subject: [Sca-cooks] Butter
How about the rosewater butter from one of the just post period cookbooks
from Cariadoc's compendium? I cheat when I make it and add rosewater and
finely pounded sugar [except for the batch I used liquid splenda in] and
then blenderize the cream until it butters. It takes a bit to work the
excess water and whey out but gives a very nice flavor if you don't overdo
it.
margali
the quote starts here:
I think I will have to have bread and butter on the tables. Any
suggestions on what to do with butter, other than just plain (which
is my inclination)?
From: "Christine Seelye-King" <kingstaste at mindspring.com>
To: "SCA Cook's List" <SCA-Cooks at ansteorra.org>
Date: Sun, 25 Aug 2002 20:10:53 -0400
Subject: [Sca-cooks] Flavored Butter
Here is the only period reference I have to flavored butters. No honey is
mentioned, but several other options are. I take his phrasing to mean that
he has delighted his guests with the flavor of herbs and flowers, using the
essential oils only, with no green bits, to mean that the latter is the
common way that things have been done, and his method without apparent
particles of flavorings, is what is new.
Christianna
Hugh Plat _Jewel-house of Arte & Nature_ 1594
2. How to make sundry sorts of most dainty butter with the saide oils
[refers to earlier section on distilling essential oils]
In the month of May, it is very usuall with us to eat some of the smallest,
and youngest sage leaves with butter in a morning, and I think the common
use thereof doth sufficiently commende the same to be wholsome, in stead
whereof all those which delighte in this heabe may cause a few droppes of
the oile of sage to be well wrought, or tempered with the butter when it is
new taken out of the cherne, until they find the same strong enough in taste
to their owne liking; and this way I accoumpt much more wholsomer then the
first, wherin you will finde a far more lively and penetrative tast then can
be presently had out of the greene herbe.
This laste Sommer I did entertaine divers of my friends with this kinde of
butter amongst other country dishes, as also with cinnamon, mace, and clove
butter (which are all made in one selfe same manner) and I knew not whether
I did please them more with this new found dish, or offend them by denying
the secret unto them, who thought it very strange to find the naturall taste
of herbs, and spices coueied into butter without any apparent touch of
color. But I hope I have at this time satisfied their longings. 2re, if by
som means or other you may not give a tincture to your creme before you
chearne it, either with roseleaves, cowslep leaves, violet or marigold
leaves, &c. And thereby chaunge the color of your butter.
And it may be that if you wash your butter throughly wel with rose water
before you dish it, and work up some fine sugar in it, that the Country
people will go neere to robbe all Cocknies of their breakfasts, unlesse the
dairie be well looked unto. If you would keepe butter sweete, and fresh a
long time to make sops, broth or cawdle, or to butter any kinde of fishe
withall in a better sorte then I have seene in the best houses where I have
come, then dissolve your butter in a clean galsed, or silver vessell & in a
pan, or kettle of water with a slow and gentle fire, and powre the same so
dissolved, into a bason that hath some faire Water therein, and when it is
cold, take away the soote, not suffering any of the curds, or whey to remain
in the bottome: and if you regarde not the charge thereof, you may either
the first or the second time, dissolve your Butter in Rosewater as before,
working them well together, and so Clarifie it, and this butter so
clarified, wil bee as sweet in tast, as the Marrow of any beast, by reason
of, the great impuritie that is remooved by this manner of handeling:
[rest snipped]
Date: Mon, 26 Aug 2002 07:51:49 -0700 (PDT)
From: Philippa Alderton <phlip_u at yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] honey butter/OT question
To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org
--- "Pixel, Goddess and Queen"
<pixel at hundred-acre-wood.com> wrote:
> It's not the part about the cough that's the problem, it's the word
> "spread". IIRC, the discussion of it being used medicinally talks about
> letting the afflicted person lick it a little. This does not to me sound
> like it's been spread on anything.
From Anthimus:
The previous section, LXXVI speaks of mixing honey
with milk, also for consumptives, and having the
patient lying down flat, do that more benefit may be
had.
LXXVII- Of Butter
Likewise of butter, if a consumptive take it. But the
said butter shoulds have no salt at all, for if it has
salt, it does great damage. If it is clean and fresh,
let a little honey be mixed with it, and let the
patient lick it a little, and then lie down flat.
