salads-msg – 1/9/11
Period salads. lettuce, greens. Recipes.
NOTE: See also these files: herbs-msg, cook-flowers-msg, herbs-cooking-msg, vegetables-msg, vinegar-msg, cooking-oils-msg, lettuce-msg, greens-msg, olives-msg, celery-msg.
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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
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Thank you,
Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous
Stefan at florilegium.org
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Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
From: hwt at bcarh11a.bnr.ca (Henry Troup)
Subject: Re: Truth and Beauty
Organization: Bell-Northern Research Ltd., Ottawa, Canada
Date: Fri, 8 Oct 1993 14:07:23 GMT
ck290 at cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Chandra L. Morgan-Henley) writes:
|> dip recipes is that the people who ate plain raw vegetables
|> were most likely to be peasants, who ate whatever they had
|> available to eat and didn't take time out for fancy sauces
|> when crunching on a turnip for lunch during a long day in the
Well, Dear Poster of Silly Notes, I'm going to disagree politely.
(Would you like some salt for that turnip, my dear?)
Background: I was born in Scotland, my grandmother was "in service" in
a hotel in her youth, and my grandfather was a "scaffie" - a collector
of garbage for the city of Dundee. Great aunts, etc, were still
involved in farming. In short, I come from a modern peasant background.
(I'll conceed the modernity.)
My grandparents believed that raw vegetables, specifically root veg
like carrots, and turnips were actively harmful. We ate lots of root
veg, frequently in soups or stews. We did eat some salad in summer.
The extant medieval herbals and the like also held that raw vegetables
were harmful, "cold and wet" in the doctrine of humours.
So there's some evidence of a tradition in two points of at least some
people not eating raw turnip. The times in between are reasonably
documented too, and no where is the eating of much raw veg recorded.
Harry, a peasant by birth.
--
Henry Troup - H.Troup at BNR.CA (Canada) - BNR owns but does not share my opinions
A former member of a religious para military organization
From: ctallan at epas.utoronto.ca (Cheryl Tallan)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: raw vegetables
Date: 12 Oct 1993 14:32:18 -0400
Organization: EPAS Computing Facility, University of Toronto
jab2 at stl.stc.co.uk (Jennifer Ann Bray) writes:
>Ther has been a discussin going on whether the average peasant ever
>ate raw food. Here's my contribution:
As the "raw food" thread was started by me, I think I should clarify
matters.
Certainly medieval people ate raw vegetables. I would recommend that
anyone doubting this read Platina's _On Honest Indulgence_ (Venice,
1475) or the Salad recipe in _The Form of Curye_ (England, late 14th
century). The latter shows up in almost all of the modern "medieval" cookbooks.
I merely voiced doubts about the presence of "crudites" (ie. those
carrot and celery sticks) at noble feasts. Here in the SCA, they
appear at almost every feast (they seem to be second only to honey
butter in popularity) whereas one almost never sees a salad (never
mind one based on a medieval recipe, even though one is readily available).
Of course, I could start a whole new thread on the ever-present honey
butter. Does anyone know what leads folk to believe that this is
medieval. A friend and I were speculating some time ago that if
medieval nobles had really wanted to sweeten their butter for a feast
(and honey butter most often appears in a feast context) they would
more likely have used the then more expensive sugar...
David/Thomas
tallan at flis.utoronto.ca
From: jtn at nutter.cs.vt.edu (Terry Nutter)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Veggies
Date: 7 Oct 1993 21:37:11 GMT
Organization: The Rialto
Greetings, all, from Angharad ver' Rhuawn.
David Tallan writes,
>Yet. personally, I find a lack in cookbooks as a strong piece of
>evidence that medieval people *did not eat* carrot and celery sticks!
>For I cannot imagine that they could have eaten them for many
>generations with stumbling across the concept of "dip", much as they
>loved sauces. And a "dip" recipe they WOULD have written down and put
>with the sauces. The lack of such a trace is, to me, a pretty strong
>indication that, however they ate their vegetables, it probably wasn't
>as crudites.
(Assuming that we are talking about the upper classes:)
I'd agree except for one point. We know, from lots of evidence, that
they ate many salads. But the only surviving recipes I am aware
of that mention salad dressing call for vinegar and oil (and don't treat
them as constituting a separate "dressing", but just as shaken over the
salad).
Then again: fresh vegetables and fruits were only available in season.
While they aren't as "sexy" as something like beef, they are, in their
own way, more special. I suspect that they ate them pretty plainly --
though clearly often boiled -- but also that they ate them raw and plainly
in salads, and possibly more simply, because they were enjoying them while
they could.
Cheers,
-- Angharad/Terry
From: greg at bronze.lcs.mit.edu (Greg Rose)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Question about period food
Date: 4 Jan 1995 03:58:47 -0500
Organization: Guest of MIT AI and LCS labs
Greetings, all, from Angharad ver' Rhuawn.
Jerome of York asks,
>Our local group will shortly be having a small potluck, and I have been
>asked to bring a "salad-type" dish. I'd like to keep things as "period"
>as is possible, but I don't have any recipes that fit the bill. I recall
>having been told, long ago, that what we think of as "salads" are
>completely non-period...do any of you have a good recipe for this sort of
>vegetable based appetizer? I would *greatly* appreciate any help!
Fortunately for your situation, you were told wrong. Salads are
perfectly period, and were eaten far more widely than most people
dream of. (The household accounts of one archbishop actually mention
that he insisted on salad with every meal, for instance.)
One might expect that this is the sort of thing that is so simple that
no recipe would survive, but amazingly, one would be wrong. There's a
recipe for salad in _Forme of Curye_ (one of the best known collections
of recipes from period, dating to late 14th C England). I rather suspect
that it's actual purpose was to remind folks that there are more
interesting things to put in salads than simple leafy vegs. Anyhow,
the text is as follows:
Take persel, sawge, grene garlec, chibolles, oynouns, leek,
borage, myntes, porrettes, fenel, and toun cressis, rew,
rosemarye, purslarye; laue and waische hem clene. Pike hem.
Pluk hem small wi(th) (th)yn honde, and myng hem wel with
rawe oile; lay on vyneger and salt, and serue it forth.
Slightly modernized:
Take parsley, sage, green garlic, chiboles, onions, leeks,
borage, mint, poretts, fennel, and garden [town] cress,
rue, rosemary, parsley; lave and wash them clean. Pick
[the nasty bits out of] them. Pluck them small with your
hand, and mix them will with oil; add vinegar and salt,
and serve it forth.
Obviously, you'll have a hard time finding some of this stuff (I
wouldn't go looking for chiboles or poretts ;^}; rue and borrage
are tough too, though at least possible). And I wouldn't rule out
some lettuces, or spinach, or any readily available fresh herbs
(many supermarkets carry fresh basil these days, for example).
Things to avoid: tomatoes and bell peppers (New World). I know
that there are appropriate cucumbers, but haven't seen them in
recipes. I've seen recipes that call for radish, but am not
convinced as to the variety. Carrots appear to have been relatively
rare; I know of no English recipe that calls for them, and the
only French recipe I know of offhand includes immediately afterwards
a description of what they are, where to get them, and what they
cost -- indicating that the author (the Menagier) considered them
exotic enough that his young wife might not know what they are.
Hope this gives you some guidelines. Enjoy!
-- Angharad/Terry
From: greg at bronze.lcs.mit.edu (Greg Rose)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Question about period food
Date: 4 Jan 1995 04:11:55 -0500
Organization: Guest of MIT AI and LCS labs
Greetings, again, from Angharad. Looking over my recent response
to Jerome of York:
>One might expect that this is the sort of thing that is so simple that
>no recipe would survive, but amazingly, one would be wrong. There's a
>recipe for salad in _Forme of Curye_ (one of the best known collections
>of recipes from period, dating to late 14th C England).
Probably more information than Jerome ever wanted, but to clear up
a possible false inference....
On second glance, this sounds as if that's the only period recipe
for salad. Actually, not. For instance, Platina has a recipe for
"a salad of several greens", in among many vegetable recipes. (It
adds lettuce to the list explicitly, and catmint -- yes, catnip --
and chervil, all of which are available, if you're in the mood, as
well as some other rather less avaiable stuff, and that wonderful
standby, "other fragrant greens".) Also calls for a very simple
vinegar and oil dressing. (With all those herbs in the salad, who
needs more in the sauce?) He also has a separate section on preparing
endive, and lots of other stuff.
