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flavord-sugars-msg – 3/27/05

 

Period flavored sugars.

 

NOTE: See also the files: sugar-msg, Sugar-Icing-art, sugar-sources-msg, spices-msg, sugar-paste-msg, sotelties-msg, Sgr-a-Cnftns-art, honey-msg, comfits-msg, rose-syrup-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

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Date: Mon, 16 Feb 2004 17:19:35 -0500 (EST)

From: <jenne at fiedlerfamily.net>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] herb -infused sugars

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

 

Delights for Ladies, by Hugh Plat (I think) has some herb-infused sugars

in it.

 

> I'm working on my entries for Northern Lights...and just for the heck

> of it trying to actually come up with things in 5 categories. I've

> been working on herb-infused (ginger, lavender, rose)  sugars, just

> because they're lovely in teas... but I'm hitting a wall when it comes

> to seeking out documentation.  Any suggestions?

>

> -Ardenia

 

-- Pani Jadwiga Zajaczkowa, Knowledge Pika jenne at fiedlerfamily.net

 

 

Date: Mon, 16 Feb 2004 18:12:46 -0500

From: "Elise Fleming" <alysk at ix.netcom.com>

Subject: [Sca-cooks] Re: Herb-Infused Sugar

To: "sca-cooks at ansteorra.org" <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

 

Petits Propos Culinaires, Issue 20, has an article entitled "Rose Sugar and

Other Sweets" which details (obviously!) rose sugar.  The article also

mentions violet flavored sugar as well as borage and rosemary.  The

references cited are Dutch.  The author, Joop Witteveen, found a recipe for

rose sugar in a poem written between 1265 and 1270.  He says that the rose

sugar recipe came from the Arab world.  He also notes a recipe in Menagier

de Paris (1393) for rose sugar which calls for rosewater rather than rose

petals.  The Court of King Edward I of England (1329-1307) consumed 1900

pounds of rose sugar and 300 pounds of violet sugar.  Witteveen notes that

this info is in C. Anne Wilson's _Food and Drink in Britain_, p. 289. Will

this help you with citations?

 

Alys Katharine

 

 

Date: 16 Feb 2004 15:32:37 -0800

From: Colleen L McDonald <Colleen.McDonald at comcast.net>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] herb -infused sugars

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

 

On Mon, 2004-02-16 at 14:14, Wildecelery at aol.com wrote:

> I've been working on herb-infused (ginger, lavender, rose) sugars, just

> because they're lovely in teas... but I'm hitting a wall when

> it comes to seeking out documentation.  Any suggestions?

>

> -Ardenia>>

 

Plat's Delightes for Ladies (which I think has already been mentioned)

has some recipes for rose sugar.

 

Here are some other sources that might be of use:

 

Askham, Anthony.  A Little Herball.  1561(?).  Amsterdam: Theatrum Orbis

Terrarum, Ltd.; Norwood, NJ: Walter J. Johnson, Inc., 1977.

ISBN: 090-221-0843-0

 

A Boke Of The Properties of Herbes Called an Herball.  London: n.p. ,

1559 (?)

      could be the work of William Copland.

(on microfilm)

 

A Newe Herball of Macer, Translated out of Laten in to Englysshe.

London: Robert Wyer, 1543(?)

      Falsely attributed to Macer.

(on microfilm).

 

Have you found documentation for using the herb-infused sugars for

sweets/treat type usage?  When I made my sugar roset, I was surprised to

find that the use specified by Askham is purely medicinal in nature -

but boy, it tastes good!

 

Cainder

 

 

Date: Tue, 17 Feb 2004 08:24:35 -0500

From: "Barbara Benson" <vox8 at mindspring.com>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] herb -infused sugars

To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

 

> -Ardenia

> I've been working on herb-infused (ginger, lavender, rose) sugars, just

> because they're lovely in teas... but I'm hitting a wall when it comes to

> seeking out documentation.  Any suggestions?

 

In Sabina Welserin there is a pear tart recipe that calls for Rose Sugar.

Not being commercially available I set about making some.

 

What I dug up was the following:

ROSE SUGAR, in poem Naturen Bloeme (Flower of Nature) by Dutch poet Jacob

van Maerlant, written between 1265 and 1270. From "Rose Sugar and Other

Sweets" by Joop Witteveen, Petits Propos Culinaires, Number 20, 1985, pp

22-28.

1. "Rose sugar (suker rosaet) is made in the following way: rose petals that

have been rubbed fine with sugar are put in a glass jar and left in the sun

for 30 days; the contents must be stirred daily; the jar must be well sealed

and it will remain good for three years."

Witteveen says that "One could make this sugar not only from roses but also

from violets (Viola tricolor L. and Viola odorata L.) and later also from

borage and rosemary."

 

I dug this up on the web and that was the entirety of the quote. I know that

there are individuals on the list that have PPC and might be able to dig up

this issue and further enlighten us. I haven't made the pie yet, but I have

several jars of what looks like light brown sugar and smells like roses

(finally). For the first 20 days it just smelled like mown grass.

 

Serena da Riva

 

 

Date: Wed, 24 Mar 2004 09:59:24 -0500 (EST)

From: <jenne at fiedlerfamily.net>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Thanks and anpother sugar question...

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

 

> Many thanks to all of you who sent in information relevant to my sugar

> inquiries.  Your asistamce has been invaluable!    Now...

> Somehow...the moisture from the ginger root in the ginger flavored

> sugar) has leached into my sugar, turning it in to a mush, but not

> quite a syrup.  Does anyone have suggestions on ways to dry it back

> out without losing the flavor?

 

Lay it on a tray and expose it to the air; when it has dried, crush it

in a food processor.

 

Next time, you might consider getting lumps of dried ginger rather than

fresh, and crushing them with a hammer or chisel before making the

ginger sugar.

 

-- Jadwiga Zajaczkowa, Knowledge Pika jenne at fiedlerfamily.net

 

<the end>



Formatting copyright © Mark S. Harris (THLord Stefan li Rous).
All other copyrights are property of the original article and message authors.

Comments to the Editor: stefan at florilegium.org