Furthermore, about consumptives, - it is better for
those who have not had it a long time, but if the lung
is punctured and excretes pus, it is not good for
those people.
Essentially, it appears that it's being used as a
cough syrup, generating phlegm, in order to help clear
the lungs with coughing- it is noted that it isn't
good if the lung is wounded, and I think we'd all
agree that coughing with an injured lung is probably
not the best treatment for the injury.
I did scan Platina, since I've noticed a fair amount
of similarities between Platina and Anthimus, but
there was no honey butter mentioned, although honey
was mixed with milk to prevent the milk from spoiling.
I did note that one is enjoined to be quiet after
drinking milk, that you might avoid shaking it in the
belly and causing it to sour in the stomach.
Phlip
Date: Tue, 25 Jan 2005 15:39:37 -0600
From: Robert Downie <rdownie at mb.sympatico.ca>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Yet another German Feast
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
Jonathan and Rebecca Barber wrote:
> Is there anything that would have been put out with them? I've seen
> one German feast done with an apple butter instead of regular butter
> but wasn't sure if that was a documented serving idea or just a good
> way to get around the regular butter thing (and yummy....)
>
> Ru
Giano posted this translation of a German spiced butter recipe (I can't
remember on which list) some time ago
Faerisa
'Wolfenbüttel Manuscript' aka 'Mittelniederdeutsches Kochbuch', North
germany, mid-15th century (the book contains almost unchanged recipes from
both the Buoch von guoter Spicse and the Harpestreng tradition, so at least
parts of it go back considerably fartther. No medical content I can discern
to the recipes.
59. Men schal nemen garophesneghele unde musschaten, cardemomen,
peper, ingever, alle lickwol gheweghen, unde make daraff botteren
edder kese.
You shall take cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, pepper and ginger, in equal
weight, and add butter or cheese.
And it's good, though I usually add salt (then again, unless 'May butter'
is specified, butter would have been salted, right?
Ciao, Giano
Date: Sun, 5 Jun 2005 10:45:22 +0200
From: Volker Bach <carlton_bach at yahoo.de>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] question about breads
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
Am Samstag, 4. Juni 2005 22:26 schrieb Huette von Ahrens:
>>>>
> I know that I grew up with something we called "cinnamon toast", which was
> white bread toasted and, while still hot, spread with butter and then had
> cinnamon and white sugar strewn on it.
>
> Many years ago, I was talking with another Laurel here in Caid. She is
> Hispanic and had found a reproduction of a period Spanish cookbook
> somewhere. I don't remember which one. She told an amusing story of
> picking a recipe to translate, struggling with the differences between
> modern and Renaissance Spanish, and, after spending several hours on this
> one recipe, discovered that the recipe was for cinnamon toast. I wish I
> could ask her which cookbook she translated, but she has dropped out of the
> SCA and I don't have any contact information for her.
><<<
>
> My point is that, in Spain, cinnamon toast was pre-1600. It would not be
> unthinkable that other cultures had cinnamon toast also.
>
> I cannot remember. Did you post the recipe for flavored butter from the
> Wolfenbüttel MS on this list?
I think I did, but here it is again, anyway.
Men schal nemen garophesneghele unde musschaten, cardemomen,
peper, ingever, alle lickwol gheweghen, unde make daraff botteren
edder kese
You shall take cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, pepper and ginger, in equal
weight, and make butter or cheese of it (or: add butter or cheese)
(Wolfenbüttel MS, c. 1500, northern Germany)
A redaction is unnecessary. I find the mixture very pleasant in butter,
less so in cream cheese. A generous pinch of salt improves it, but as
period butter was often salted for preservation that probably just comes
closer to the original flavour. A generous teaspoonful, with a little less
salt, is enough for a stick of butter.
The recipes intent in mentioning ‘cheese’ might be to have the spice blend
used during cheesemaking, which could give a very nice aroma indeed. I have
never been able to try this myself, though. Any feedback on the matter from
a cheesemaker will be much appreciated.