There are probably other recipes out there too; these are just the
ones that jump to mind.
In other words, live wildly!
-- Angharad/Terry
From: jlv at coho.halcyon.com (Vifian(s))
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Question about period food
Date: 4 Jan 1995 16:17:00 GMT
Organization: Northwest Nexus Inc.
Greetings from Jean Louis de Chambertin
greg at bronze.lcs.mit.edu (Greg Rose) writes:
>Greetings, all, from Angharad ver' Rhuawn.
<SNIP>
>Obviously, you'll have a hard time finding some of this stuff (I
>wouldn't go looking for chiboles or poretts ;^}; rue and borrage
>are tough too, though at least possible).
We have stopped using rue (although I think that we only had it available
in dried form) because of its reputation as an abortificant. I suspect
that the amounts that we would have used would have had negligible
effects, as probably would a few leaves in a salad, but not knowing this
for sure we have opted for the safer course of just not using it.
Jean Louis de Chambertin
jlv at halcyon.com
From: hairy at sloth.equinox.gen.nz (Phil Anderson)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Question about period food
Date: Thu, 05 Jan 95 10:16:23 GMT
Organization: Lethargy Inc
Angharad writes:
>Obviously, you'll have a hard time finding some of this stuff (I
>wouldn't go looking for chiboles or poretts ;^}; rue and borrage
>are tough too, though at least possible).
Borage tough to find? What sort of vicious climate have you _got_!?
That stuff is about the most combat-ready herb I ever saw. I guess I
haven't seen it in the supermarket, but once it's in the garden it's not
going away in a hurry...
While on the topic of herbs, anyone got suggestions for what to use
wormwood for? My plant seems to like its new home, so bits of it may as
well be pressed into service...
Edward Long-hair
Southron Gaard, Caid
From: tallison at mcs.com (Tim Allison)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Question about period food
Date: 4 Jan 1995 18:16:03 GMT
Organization: MCSnet
coren at teleport.com (Gary Heavysege) wrote:
> Our local group will shortly be having a small potluck, and I have been
> asked to bring a "salad-type" dish. I'd like to keep things as "period"
> as is possible, but I don't have any recipes that fit the bill. I recall
> having been told, long ago, that what we think of as "salads" are
> completely non-period...do any of you have a good recipe for this sort of
> vegetable based appetizer? I would *greatly* appreciate any help!
If you can hold of a book called Sallets Humbles and Shrewsbury Cakes, it
will help you with suggestions. The author is Ruth Ann Beebe. She agrees
that modern salads are totally non-period-they thought raw vegetables and
fruit were harmful-but they did occasionally eat them. Some possibilities
that involve currently available foods are boiled onions with vinegar and
oil, or samphire(whatever that is)with bean pods, aspauragus and
cucumbers, also with vinegar and oil, or olives and capers, or (this may
sound unlkely, but they're claiming documentation) young lettice, cabage,
purslan(pursley) and divers other hearbes(whatever's available, I guess).
This time the vinagrette has a little sugar added.
You might also went to check the rec.arts.cooking.historical newsgroup for
other suggestions.
Hope this is helpful. I went through the same problem years ago at a
Richard III Society potluck.
Caroline Richenda of the White Rose mka Carol Mitchell
--
Tim Allison
tallison at mcs.com
From: mujle at uxa.ecn.bgu.edu (Jennifer L Edwards)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Question about period food
Date: 9 Jan 1995 03:32:27 GMT
Organization: Educational Computing Network
Greg Rose (greg at bronze.lcs.mit.edu) wrote:
: Greetings, all, from Angharad ver' Rhuawn.
: One might expect that this is the sort of thing that is so simple that
: no recipe would survive, but amazingly, one would be wrong. There's a
: recipe for salad in _Forme of Curye_ (one of the best known collections
: of recipes from period, dating to late 14th C England). I rather suspect
: that it's actual purpose was to remind folks that there are more
: interesting things to put in salads than simple leafy vegs. Anyhow,
: the text is as follows:
: Take persel, sawge, grene garlec, chibolles, oynouns, leek,
: borage, myntes, porrettes, fenel, and toun cressis, rew,
: rosemarye, purslarye; laue and waische hem clene. Pike hem.
: Pluk hem small wi(th) (th)yn honde, and myng hem wel with
: rawe oile; lay on vyneger and salt, and serue it forth.
: Slightly modernized:
: Take parsley, sage, green garlic, chiboles, onions, leeks,
: borage, mint, poretts, fennel, and garden [town] cress,
: rue, rosemary, parsley; lave and wash them clean. Pick
: [the nasty bits out of] them. Pluck them small with your
: hand, and mix them will with oil; add vinegar and salt,
: and serve it forth.
: Obviously, you'll have a hard time finding some of this stuff (I
: wouldn't go looking for chiboles or poretts ;^}; rue and borrage
: are tough too, though at least possible). And I wouldn't rule out
: some lettuces, or spinach, or any readily available fresh herbs
: (many supermarkets carry fresh basil these days, for example).
: -- Angharad/Terry
Greetings from Gwenhwyvar Lawen, someone who cooks alot. I just thought
I'd add something to the advice given above. According to Hieatt and
Butler, the editors of the Early English Text Society's version of Curye
on Inglysch (where my copy of the Forme of Cury comes from), chybolles
are spring onions (US scallions), and porrettes are young leeks or green
onions. Also, when I make this salad and don't have all of the herbs
available fresh, I put dried herbs into the vinegar and oil dressing. It
turns out very well. I never use rue, as the herb book I have says that
strong doses are toxic and should never be taken internally without
strict medical supervision (that's good enough for me).
Pro cocto-
Gwenhwyvar Lawen
March of Lochmorrow, MK
Jennifer Edwards-Ring
Western Illinois University
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
From: destry at netcom.com (Fellwalker)
Subject: Re: Question about period food
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 261-4700 guest)
Date: Fri, 6 Jan 1995 23:45:55 GMT
Suze Hammond (Suze.Hammond at f56.n105.z1.fidonet.org) wrote:
: Is it a correct assumption that this lettuce would be more like one of the
: modern leaf lettuces, such as red or romaine, instead of iceberg heads?
I wish I had more reference on this,(I'm still working on that
carrot issue). Since there are at least 6 more types of lettuce than
I've ever seen in a grocery store, and since the types that are sold in
the US aren't the types that are popular in Europe (where most lettuces
were developed anyway)...it's probably not safe to assume that one (leaf)
is more period than the other (iceberg) without checking it out. For all
I can tell there's one that 's a crunchy leaf-head lettuce (not Romaine) that
could be older than either of them. (If anyone comes up with any info
please let me know and I'll add it to the research I come up with)
Also, Catmint (Nepeta mussinii) and Catnip (Nepeta cataria) are two
seperate herps (in the same family, obviously), although catmint could be
refering to catnip. (someone noted that Rue was used as an abortificant
and should probably be avoided for that reason...Catnip was historically
used in a tea to induce menstruation so pregnant women may want to avoid
it, also. (My SO drinks it occaisionally with no ill effects)
--
-- ...with rings on her fingers and bells on her toes... <destry at netcom.com>
From: kkeeler at unlinfo.unl.edu (kathleen keeler)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Cooking Question
Date: 10 May 1995 19:08:21 GMT
Organization: University of Nebraska--Lincoln
Margaret Griffith (peggieg at u.washington.edu) wrote:
: I have seen several references in sixteenth/seventeenth century cookbooks
: (Digby, etc.) to "Pot-herbs" (for examples, add to the pottage a
: collander of pot herbs...").
: Can anyone enlighten me as to what would constitute "pot herbs" in this
: time period?
: Thank you.
: Meg Penrose
Generally, "greens". Leaves to toss into the pot. For country folk,
stuff you didn't need to grow but could gather: leaves of lettuce,
chickweed (_Stellaria media_) shepherd's purse (_Capsella
bursa-pastoris_), purslane (_Portulaca olearcea_), watercress,
turnips, spinach, goosefoot (_Chenopodium album_), dandelion,
salad burnet, arugala to name a few I like.