Date: Sun, 5 Jun 2005 11:47:39 -0500
From: "Terry Decker" <t.d.decker at worldnet.att.net>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] question about breads
To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
> Men schal nemen garophesneghele unde musschaten, cardemomen,
> peper, ingever, alle lickwol gheweghen, unde make daraff botteren
> edder kese
>
> You shall take cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, pepper and ginger, in equal
> weight, and make butter or cheese of it (or: add butter or cheese)
> (Wolfenbüttel MS, c. 1500, northern Germany)
The relationship of "mach" with "darauf" (literally "make upon it") suggests
to me that this may be a spice blend to dredge butter or cheese in before
serving. Something on the order of a Renaissance cheeseball.
Bear
Date: Sun, 05 Jun 2005 13:19:03 -0400
From: "Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius"
<adamantius.magister at verizon.net>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] question about breads
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
On Jun 5, 2005, at 12:47 PM, Terry Decker wrote:
> The relationship of "mach" with "darauf" (literally "make upon it")
> suggests to me that this may be a spice blend to dredge butter or
> cheese in before serving. Something on the order of a Renaissance
> cheeseball.
>
> Bear
Yeah, I'm inclined to agree. It may be a small point in the end, but
to me, "mach darauf" is more like "make thereupon" than "make
thereof". The combination sounds right on a humoral level, too, since
spices provide the heat needed for digestion and dairy products tend
to be seen as closing up the chest and stomach, rather like filling
the fuel tank of the automobile and remembering to put the plug back
in the gas tank.
Adamantius
Date: Mon, 6 Jun 2005 14:26:17 +0200
From: Volker Bach <carlton_bach at yahoo.de>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] cinnamon cheese/butter balls
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansterra.org>
Am Montag, 6. Juni 2005 11:13 schrieb Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius:
> On Jun 5, 2005, at 11:57 PM, Stefan li Rous wrote:
>> Okay, if the question here is whether the spice mixture is used to
>> coat just the outside or whether it is mixed throughout the cheese
>> or butter, how do the humoral theories affect that? If you are
>> balancing the humoral effects of the different items it would seem
>> that mixing the spices throughout the cheese or butter would be
>> superior to just coating the outside since the spice would be
>> better dispersed.
>
> All true. I just don't know which it is, and there may be some reason
> of which we're unaware hat what seems like a common-sense approach
> is not the approach taken by people in this position in period. The
> only info I've got is that phrase which, to me, says to put spices
> "on the cheese" rather than "in the cheese". Maybe some spices don't
>react well to the fats and acids in the cheese over time...
I thought the German said rather to put the butter or cheese 'on' the spices.
Maybe rolling in it or something similar is intended, but I am also not 100%
sure whether 'af' in Low German at his point does not mean 'of'. The spices
certainly don't have a problem with butter.
Giano
Date: Sun, 17 Jul 2005 01:11:16 -0400
From: Jadwiga Zajaczkowa / Jenne Heise <jenne at fiedlerfamily.net>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Danelaw feast - Take Two
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
> As far as flavored butter, I have not, nor have several of my
> friends, found a reference to flavored butter (as a spread) in a
> cookbook that we found trustworthy.
What about the spiced German butter? Not a honey butter, though.
'Wolfenb?ttel Manuscript' aka 'Mittelniederdeutsches Kochbuch', North
germany, mid-15th century (the book contains almost unchanged recipes
from both the Buoch von guoter Spicse and the Harpestreng tradition, so
at least parts of it go back considerably fartther.)
"59. Men schal nemen garophesneghele unde musschaten, cardemomen, peper,
ingever, alle lickwol gheweghen, unde make daraff botteren edder kese.
You shall take cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, pepper and ginger, in equal
weight, and add butter or cheese. "
--
-- Jadwiga Zajaczkowa, Knowledge Pika jenne at fiedlerfamily.net
Date: Wed, 1 Apr 2009 12:48:06 -0400
From: "Kingstaste" <kingstaste at comcast.net>
Subject: [Sca-cooks] Flavored Butter
To: "'Cooks within the SCA'" <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
Here is a citation regarding flavoring butters in period.
It also gives a good description of clarifying butter.
My particular favorite is rosewater and sugar, oh..my..god...