For city folk, cheaply purchased leaves.
If we're talking Digby, then English rather than Italian edible wild
plants, and Culpeper (Complete Herbal) is a pretty good source as he
often mentions which are potherbs. Many American lawn weeds are period
potherbs, likely because they were repeatedly introduced by people who
wanted to eat them, and so became established in the New World.
But check any plant you don't purchase in a major market for safety in
2 modern herbals--a variety of period greens are considered unsafe
today. (2 herbals because authors vary greatly in their willingness
to express cautions).
Agnes/Kathy
kkeeler at unlinfo.unl.edu
From: alysk at ix.netcom.com(Elise Fleming )
Newsgroups: rec.food.historic,rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Pickled Lemons
Date: 21 Jan 1997 01:14:34 GMT
In <5c08ju$jla$1 at news.ptd.net> L Herr-Gelatt and J R Gelatt
<liontamr at postoffice.ptd.net> writes:
>I am searching for a source (unredacted) that will have directions for
>making Pickled Lemons and the other sorts of things that might be
>strewn upon a grand Elizabethan Salad.
Robert May, _The Accomplisht Cook, 4th edition, 1678, has "To pickle
Lemons" and says simply "Boil them in water and salt, and put them up
with white-wine."
May also includes a number of things for "sallats" which would include
the grand sallat. You may want to search out a copy. Ditto for
Gervase Markham's _The English Housewife_, 1615, as edited by Michael
Best. This you might find in a library. He includes a number of salad
ideas including carving carrots into fantastic shapes and making
"strange sallats" with flowers composed of parts of vegetables. May
would be an excellent resource.
May also has "Of pickling sallats" where he says "...they are only
boiled, and then drained from the water, spread upon a table, and a
good store of salt thrown over them, then when they are thorough cold,
make a pickle with water, salt, and a little vinegar, and with the same
pot them up in close earthen pots, and serve them forth as occasion
shall serve."
Seems to me there was at least one other reference to pickled lemons
but I can't find it right now.
Elise/Alys
From: Uduido at aol.com
Date: Tue, 15 Apr 1997 23:03:32 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: SC - Recipe
OK. Here's my first one. This is a very tasty salad that I redacted from the
Charles Perry translation of The Baghdad Cookery Book, 1226 C.E. which is
found in Duke Coriadoc's "Collection of Medieval and Renaissance Cookbooks".
To serve 100 multiply by 20, etc.
......................
DRY CURDS WITH VEGETABLES
1/8 cp fresh mint, chopped finely
1 stalk celery, chopped finely
1 leek (white part only), choppped finely
1 lb. cottage cheese (large curd), drained in a colander in a cool place over
night
Salt, to taste
1/2 tsp dry mustard, fine ground
1/2 cp walnuts, finely chopped
Mix mint, celery and leek together. Add drained cottage cheese. Mix well. Add
salt and dry mustard. Mix thoroughly. Sprinkle walnuts across top. Serves 5.
(The Baghdad Cookery Book; 1226 c.e.)
(Trans: Charles Perry, pub. Duke Coriadoc of the Bow
"A Collection of Medieval and Renaissance Cookbooks")
Redaction by Lord Ras al Zib
From: Uduido at aol.com
Date: Wed, 16 Apr 1997 17:07:55 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Re: SC - Re: Spice Use and Food Poisoning, etc.
In a message dated 97-04-16 04:06:38 EDT, you write:
<< If you try eating the dandelion greens and other wild herbs, you will
find them to be quite bitter.>>
Bring to a boil; drain. Repeat 2 x more. The bitterness is then almost
non-existenant and even mild when compared with endive, etc.
<< A great deal of game has a strong taste compared to our supermarket
meats. These would be very good reasons to add sugar to so many foods and to
use many spices. Given the natural foods and the use of verjuice in so many
receipts, I think that medieval preferances must have been rather different
from ours. Personally, I don't much like 'sour' and do not at all enjoy 'bitter'. >>
When I was growing up a flask of vinegar always was at the table at every
meal to slosh onto spinach and other green vegetables. Dandelions were ALWAYS
served with vinegar and bacon.. Other foods such as sauerkraut, sauerbraten,
salad dressings of all sorts, etc. leap to mind. IMHO, I don't think the
taste for vinegar (read verjuice or sour has changed for certain populations.
General tastes for most Americans have changed but we're generally wierd
anyway and our food was described as tasting like "cardboard" by a Japanese
friend of mine.
Lord Ras
From: Mark Schuldenfrei <schuldy at abel.MATH.HARVARD.EDU>
Date: Mon, 21 Apr 1997 10:52:55 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Re: SC - Re: Spice Use and Food Poisoning, etc.
Lord Ras wrote:
When I was growing up a flask of vinegar always was at the table at every
meal to slosh onto spinach and other green vegetables. Dandelions were ALWAYS
served with vinegar and bacon.
Very period. Modernly, saute those greens in a mild broth with some orange
juice... You'll love it.
Period style, see below.
Tibor
Leafy Greens ("Joutes", Harleian MS 279, #3)
Sources found in "Take a Thousand Eggs or More", Cindy Renfrow, 1991.
Leafy Greens, or Joutes
"Joutes. Take Borage, Vyolet, Malwys, Percely, Yong Wortys, Bete, Auence,
Longebeff, wyth Orage and o(th)er, pyke hem clene, and caste hem on a
vessel, and boyle hem a goode whyle; (Th)an take hem and presse hem on
a fayre bord, an hew hem ryght smal, an put whyte brede (th)er-to, an
grynd wyth-al; an (th)an caste hem in-to a fayre potte, an gode freshe
brothe y-now (th)er-to (th)orw a straynowr, [& caste] (th)er-to .ii. or
.iii. Marybonyes, or elles fayre freshe brothe of beff, and let hem sethe
to-gederys a whyle: an (th)an caste (th)er-to Safron, and let hem sethe
to-gederys a whyle, an(th)an caste (th)er-to safron and salt; and serue
it forth in a dysshe, an bakon y-boyled in a-no(th)er dysshe, as men seruyth
furmenty wyth venyson."
This dish calls for many spring greens. I could not find most of those, and
therefore chose to use other, more available but still period greens. I
also converted this to a Lenten recipe by substituting vegetable broth for
beef broth or marrow. I expect you may use any greens you choose. Of
course, this being Lenten, no boiled bacon for you... I omited salt, as it
appears in the bouillion
2 cups each of the following greens: broccoli rabe, Chard, Kale, Parsley.
1/2 vegetable boullion cube
1 cup plain breadcrumbs
pinch saffron
Wash, dry, pick over and de-stem the various greens. Place a cup or so of
water in the bottom of a pot. Boil, and once it is boiling, place the
greens in the pot. Stir frequently, until the greens color intensifies, and
they become softer. Don't bother over-boiling: they cook another time.
Take off the heat, drain and dry carefully. I used both a salad spinner,
and pressed them between two plates lined with paper towel. Chop finely by
hand, or as I did in a food processor.
Heat a cup or so of water in the pot, and dissolve the boullion cube and the
saffron in the water. Once it boils, add the vegetables, and the bread
crumbs, a little at a time. The crumbs should sort of bind the vegetables
together a little, but not really change the color of the dish. Heat until
it begins to stick together.
From: zarlor at acm.org (Lenny Zimmermann)
Date: Tue, 03 Jun 1997 17:42:28 GMT
Subject: Re: SC - Mediterranean Feast
While not as "Mediterranean" in style as Greece or Turkey, there are
an exceptional number of salads and fruit/veggie dishes listing in
"The Fruit, Herbs & Vegetables of Italy. An offering to Lucy, Countess
of Bedford", by Giacomo Castelvetro. The original is in Italian and
written in 1614 (just a hair post period). I tend to have the greatest
interest in Late Renaissance Italian cuisine, so this and Platina are
my current bibles. ;-) The copy I have is put out by Viking Press,
with Introduction and Translation by Gillian Riley (c) 1989 and
Foreword by Jane Grigson. ISBN 0-670-82724X. I am not sure if this
book is even in print any longer, but Amazon.Com was able to come up
with a copy for me.