;)
Christianna
Hugh Plat _Jewel-house of Arte & Nature_ 1594
2. How to make sundry sorts of most dainty butter with the saide oils
[refers to earlier section on distilling essential oils]
In the month of May, it is very usuall with us to eat some of the smallest,
and youngest sage leaves with butter in a morning, and I think the common
use thereof doth sufficiently commende the same to be wholsome, in stead
whereof all those which delighte in this heabe may cause a few droppes of
the oile of sage to be well wrought, or tempered with the butter when it is
new taken out of the cherne, until they find the same strong enough in taste
to their owne liking; and this way I accoumpt much more wholsomer then the
first, wherin you will finde a far more lively and penetrative tast then can
be presently had out of the greene herbe.
This laste Sommer I did entertaine divers of my friends with this kinde of
butter amongst other country dishes, as also with cinnamon, mace, and clove
butter (which are all made in one selfe same manner) and I knew not whether
I did please them more with this new found dish, or offend them by denying
the secret unto them, who thought it very strange to find the naturall taste
of herbs, and spices coueied into butter without any apparent touch of
color. But I hope I have at this time satisfied their longings. 2re, if by
som means or other you may not give a tincture to your creme before you
chearne it, either with roseleaves, cowslep leaves, violet or marigold
leaves, &c. And thereby chaunge the color of your butter.
And it may be that if you wash your butter throughly wel with rose water
before you dish it, and work up some fine sugar in it, that the Country
people will go neere to robbe all Cocknies of their breakfasts, unlesse the
dairie be well looked unto. If you would keepe butter sweete, and fresh a
long time to make sops, broth or cawdle, or to butter any kinde of fishe
withall in a better sorte then I have seene in the best houses where I have
come, then dissolve your butter in a clean galsed, or silver vessell & in a
pan, or kettle of water with a slow and gentle fire, and powre the same so
dissolved, into a bason that hath some faire Water therein, and when it is
cold, take away the soote, not suffering any of the curds, or whey to remain
in the bottome: and if you regarde not the charge thereof, you may either
the first or the second time, dissolve your Butter in Rosewater as before,
working them well together, and so Clarifie it, and this butter so
clarified, wil bee as sweet in tast, as the Marrow of any beast, by reason
of, the great impuritie that is remooved by this manner of handeling:
[rest snipped]
Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2010 13:49:17 -0400
From: Sam Wallace <guillaumedep at gmail.com>
To: sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Period fancy butters?
Don't neglect the presentation! Butter can be molded into just about any shape:
From a feast by Lancelot de Casteau
"Il y avoit quatre parcs de deux pieds en quarrure, environnez d?une
haye de beurre.
Le premier estoit Adam & Eve faicts de beurre, un serpent sur l?arbre,
& une fontaine courante, avec petits animaux ? l?entour du beurre.
Le deuxiesme parc estoit les amours de Pyramus & Tisbe, le lyon aupres
de la fontaine, & des arbres ? l?entour environn? en une haye de beurre.
Le troisiesme parc la chasse d?Acteon, & les nymphes auec Diana ? la
fontaine, & puis des petits chiens de beurre.
Le quatriesme parc estoient deux hommes sauuages, qui se battoient
l?un l?autre avec des masses aupres d?une fontaine, & des petits lions
de beurre ? l?entour: chacun parc avoit quatre banieres."
There were four parks of two feet square, environed in a butter hedge.
The first was Adam & Eve made of butter, a serpent on the tree, & a
running fountain, with little butter animals all around.
The second park was the love of Pyramus & Thisbee, the lion by the
fountain, & some trees surrounded all around by a butter hedge.
The third park the hunt of Acteon, & the nymphs with Diana at the
fountain, & then some little butter dogs.
The fourth park was two wild men, who battled one another with the
crowds by a fountain, & some little butter lions all around: each park
had four banners.
Guillaume
***************
One of our local people is planning a feast, and wants period recipes
to substitute for her current list of not period ones. The list
includes bread with three different butters.
Does anyone have period fancy butter recipes?
--
David/Cariadoc
Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:15:21 -0400
From: Elise Fleming <alysk at ix.netcom.com>
To: sca-cooks <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Period fancy butters?