The basic Italian salad would consist of greens (yes, including
lettuce) placed in a bowl rubbed with garlic and sprinkled with
vinegar, salt and (usually olive) oil. (Modern Italian salads, at
least in Northern Italy, are pretty much the same thing to this day.
Dump the "Italian Dressing"! ;-))
To be more specific, Castelvetro proclaims:"Of all the salads we eat
in the spring, the mixed salad is the best and most wonderful of all.
Take young leaves of mint, those of garden cress, basil, lemon balm,
the tips of salad burnet, tarragon, the flowers and tenderest leaves
of borage, the flowers of swine cress, the young shoots of fennel,
leaves of rocket, of sorrel, rosemary flowers, some sweet violets, and
the tenderest leaves or the hearts of lettuce. When these precious
herbs have been picked clean and washed in several waters, and dried a
little with a clean linen cloth, they are dressed as usual, with oil,
salt and vinegar." Let me reiterate that drying part, I know quite a
few people who can't stand going to a restaurant and having a puddle
of water at the bottom of their salad bowl. It is apparently
unappetizing to some people.
If you had some specific flavors or styles in mind, let me know and
I'll see what M. Castelvetro has to say about them. The listings are
by season and then, generally, by fruit/herb/veggie. Oh, and one of my
favorites is the listing under Sweet Fennel (it has a seed that tastes
like licorice): "Fennel Seeds are gathered in the autumn. We flavour
various dishes with them, and eat them on their own after meals." So
now I always have a little dish with Fennel Seeds to "sweeten the
breath" after a feast. It just seems like such a nice little touch.
Honos Servio,
Lionardo Acquistapace, Barony of Bjornsborg, Ansteorra
(mka Lenny Zimmermann, San Antonio, TX)
zarlor at acm.org
From: zarlor at acm.org (Lenny Zimmermann)
Date: Fri, 06 Jun 1997 16:27:54 GMT
Subject: Re: SC - medieval Italian salads
On Thu, 5 Jun 1997 17:01:19 -0500 (CDT), Stefan li Rous wrote:
[brief description of late period Italian salad snipped]
>I'm not sure if I understand this description or not. Are you saying
>that the empty bowl is rubbed with garlic and sprinkled with
>vinegar, salt and oil and then the salad is added? Rather than the
>salad being rubbed with garlic and then sprinkled with the other
>items?
>
>Definitely a different effect than "modern"salads. It seems like most
>of the garlic taste would end up on the bowl and not in the salad and
>that the medieval salad would be much drier.
Apparently Castelvetro is indeed proclaiming that the bowl itself is
rubbed with garlic. Personally I would go for this technique in a
salad anyways, instead of chopping garlic into it, because garlic can
be a bit strong. This way that hint of garlic would be imparted on the
flavor of the salad. Especially since we are used to finely chopped
garlic that has been made milder by a form of pickling in modern Italian
dressings. The rubbing on the inside of a bowl will certainly impart
some of the stronger oils there providing a scent as well at allowing
some of the oils to rub off onto the leaves. Besides, the garlic is
optional since not all of his salad recipes use it.
Now for the fuller explanation, Castelvetro basically states that in
Italy a good salad is made by taking herbs, such as mint, garden
cress, basil, fennel shoots, edible flowers, rosemary and tender
leaves or hearts of lettuce. All should be washed several times, (He
discusses swishing them in a bowl of water and draining several times
until all of the sand and gunk is off of them) dried well on a linen
cloth (the reason well explained by a good gentle in an earlier
posting) and then placed into a bowl which has some salt in it. The
herbs and salt are then thoroughly stirred together and oil is added
"with a generous hand" and again stirred "so that each leaf is
properly coated with oil". Then vinegar is added last of all, but just
a bit to provide a good flavor.
Castelvetro proclaims, "The secret to a good salad is plenty of salt,
generous oil and little vinegar". He also states that his experiences
in other countries show that Germans take poorly washed leaves and
without draining or drying will put on just a little salt, too much
oil and far too much vinegar, generally producing a more decorative
effect to the detriment of the flavor of the salad.
He also proclaims that the English are "worse" and that after a very
poor washing of the salad (he almost questions if the salads are
washed at all) that a good deal of vinegar is then put on the salad
and is not stirred in with either oil or salt, both of which are added
at the table. (Which implies that vials of oil and salt shakers were
evident as condiments already on the table in England by the early
17th Century. At least in the places Castelvetro went to. Kinda cool,
eh?)
Remember the accounts above are by an Italian traveling into areas of
these other countries, so while we might deduce that the English MAY
prefer more Vinegar than Germans or Italians, in general, we cannot
truly take into account what the real preferences were. After all,
Castelvetro may have just eaten at the "wrong" places.
So if you mean that a Renaissance salad was drier than an American
salad, where we usually pour on a big glob of dressing, then you are
probably quite right. But such salads were not completely "dry", since
Castelvetro expected the leaves to be lightly coated with (usually
olive) oil. Just remember that this is for a specific time and place
and that a hundred years earlier it's possible that people in Padua
despised salads, while those in Milano could have eaten vast
quantities with lots of vinegar, no oil and parmesan cheese (wild
examples only with no bearing on historical fact).
Honos Servio,
Lionardo Acquistapace, Bjornsborg
(mka Lenny Zimmermann, San Antonio)
zarlor at acm.org
Date: Mon, 4 Aug 1997 15:20:07 -0400 (EDT)
From: Gretchen M Beck <grm+ at andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re: SC - Re: SCA myths
Excerpts from internet.listserv.sca-cooks: 4-Aug-97 Re: SC - Re: SCA
myths by Stephen Bloch at adl15.adel
> Although I consider it quite likely that "some vegetables were often
> eaten raw" (and fruits, for that matter, although medieval medical books
> seem to consider both unhealthy), and that the "recipes" were too simple
> to write down, I wonder what evidence we DO have for the practice.
There are period recipes for herb salad that don't require cooking.
Platina mentions eating various greens raw, including lettece, colewort,
endive, ox-tongue, purslain, and chicory. There is also a mention that
eating turnips without cooking them causes inflammations and
obstructions, which I believe is an indication that they were
occasionally eaten raw.
toodles, margaret
Date: Tue, 5 Aug 1997 19:42:42 -0500
From: gfrose at cotton.vislab.olemiss.edu (Terry Nutter)
Subject: Re: SC - period salads
Hi, Katerine here. Stefan asked for pointers to the salads from Platina.
I don't do much work from Platina, and I'm not in the mood to dig them
out at the moment, but here's one from Forme of Cury (recipe 78, page
115 in Cury on Inglysch):
Salat. Take persel, sawge, grene garlec, chibolles,
oynouns, leek, borage, myntes, porettes, fenel, and
toun cressis, rew, rosemarye, purslarye; laue and
waische hem clene. Pike hem. Pluk hem small wi[th]
[th]yn honde, any myng hem wel with rawe oile; lay on
vyneger and salt, and serue it forth.
In more Modern language:
Salad. Take parsley, sage, green garlic, scallions
[possibly spring onions], onions, leeks, borage, mint,
young leeks [or green onions], fennel [the bulb], and
town cress [or water cress for a close analog], rue,
rosemary, purslane; lave and wash them clene ["lave"
means "wash" too]. Pick them [to remove bad bits].
Pluck them small with your hands, and mix them well
with oil; lay on vinegar and salt, and serve.
I wouldn't feel compulsive about finding everything. This *is* a salad.
Some of the things that make it different from most modern salads are
the large number of herbs (fresh clearly best in this context), the
use of leeks, the fennel and cress, and the simple variety. All of
those are easy enough to reproduce in small quantity, and possible
even in feast amounts. You will also notice that lettuce is conspicuously
absent! Not to say that the English didn't eat it in salads; it's
conspicuously absent from the recipe corpur, but they grew it, and
ate it somehow. Just, it's possible to make a green salad without it.
Enjoy!
- -- Katerine/Terry
Date: Thu, 07 Aug 1997 15:42:28 GMT
From: zarlor at acm.org (Lenny Zimmermann)
Subject: Re: SC - period salads
On the questions about salads in period I can only offer what I have
on Renaissance Italian styles. I had posted a couple of months ago
what Castelvetro wrote on salads, so I will not repeat that again. (If
you really want that post I can e-mail it privately for those who had
not seen it.) That was just slightly post period (1614) and probably
quite relevant for a late 16th century salat. He does list lettuce
varieties of capucina and romana (or Cos) lettuce. Purslane and endive
appear to be popular lettuce-like substitutes or additions for use in
salads.