Cariadoc asked:
<<< Does anyone have period fancy butter recipes? >>>
Seems to me we had a series of discussions on honey butter, which isn't
exactly what you were asking for. But I found this link
(http://www.katjaorlova.com/MedFoodHoneyButter.html) which mentions
Plat's 1609 book with this recipe: "Most Dainte Butter. This is done by
mixing a few dropps of the extracted oyle of sage, cinamon, nutmegs,
mace, etc. in the making vp of your butter: for oyle and butter will
incorporate and agree verie kindely and naturally together." On this
web page Dame Katja gives another version of Plat's recipe which calls
for sugar, etc. Perhaps your local person could get some ideas here.
Alys K.
Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:18:23 +0000
From: CHARLES POTTER <basiliusphocas at hotmail.com>
To: <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Period fancy butters?
This one is from the 1549 Banchetti/Libro Novo by Christoforo Messisbugo.
Vermicelli di Butiro
Pigliarai butiro fresco, e lo lavarai con acqua fresca piu volte, e l' ultima lavatura sera acqua rosata con zuccaro.
Poi haverai uno cannone di latta, o di legno buso, a guisa d' un serizzotto, ma che habbi il fondo piatto con tre o quattro
buchi dentro, poi farai il cannone quasi pieno di butiro, e haverai un legno che vada ben serrato nel detto cannone, e lo
cazzarai nel detto cannone, et il butiero vscira fuori per i bucchi del fondo, e serrano vermicelli, i quali andarai imbandendo
ne i piattelli, dandoli poi di sopra zuccaro fino.
Little Worms of Butter
You shall take fresh butter and you shall wash it with fresh water many times, and the last washing shall be rose water
with sugar. Then you shall take a tube of tin or of hollow wood, in the guise of a cane (or reed for blowing up balloons
or bladders), but that has the flat bottom with three or four holes inside. Then you shall make the tube nearly filled with
butter, and you shall take a wood (rod) that goes well enclosed in named tube, and you shall punch (or push) in named tube
and the butter shall go outside the holes in the bottom, and they shall be worms (of butter), which shall go to the banquet in the small platters, giving them on top fine (ground) sugar.
Is this amusing or what?
Master B
Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2010 17:45:44 -0400
From: Johnna Holloway <johnnae at mac.com>
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Period fancy butters?
Scappi does this also with some differences. Scully translates it as:
144. To prepare butter vermicelli.
Get fresh butter, which will be much better in May than in any other month, and
put it through a syringe, splashing it with rosewater as it comes out. Serve it with finely ground sugar on it. page 590
Then he goes into what to do if the butter is older which goes into
mixing it with boiled egg yolks and lots of sugar.
Johnnae
On Aug 31, 2010, at 5:18 PM, CHARLES POTTER wrote:
<<< This one is from the 1549 Banchetti/Libro Novo by Christoforo
Messisbugo.
Vermicelli di Butiro >>>
Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2010 14:46:20 -0700 (PDT)
From: wheezul at canby.com
To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Period fancy butters?
Sam wrote:
<<< Don't neglect the presentation! Butter can be molded into just about any
shape: >>>
Which got me to thinking about Anna Wecker's instructions for preparation
of a mixture of z?ger and butter made into forms.
There are multiple instructions for methods to make z?ger (which I believe
is generally translated as quark according to the cookbook glossaries I
have been studying). There are almond "cheese" z?ger, milk (cow, sheep or
goat) z?ger and egg-cheese z?ger. The recipes may be a bit out of order,
because the instructions of how to make what I would assume to be the
basic recipe of just milk is in the middle of the entries. Maybe that is
just my modern mindset though. The z?ger preparations are generally
curdled by warming with buttermilk, rennet or wine/vinegar depending on
ingredient availability, and then drained.
The instructions of interest instruct mixing the z?ger (mixing it smooth
first) with sweet butter that has been washed with rosewater and then
adding sugar. There is normally more butter than z?ger says Anna in the
details. This mixture can then be formed into shapes for presentation.
The next recipe seems to instruct forcing a 'good spoonful' of the z?ger
through a strong, thinly woven cloth to separate it but says that the
z?ger has to be fat enough or it won't hold together. It also says you
can do the same with sweet butter that is rosewater washed and sweetened
with sugar. The end product is layered together in a dish since one
assumes multiple spoonfuls, or it can be formed into shapes with paddles
or pressed through a 'spritz'. As far as I can figure so far, I don't
know if there was a period tool or if it is just a pastry bag.