So, now I will pull it back to Platina (Venice, Italy, 1475).In his
"On Honest Indulgence and Good Health" he covers a bit on lettuce
stating that there are several varieties available and that
Lacticaulis, Sessilis and Crispa are the best. (All lettuce is
considered cold and damp, for those that care). He also lists
goat-lettuce and Serralia lettuce. He states that lettuce can, and
often is, eaten plain with a sprinkle of ground salt, a little oil and
a little more vinegar. "There are those who add a little mint and
parsley to this preparation, so that it does not seem too bland". I'll
skip the bit about cooking lettuce.
Platina then goes on to endive, which he considers a type of lettuce.
It is also prepared in the same way as lettuce. He also lists a wide
variety of other raw leafy vegetables and how to prepare them, but our
interest is more on:
"On preparing a salad of several greens.
A preparation of several greens is made with lettuce, bugloss, mint,
catmint, fennel, parsley, sisymbrium, origan, chervil, cicerbita which
doctors call teraxicon, plantain, morella, and several other fragrant
greens, well washed and pressed and put in a large dish. Sprinkle them
with a good deal of salt and blend with oil, then pour vinegar over it
all when it has sat a little; it should be eaten and well chewed
because wild greens are tough. This sort of salad needs a little more
oil than vinegar. It is more suitable in winter than in summer,
because it requires much digestion and this is stronger in winter."
For those of you who think you can better figure out the ingredients
from the original Latin:
"CONDITUM Padodopum.
It item cenditu pandodopu ex lactuca: buglesso: meno: ceripholio:
cicerbita: qua teraxicon: laceda: qua arnaglossam medici uocat:
morella: foeniculi flore: ac plersiq; alus odoriferis herbis: bene
lotis: expressisq; pa tina ampla requnut: sale perfuso ubi paululum
resederit: eau? syluatica durities comedenda: ac bene dendibus
coterenda sunt. Hoc coditu plusculu olei & minus aceti requirit. Hieme
magis q aestate conuenit: qa plus concoctionis: quae hieme valida est
requirit."
My copy is tough to read and I don't know Latin, so assume any
transcription errors above are mine.
On a related note about the boiled onions, Platina says this about
preparing onions, for those that might be interested:
"The onion is also cooked under the ashes and coals until all the
rawness is steamed out of it; when it has cooled it is chopped finely
and put in a dish with salt and oil and defrutum, or rolled in must.
There are those who also sprinkle the onion with pepper or cinnamon."
Castelvetro in 1614 wrote this of onions:
"Cooked onions: When there are no spring onions, we make a salad of
roasted onions seasoned with crushed pepper. This is tastier and more
wholesome than eating them boiled. Onions without pepper are excellent
for clearing up the sort of bad cough that lingers after a cold."
I hope that some of you find that useful!
Honos Servio,
Lionardo Acquistapace, Barony of Bjornsborg, Ansteorra
(mka Lenny Zimmermann, San Antonio, TX)
zarlor at acm.org
Date: Thu, 23 Oct 1997 11:20:16 +1100 (EST)
From: Charles McCN <charlesn at sunrise.srl.rmit.edu.au>
Subject: Re: SC - vegetarian dish help please
There is something in the british museum cookbook for medieval (I think)
called a Salat. It is basically a colloection of green stuff, adding
herbs that would be around, and leaving out the iceberg lettuce which (so
I have been told - anyone know?) was developed in 17th C. Anyway, it is
on the web at
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/People/mjw/recipes/ethnic/historical/med-european-coll.html
What period did you have in mind?
Charles
Date: Wed, 4 Mar 1998 16:47:57 -0000
From: "Yeldham, Caroline S" <csy20688 at GlaxoWellcome.co.uk>
Subject: RE: SC - Spring Foods Brain Buster
> The whole thought of these luscious leafy little morsels makes my mouth
> water...and my mind wonder about what exactly we can find in the way of
> documentation for serving a dish of greens with dressing. I have found
> "boiled salad", salad of Lemons (basically a preserved peel dish, from a
> Book of Fruits and Flowers), directions for cooking spinach into a tart, or
> to boil and then fry it strewing on spices etc... I am wondering if anyone
> has found a recipe for FRESH GREENS served in the way of a modern salad.
> Salad is almost always a component of the feasts in the current middle ages
> (regardless of the season). How did that happen? Is it convenience, cost, or
> modern tastes intruding upon our attempt at re-creation? Sometimes the
> simple questions about feast management are the ones that challenge you!
>
[Yeldham, Caroline S] And by great co-incidence I'm working on
Formond's list of plants dated to c 1500 (he died 1542/3 but the handwriting
dates it to around 1500 - this information from John Hervey's Early
Gardening Catalogues 1972 SBN 85033 021 1 published by Phillimore). the
text is also known as Sloane MS 1201 in the British Museum.
He gives something like 100 plants for gardens under the headings of
' for potage', 'for sauce', 'for the copp', 'for a Salade', ; to stylle',
'for savour and beaute', 'rotys for a gardyn' and 'for a herber'. BTW if
anyone knows what 'for the copp' or to stylle' mean, I'd love to know.
'For a Salade' is
'buddes of Stanmarche, vyollete flourez, perceley, redmyntes, syves,
cresse of boleyn, purselan, ramsons, calamyntes, prime rose buddus, dayses,
rapouses, daundelyon, rokete, red nettell, borage flourz, croppus of Red
fenell, selbestryune, chykynwede'
the one that puzzled me was 'selbestryune', which John Harvey
identifies as ? Herb Trinity, viola tricolour.
Lettuce (or letuse or letyse) does appear on the list, but under
pottage.
By John Aubrey's time (17th century) he identifies lettuce as the
basis for any salad.
> A) Has anyone found a recipe or reference to serving fresh, raw greens (with
> acoutrements) such as we find in a modern salad? If so, how might the dish
> have differed to the "modern" interpretation of a dinner salad? What about
> the dressing (if any)? If the salad differes considerably to modern
> interpretations, what would the finished dish be like?
[Yeldham, Caroline S] As for dressings, I've references to oil and
verjuice, but I'll have to hunt them out
> A.1)What about sprouts? Were they a consumed food (apart from barley
> sprouts that were used for beer-making)?
[Yeldham, Caroline S] Not seen anything to suggest it.
> B) What sorts of greens might be involved in a period salad? How might they
> differ from region to region?
[Yeldham, Caroline S] Not just greens! Lots of flowers as well -
wonderful visual opportunity! In the banquet I did in October I got the
people making them up to use pomegranate seeds as decoration - they looked
wonderful
> C) Does salad appear in every culture we study, or just western Europe?
>
> D) Does the nature of Salad evolve through the middle ages and rennaisance,
> or remain constant? Are there "fad" salads that may have been popular at
> one time?
[Yeldham, Caroline S] There's the Elizabethan Salmagundy (not seen
earlier references) which involves meat and fish or eggs as well as the
usual range of herbs etc.
> E) Where in the meal might we expect the salad to occur? Why?
[Yeldham, Caroline S] Gervase Markham has the start of any dinner
being 3 salads, one boiled but the other two fresh greens. I tend to serve them either there, or with the lighter dishes on the second course.
> F) Why might our modern cooks avoid serving preserved fruits and
> vegetables,
> and how does that slant our perception of what a "real feast" would have
> been like?
[Yeldham, Caroline S] I've used pickled walnuts, pickled samphire
and olives in salads, which have worked well. My problem is transporting
glass jars around the countryside, with the risk of breaking them, so I
prefer to minimise the use of glass. However I do hope to pickle broombuds
and barberries this year!
Almost forgot - sweetmeats of all sorts - I do try to take those
along too!
Caroline
Date: Wed, 04 Mar 1998 15:17:09 -0500
From: Woeller D <angeliq1 at erols.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Spring Foods Brain Buster
> [Yeldham, Caroline S] 'For a Salade' is
>
> 'buddes of Stanmarche, vyollete flourez, perceley, redmyntes, syves,
> cresse of boleyn, purselan, ramsons, calamyntes, prime rose buddus, dayses,
> rapouses, daundelyon, rokete, red nettell, borage flourz, croppus of Red
> fenell, selbestryune, chykynwede'
>
> the one that puzzled me was 'selbestryune', which John Harvey
> identifies as ? Herb Trinity, viola tricolour.
Also known as Helen Mount Viola, or popularly (around here, anyways) as
'Johnny Jump Up'. It is a hardy perennial, which looks like a miniature
purple, lavender and yellow pansy. Seeds are fairly widely avaiable,
usually listed as Viola tricolor. They are a charming, easy to grow,
readily self-sowing flower (they can take on the propagation properties
of a weed, if you aren't careful) I have previously used the flowers as
a very pretty addition in salads, but a recent post on this list
identified pansies as poisonous, and I believe they are fairly closely
related, so I'm not sure if they're truly safe. If I find out more, I'll
pass it on.
Bon chance,
Angelique
Date: 4 Mar 1998 12:45:14 -0800
From: "Marisa Herzog" <marisa_herzog at macmail.ucsc.edu>
Subject: Re: SC - Spring Foods Brain
<snip>identified pansies as poisonous, and I believe they are fairly closely
All of my research has shown viola, violets, pansies, johny-jump-ups, etc. as
safe and edible-
- -brid
Date: Wed, 4 Mar 1998 16:51:28 -0400
From: renfrow at skylands.net (Cindy Renfrow)
Subject: RE: SC - Spring Foods Brain Buster
<snip>
> [Yeldham, Caroline S] And by great co-incidence I'm working on
>Formond's list of plants dated to c 1500 (he died 1542/3 but the handwriting
>dates it to around 1500 - this information from John Hervey's Early
>Gardening Catalogues 1972 SBN 85033 021 1 published by Phillimore). the
>text is also known as Sloane MS 1201 in the British Museum.
>
> He gives something like 100 plants for gardens under the headings of
>' for potage', 'for sauce', 'for the copp', 'for a Salade', ; to stylle',
>'for savour and beaute', 'rotys for a gardyn' and 'for a herber'. BTW if
>anyone knows what 'for the copp' or to stylle' mean, I'd love to know.
Hello! My hunch is 'for the copp', means literally 'for the cup', i.e.,
herbs to be used to make wine or other beverages, or perhaps to be eaten
with wine as a sop. To 'stylle' means to distill.
> 'For a Salade' is
>
> 'buddes of Stanmarche, vyollete flourez, perceley, redmyntes, syves,
>cresse of boleyn, purselan, ramsons, calamyntes, prime rose buddus, dayses,
>rapouses, daundelyon, rokete, red nettell, borage flourz, croppus of Red
>fenell, selbestryune, chykynwede'
>
> the one that puzzled me was 'selbestryune', which John Harvey
>identifies as ? Herb Trinity, viola tricolour.
Gerard has a short section on obsolete English names of plants:
"Stanmarch is Alisander." Selbestryune is not listed there or in the
index, or in the various names for Viola tricolor (Iacea, Herba Trinitatis,
herb Trinitie, Herba Clauellata, Pensees). (Or in Culpeper, Rohde, or
Britton & Brown.)
Cindy/Sincgiefu
renfrow at skylands.net
Date: Thu, 5 Mar 1998 00:16:00 +0000
From: "Robin Carroll-Mann" <harper at idt.net>
Subject: Re: SC - Spring Foods Brain Buster
And it came to pass on 4 Mar 98, that L Herr-Gelatt and J R Gelatt
wrote:
> I am wondering if anyone has found a recipe for FRESH
> GREENS served in the way of a modern salad.
> A) Has anyone found a recipe or reference to serving fresh, raw
> greens (with acoutrements) such as we find in a modern salad?
> Aoife
I do not have a salad recipe per se, but some information on which
vegetables were eaten raw in 15th century Spain. The _Arte Cisoria_,
written in 1423, is a carving manual which explains the proper way
to cut up a wide variety of foodstuffs. Here is a list of vegetables
which are eaten uncooked. (Note that some veggies were to be served
either raw or cooked in various ways.)
Carrots
Parsnips
Artichokes
Lettuce (the author explains how to cut lettuce, then specifies that
the ones which are to be cooked do not need cutting. From this I
gather that some lettuces were eaten raw.)
Turnips -- sometimes eaten raw, when tender.
Radishes -- sprinkled with salt after cutting to release their
juices
There is no mention of combining vegetables into a salad, nor of
dressings, but then, this is a carving manual and not a cookbook.
Lady Brighid ni Chiarain of Tethba
Barony of Settmour Swamp, East Kingdom
mka Robin Carroll-Mann *** harper at idt.net
Date: Sat, 14 Mar 1998 07:31:38 -0500
From: "Tina Carney" <brighid at iserv.net>
Subject: Re: SC - salads
This question about salads has probably already been answered but here is a
recipe I have, supposedly from the Boke of Nurture c.1460
Take parsel, sawge, garlec, chibollas, onions, leek, borage, myntes,
porrectes, fenel and ton tressis, rew, rosemarye, purslayne, lave, and wash
them clene. Pike hem, pluk hem small with thyn hond and myng hem wel with
rawe oile. Lay on vynegar and salt and serve it forth.
Brighid the Ageless
living the canton of Rimsholt
in the Glorious Middle Kingdom
Date: Sat, 14 Mar 1998 12:36:55 -0600
From: "Decker, Terry D." <TerryD at Health.State.OK.US>
Subject: RE: SC - salads
> This question about salads has probably already been answered but here is a
> recipe I have, supposedly from the Boke of Nurture c.1460
>
> Take parsel, sawge, garlec, chibollas, onions, leek, borage, myntes,
> porrectes, fenel and ton tressis, rew, rosemarye, purslayne, lave, and wash
> them clene. Pike hem, pluk hem small with thyn hond and myng hem wel with
> rawe oile. Lay on vynegar and salt and serve it forth.
>
> Brighid the Ageless
According to Lorna Sass, the recipe is from the Forme of Cury (c. 1390
approx.). Your particular copy was probably taken from Sass' To the Kings
Taste and wrongfully attributed to John Russell's Boke of Nurture because of
the quote which precedes the recipe in Sass' book. "Beware of saladis,
grene metis, and of frutes rawe." -- John Russell, Boke of Nurture (c.
1460). Unfortunately, I do not have copies of the originals to verify this.
Bear
Date: Sat, 20 Jun 1998 15:01:42 -0500
From: allilyn at juno.com (LYN M PARKINSON)
Subject: Re: SC - Borage
A question was asked, regarding documentaion for borage.
IV 78. Salat. Take persel, sawge, grene garlec, chibolles, leek,
borage, myntes, porrettes, fenel, and toun cressis, rew, rosemarye,
purslarye; laue and waische hem clene. Pike hem. Pluk hem small wi(th)
(th)yn honde, and myng hem wel with rawe oile; lay on vyneger and salt,
and serue it forth. p.115.
Hieatt, Constance & Sharon Butler. CURYE ON INGLYSCH. Oxford University
Press. 1985.
The Fromond List, c. 1525, gives uses for borage as both herbs for
pottage and herbs for salad.It is not starred, as a native plant. This
means that the plant was imported into England.
Landsberg, Sylvia. The Medieval Garden. Thames & Hudson, 1995. ISBN
0-500-01691-7. Thames & Hudson, Inc. 500 Fifth Avenue, NY 10110.
The history section on borage gives several Latin possible
interpretations for the name, quotes a Roman verse in Latin, "Ego, Borage
Gaudia semper ago." (I, Borage, bring always courage). She quotes
Pliny "maketh a man merry and joyfull." He claimed that borage steeped
in wine was the famous Nepenthe of Homer. A 17thC. quote, also. Candied
flowers were given to persons recovering from long illnesses and those
prone to swooning, Still called 'cool-ankard' in England, etc. p. 53.
Keville, Kathi. Herbs, An Illustrated Encyclopedia. A Complete
Culinary, Cosmetic, Medicinal, and Ornamental Guide. Barnes &
Noble, NY, 1997. ISBN 0 7607 0486 4.