I've made both an almond 'cheese' z?ger - it tasted quite a bit like
marzipan - and a cow milk z?ger from a buttermilk culture and compared it
to purchased $6 a quart milk 'quark'. Both the purchased and prepared
milk one sort of taste a bit like creme fraiche to me without the fat
content. I haven't made these butter spreads, but they sound pretty nummy
to me.
Katherine
Date: Thu, 16 Sep 2010 13:40:38 -0400
From: Johnna Holloway <johnnae at mac.com>
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Parsley, Sage, Thyme, Savoury or Lemon Thyme
Butter was Period fancy butters?
On Sep 16, 2010, at 1:01 AM, David Friedman wrote:
<<< I got a few suggestions when I put the question to the list some
time back, but I could still use more period recipes for flavored
butter if anyone has them.
--
David/Cariadoc >>>
An activity for a rainy day.
Ok, so I took up the challenge this morning and after several hours
came up with this recipe.
158 To make Parsley, Sage, Thyme, Savoury or Lemon Thyme Butter.
Clarify your Butter as before, then mix it with a. little of the
Chymical Oil of any of the Herbs, till the Butter is strong enough to
your taste or liking, then mix them well together ; this will be a
great -rarity and will make the Butter keep a long Time, this will be
much better than the Eating the Plants with Bread and Butter.
You may also do this without clarifying the Butter by taking Butter
newly made, and working it well from its Water Milk and Wheyish parts
before you put in the Oils.
This version of the recipe appears in
John Nott. The cooks and confectioners dictionary; or, The
accomplish'd housewife's companion. 1723
I am lucky enough to own the facsimile of Nott that was edited by
Elizabeth David, so I have fondness for the text. It's important to
remember that Nott was a compiler. His book is dated 1723 but the
recipes come from earlier texts. It's a great source for quickly
finding 17th century recipes. The question is where did this recipe
come from and what is the original date.
In this case we can determine that it also appeared in William
Salmon's Family Dictionary of 1696 page 45. This work first appeared
in 1695 and also appeared in other editions , inc. 1710.
The entry under butter in the 1696 edition includes how to preserve
May butter which has been a topic of discussion before on this list.
The version of the recipe on page 45 reads:
To make Parsly, Sage, Savoury, Thyme, or Limon Thyme, Butter.
When the butter is newly made, and well wrought from its Water, Milk,
and Wheyish parts, mix therewith a little of the Chymical Oils of
Parsley, or Sage, or Savory, or Thyme, or Limon Thyme, so much till
the Butter is strong enough in Tast to your liking, and then mix them
well together, this will excuse you from eating the Plants therewith :
and if do this with the aforesaid Clarified Butter, it will be far
better, and a most admirable Rarity."
William Salmon's Family Dictionary of 1696 page 45.
The question now is where did Salmon's version come from. Now it is
possible that Salmon reworked Hugh Platt's recipe from the Jewell
House of Art and Nature of 1594 into his version or it could be we
have some other 17th century source that has not yet been identified.
I went back to my facsimile of Platt and found the recipe here:
2. How to make sundry sorts of most dainty butter with the saide oils.
In the moneth of May, it is very usuall with us to eat some of the
smallest, and youngest sage leaves with butter in a morning, and I
think the common use thereof doth sufficiently commende the same to be
wholsome, in stead whereof all those which delighte in this heabe may
cause a few droppes of the oile of sage to be well wrought, or
tempered with the butter when it is new taken out of the cherne, until
they find the same strong enough in taste to their owne liking; and
this way I accoumpt much more wholesomer then the first, wherin you
will finde a far more lively and penetrative tast then can be
presently had out of the greene herbe.
This laste Sommer I did entertaine divers of my friends with this
kinde of butter amongst other country dishes, as also with cinnamon,
mace, and clove butter (which are all made in one selfe same manner)
and I knew not whether I did please them more with this new found
dish, or offend them by denying the secret unto them, who thought it
very strange to find the naturall taste of herbs, and spices conueied
into butter without any apparent touch of color. But I hope I have at
this time satisfied their longings.