Allison
Date: Tue, 23 Jun 1998 11:41:19 +0100
From: "Yeldham, Caroline S" <csy20688 at GlaxoWellcome.co.uk>
Subject: RE: SC - Borage
> Alison posted:
>
> The Fromond List, c. 1525, gives uses for borage as both herbs for
> pottage and herbs for salad.It is not starred, as a native plant. This
> means that the plant was imported into England.
> Landsberg, Sylvia. The Medieval Garden. Thames & Hudson, 1995. ISBN
> 0-500-01691-7. Thames & Hudson, Inc. 500 Fifth Avenue, NY 10110.
Sylvia Landsberg has this slightly wrong. The starring on the Fromond
list does not necessarily mean it is a native plant; it means it does not
appear on a 13th century list of plants which was used as a comparison by
the later writer who published the list (and MLAH and I can't remember his
name). This may mean it was introduced between the 13th and the end of
the 15th century, but there are other possible explanations (the 13th
century writer didn't happen to use it, he forgot it when making his list,
he didn't like it or didn't approve of it so left it off the list). The
other point to make is that the 13th century list isn't necessarily a list
of native plants - there were introductions before the 13th century.
Caroline
Date: Fri, 26 Jun 1998 19:14:22 EDT
From: LrdRas at aol.com
Subject: SC - Will's- more recipes
Here are the few recipes my co-feastocrat at Will's Revenge, His Lordship
Thorstein, was willing to share. :-) Sorry for the lack of documentation but
this isn't my work. Enjoy. They are wonderful. :-)
<snip of other recipes>
Salat
Salad greens (avoid iceberg lettuce)
1 tbs. each fresh chopped parsley, sage, mint, and any other available,
suitable herbs
1-2 bunches scallions, sliced
1-3 cloves garlic, minced
optional: 2-3 small leeks finely sliced
optional: 2-3 tbs. chopped chives
* cup salad oil (preferably olive)
3 tbs. vinegar
1* tsp. salt
Wash and tear up greens. When well drained, put in bowl or bowls and add
sliced scallions and leeks. Herbs, garlic, and oil may be added now, with
the salt and vinegar reserved for the last minute, or if you prefer, mix herbs,
garlic, oil, vinegar and salt as you normally would a salad dressing and add
all at the same time just before serving. Mix and toss in the usual way
Date: Fri, 09 Oct 1998 07:03:49 -0400
From: Phil & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>
Subject: Pre-mixed field greens - was: Re: SC - salads (long)
needlwitch at msn.com wrote, re premixed field greens:
> Yep, I have gotten it many times at stores in my area. It beats iceberg
> salads hands down. Kind of spoiled me I guess. And it is fun trying to
> identify all the different greens. It does cost a bit more, though it is
> well worth it, IMHO.
Yes, this is good stuff. You can find it at good greenmarkets, farmer's
markets, and maybe some supermarkets, for all I know. Sold as "mixed field
greens" of "mesclun". I usually order it in 3- or 5-lb boxes: a box goes a
long way because these greens are much lighter than lettuce: you get maybe 35
- - 50 good-sized servings from a box, depending on whether it's a 3 or a 5
- -pounder.
It also generally comes prewashed and pretrimmed, ready for dressing and
serving. A quick look for various, uh, forest floor items might not be such a
bad idea though. Let's say it is clean and ready to serve 98% of the time,
within my experience, and is full of various animal byproducts and hunks of
wood the other 2% of the time. On the other hand, washing it just in case can
hurt the greens, so that should be avoided too, because some of these greens
are really very delicate. (At Bouley we were forbidden to run tap water on
them, to avoid breakage; we had to fill a sink and slowly immerse
them...possibly a bit excessive, but when you're taking someone else's money,
etc.) Drying them afterwards can also be a problem, since salad spinners tend
to be rather small. One trick I encountered is to gather your greens up in a
small tablecloth, hold onto the corners and swing the greens around like a
centrifuge. For events, I recommend finding burly fighter types, the original
food processors!
As for the compromised periodicity of the greens being used in the mix, it's
true there are some lettuces involved, and lettuces would not have appeared in
the average European salad until well after the Middle Ages, but many greens
that _would_ likely have been there in a period mixed salad _are_ there, too.
You'll likely find purslane, baby kale, dandelion, parsley, chives,
watercress, lamb's lettuce, sorrel, baby spinach leaves, endive, along with
some lettuces of various kinds, like baby romaine, red leaf, and baby red oak
leaves (which I don't think are actual oak leaves, but are shaped like them).
The best mixes will also often include some edible flowers, either whole or in petals.
Adamantius
Østgardr, East
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1998 15:23:46 EDT
From: CONNECT at aol.com
Subject: Re: Re: Pre-mixed field greens - was: Re: SC - salads (long)
Phil & Susan Troy wrote:
<<What I meant was that while lettuce was eaten in period, it seems to have been
consumed mostly in the Eastern Mediterranean regions, and does not appear in
any salad recipes I can think of offhand. I think it's going to be near the
eighteenth century before it will appear with any frequency in an English
salad recipe>>
I'm looking at my copy of The English Housewife, written by Gervase Markham in
1615. In chapter 2, section 11 and 12, it says:
"Of sallats. Simple sallats.
First then to speak of sallats, there be some simple, and some compounded;
some only to furnish out the table, and some both for use and adornation; your
simple sallats are chibols peeled, washed clean, and half oteh green tops cut
clean away, so served on a fruit dish; or chives, scallions, radish roots,
boiled carrots, skirrets, and turnips, with such like served up simply; also,
all young lettuce, cabbage lettuce, purslane, and divers other herbs which may
be served simply without anything but a little vinegar, sallat oil, and sugar;
onions boiled, and stripped from their rind and served up with vinegar, oil
and pepper is a good simple sallat; so is samphire, bean cods, asparagus, and
cucumbers, served in likewise with oil, vinegar, and pepper, with a world of
others, too tedius to nominate.
Of compound sallats.
Your compound sallats are first the young buds and knots of all manner of
wholesome herbs at their first springing; as red sage, mints, lettuce,
violets, marigold, spinach and many other mixed together, and then served up
to the table with vinegar, sallat oil and sugar."
The English Housewife, by Gervase Markham, edited by Michael R Best, and
published by McGill-Queen Unversity Press. The ISBN of the paperback edition
is 0-7735-1103-2.
Your humble servant,
Rosalyn MacGregor
(Pattie Rayl)
Date: Wed, 21 Oct 1998 16:30:13 +0200
From: Jessica Tiffin <melisant at iafrica.com>
Subject: SC - Salad questions
I find myself currently up to the eyebrows in period salad recipes - we're
going into summer, and I'm putting together an article for our newsletter on
period salads, in the hopes that it'll persuade our non-cooking Shire
members that it's possible to bring something both simple and authentic to
our potluck events.
I have no problem with the Form of Curye salad or the one from Platina,
having primary versions of both. It's with the earlier (Roman) and later
(Elizabethan) salad recipes that the trouble starts.
I have lots of Elizabethan salad recipes, but all from secondary sources.
The main one is Ruth Ann Beebe's "Sallets, Humbles and Shrewsbury Cakes",
which quotes acres of primary sources, but doesn't specifically attribute
them. She merrily tells us that all the recipes quoted come from Dawson's
"Good Huswife's Jewel" and "Good Huswife's Handmaide for the Kitchin",
Gervase Markham's "English Huswife", "Countrey Contentments", and Murrell's
"Delightful Daily Exercise for ladies and gentlewomen". She doesn't
attribute each individual recipe at all. I've managed to track down some,
but there are several I can't identify: please, if anyone has copies of the
Elizabethan sources and recognises these, can you tell me where the darned
things come from? Quoting from secondary sources only is outraging my
earnest postgraduate soul...
It seems logical to assume that this one and the long series of "Anothers"
are all from one source:
Sallet for FIsh Daies
First a sallet of green fine hearbs, putting Perriwincles among them with
oyle and vineger.
Another
Olives and Capers in one dish, with vinegar and oyle.
Another
Carret rootes being minced, and then made in the dish, after the proportion
of a Flowerdeluce, then picke shrimps and lay upon it with oyle and viniger.
Another
Onions in flakes laid round about the dishe, with minced carrets laid inthe
middle of the dish, with boyled Hippes in five partes like an Oken leafe,
made and garnished with tawney long cut with oile and vinegar.