Qre, [this word looks like an italic qre.] if by som means or other
you may not give a tincture to your creme before you chearne it,
either with roseleaves, cowslep leaves, violet or marigold leaves, &c.
And thereby chaunge the color of your butter. And it may be that if
you wash your butter throughly wel with rose water before you dish it,
and work up some fine sugar in it, that the Country people will go
neere to robbe all Cocknies of their breakfasts, unlesse the dairie be
well looked unto. If you would keepe butter sweete, and fresh a long
time to make sops, broth or cawdle, or to butter any kinde of fishe
withall in a better sorte then I have seene in the best houses where I
have come, then dissolue your butter in a clean glased, or silver
vessell & in a pan, or kettle of water with a slow and gentle fire,
and powre the same so dissolved, into a bason that hath some faire
Water therein, and when it is cold, take away the soote, not suffering
any of the curds, or whey to remain in the bottome: and if you regarde
not the charge thereof, you may either the first or the second time,
dissolve your Butter in Rosewater as before, working them well
together, and so Clarifie it, and this butter so clarified, wil bee as
sweet in tast, as the Marrow of any beast,
found in the section titled Divers Chimicall Conclusions concerning
the Art of Distillation. 1594. pp 10-12.
Well besides being a source for eating or making sage butter ("eat
some of the smallest, and youngest sage leaves with butter in a
morning"), it may or may not be a source for the later 17th century
versions by Nott or Salmon.
----
The Nott recipe appears in Eleanour Sinclair Rohde's A Garden of Herbs
which has been printed and reprinted.
The recipe in pretty much the same language also appears in the 1998
Celtic Folklore Cooking by Joanne Asala. The recipe is not credited to
Nott or Salmon but is listed as "A seventeenth-century recipe: ." This
might have led readers or will lead readers to suppose it's early 17th
century and perfectly appropriate.
Johnnae
Date: Thu, 16 Sep 2010 13:41:48 -0400
From: Johnna Holloway <johnnae at mac.com>
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Period fancy butters?
I decided to inventory the recipes as we have mentioned them.
German spiced butter
This recipe was mentioned but not spelled out, but here it is:
Tue, 25 Jan 2005 15:39:37 -0600
From: Robert Downie
Giano posted this translation of a German spiced butter recipe (I can't
remember on which list) some time ago
Faerisa
'Wolfenb?ttel Manuscript' aka 'Mittelniederdeutsches Kochbuch', North
germany, mid-15th century (the book contains almost unchanged recipes from
both the Buoch von guoter Spicse and the Harpestreng tradition, so at least
parts of it go back considerably fartther. No medical content I can
discern to the recipes.
59. Men schal nemen garophesneghele unde musschaten, cardemomen,
peper, ingever, alle lickwol gheweghen, unde make daraff botteren
edder kese.
You shall take cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, pepper and ginger, in equal
weight, and add butter or cheese.
And it's good, though I usually add salt (then again, unless 'May
butter' is specified, butter would have been salted, right?
Ciao, Giano
---
We have the honey butter references/discussion/argument/whatever and
those articles are cited in the Florilegium files. see especially http://www.katjaorlova.com/MedFoodHoneyButter.html
My article on the topic can still be found here as a [PDF]
The Gauntlet Jan-Mar 2007 The Gauntlet. Page 9. January-March, 2008.
Honey Butter and Butter Sculptures. THL Johnnae llyn Lewis
I am sure that the updated article in the latest version is sitting
someplace in a file for Stefan to add to the Florilegium too.
--
Hugh Plat's suggestions from the Jewell House and Delights are
mentioned in the Florilegium and can also be found in the actual
volumes, either the facsimiles or those in EEBO.
----
The just posted John Nott recipe is new and not included in the
previous files.
I think that is everything we have mentioned in the past decade.
So the lady looking for the butter recipes can probably find what we
know and acquire the butter recipes for herself by
1. reading the file in the Florilegium
2. doing a search under butter or spiced butter in the SCA Cooks files
3. doing a search under butter in the recipe search section of
medievalcookery.com
If she has access to EEBO, she can of course spend several weeks
searching through the nearly 3000 butter references that pop up in
English books when doing a full text keyword search on the term. The
Biblical references alone fill pages.
Johnnae
<the end>