(Any ideas what on earth "tawney long cut" is?? And I assume "Hippes" are
rose hips?)
Another
Salmon cut long waies, with slices of onions laid upon it, and upon that to
cast violets, oyle and vineger.
Another
Take pickelde Herrings and cut them long waies, and so lay them in a dish,
and serve them with oyle and vineger.
To compound an excellent Sallet, and which indeed is usall at great Feasts,
and upon Princes Tables
Take a good quantity of blaunch't Almonds, and with your Shredding knife cut
them grosly; then take as manie Raisyns of the sunne cleane washt, andthe
stones pick't out, as many Figges shred like the Almonds, as many Capers,
twise so many Olives, and as many Currants as of all the rest cleane washt:
a good handfull of the small tender leaves of red Sage and Spinage; mixe all
these well together with a good store of Sugar and lay them in thebottome of
a great dish, then put unto them Vinegar an dOyle, and scrape more Sugar
over all; then take Orenges and Lemmons, and paring away the outward pills,
cut them into thinne slices, then with those slices cover the sallet all
over; which done, take the thin leafe of the red Coleflowre,a nd with them
cover the Orenges and Lemmons all over, then over those red leaves lay
another course of old Olives, and the slices of wel pickld Coucumbers,
together with the very inward hart of your Cabbage lettice cut up into
slices, then adorne the sides of the dish and the top of the Sallet with
more slices of Lemons and Orenges and so serve it up.
The Roman problem is that my only access to Apicius is "The Roman Cookery
of Apicius," which is translated and adapted by John Edwards. Would anyone
know if this is a trustworthy translation? The comments in Stefan's
Florilegium file were fairly disparaging about Edwards's redactions (an
opinon I had independently formed from reading it!) but I'm wondering if the
actual translation has the same kind of errors as the Vehling one? He
doesn't give the originals, not that I could tell a correct Latin
translation if it was served up to me with oyle and vinegar, but hey.
Sorry to bombard everyone with such a long post, but any help will be
gratefully received, including other sources in which I could dig for salad
recipes - are there, for example, any Andalusian ones??
Melisant
Melisant de Huguenin * Jessica Tiffin * melisant at iafrica.com
Seneschal, Shire of Adamastor, Drachenwald (Cape Town, South Africa)
Date: Wed, 21 Oct 1998 08:06:47 -0700
From: "Anne-Marie Rousseau" <acrouss at gte.net>
Subject: Re: SC - Salad questions
Hiya from Anne-Marie
Meslisant asks us about period (Elizabethan) salads.
None of them look at all familiar to me, except the one that starts:
> To compound an excellent Sallet, and which indeed is usall at great Feasts,
> and upon Princes Tables<snip>
That one is from _The English Hous-wife_ c. 1615. One of my favorites! and
believe it or not, it gets inhaled at banquets. Who says they wont eat
salad??? :)
re: Apicius salads, dont forget to look at #84. Fresh cukes dressed with
vinegar, honey, liquamen, pepper, broth,. rue (or its equivalent) and a bit
of asafetida. Yum! and so quick to make!
- --AM
Madrone/An TIr
Seattle/WA
Date: Thu, 22 Oct 1998 14:29:06 -0500
From: allilyn at juno.com (LYN M PARKINSON)
Subject: Re: SC - Salad questions
Melisant,
Sallets for fish daies is from _The Second Part of the Good Hus-wives
Jewell_; so is 'Olives and Capers', 'White Endive', 'Carret rootes being
minced', 'Onions in flakes', Alexander buds', 'Skirret tootes', 'Salmon
cut', '...pickeeld herring cut long waies...rundles winth onions', and
...pickeeld herring cut long waies ...oyle and vinegar'.
>From Spurling, Hilary. _Elinor Fettiplace's Receipt Book_, Elizabethan
Country House Cooking,
To Make Sallads of Gilloflowers
Take Red gilloflowers and Cutt of all the whight from them soe lett them
stand all night, then take stronge wine vinegar and as much sugger as
will make it sweete boyle it 2 or 3 walmes them take it from the fire and
when it is through cowlde, put yo[r] gilloflowers into it and soe keepe
them for yo[r] use this way you may doe any other fflowers.
"The white base of the petals should be nbipped off because it is said to
be bitter. Weigh the petals, which must be perfectly dry, measure out an
equal weight of sugar and dissolve it in white wine viegar (which should
do no more than barely boil or it will set solid). Allow one flued ounce
of vinegar to each ounce of sugar. These are the proportions given by
Hannah Woolley, in _The Gentlewomans Companion (1673), who reckoned a
pound of sugar per pound of gilliflowers, which would be enough to fill a
plastic carrier bag or large basket. But the recipe is worth trying even
with only one or two ounces of petals, packed well down in small stone or
glass pots. Pour the cold syrup over them and seal tightly. They will
keep their bright colour so long as neither air nor light gets at them."
Does anyone know if Bachelor Buttons are edible? My wild flower garden
(which is probably dead today after a hard freeze last night) has
Bachelor Buttons in blue, but also all shades of white, pink, lavender,
etc. Too bad I didn't read this recipe day before yesterday!
Allison
allilyn at juno.com, Barony Marche of the Debatable Lands, Pittsburgh, PA
Kingdom of Aethelmearc
Date: Tue, 13 Apr 1999 09:47:52 -0400
From: Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>
Subject: Re: SC - My latest feast (and a few comments)
Stefan li Rous wrote:
> The roasted onion salad sounded good too. But I imagine that is in
> "The Medieval Kitchen".
Yes, but it was in Platina's De Honesta Voluptate et Valetudine, among
other sources, I believe, first. Platina also treats carrots and several
others, as I recall, in the same way. Roast in the embers, peel/scrape,
slice and dress with vinegar, oil, salt, pepper, and perhaps some fresh
chopped herbs. The roasted vegetables get a slightly caramelized
sweetness that doesn't leech out in the boiling water you'd otherwise be
likely to be using to cook them. Yum!
Adamantius
Date: Tue, 3 Aug 1999 07:39:45 -0700
From: "David Dendy" <ddendy at silk.net>
Subject: Re: SC - Thamesreach Culinary Guild event
>The salad had sliced horseradish in it, which I know is a period vegetable
>but am still a bit dubious about our adding it to a salad. Would they have
>done that? I know salads are supposed to 'open the stomach' with their
>'wetness', so would they have added a 'hot' food to it? (I'm assuming
>horseradish is of a hot humor)
If your source mentioned horseradish in salad, it is more likely the
*leaves* of the horseradish which were meant, as I believe I have seen period
references to using them thus (I can't recall the exact source right now,
but I can track it down if you wish).
Francesco Sirene
Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2000 14:27:59 -0500
From: Christine A Seelye-King <mermayde at juno.com>
Subject: SC - Sallat of Cold Capon Rosted
This looks like it to me. It sure sounds good. Hey, it's the least I
can do!
Christianna
Sir Kenelme Digbe - The Closet Opened
Sallat of Cold Capon Rosted pg 206
"It is a good Sallet, to slice a cold Capon thin; mingle with it some
Sibbolds, Lettice, Rocket, and Tarragon sliced small. Season all with
Pepper, Salt, Vinegar and Oyl, and sliced Limon. A little Origanum doth
well with it."
Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2000 06:55:21 -0500
From: Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Sallat of Cold Capon Rosted
Stefan li Rous wrote:
> What are "Sibbolds"?
An green-oniony unit, chives or scallions, I forget which.
> What is "Origanum"?
Oregano
> I think I will have to try
> this one sometime, if I can get the ingredients.
It's an excellent recipe. I vaguely recall having eaten it made with
arugula, radicchio and Belgian endives, which in combination were pretty
bitter, but they offset the sweet capon meat and the vinegar rather well.
Adamantius
Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2000 15:54:20 -0500
From: Lurking Girl <tori at panix.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Period French Toast Recipies
Bonne of Traquair wrote:
> Someone snagged the copy of Digby from UNC library, which is frustrating
> because I know there is a chicken breast on salad greens recipe in there.
> I've put a call out for it to be returned.
For bizarre reasons, I have my copy here at work:
SALLET OF COLD CAPON ROSTED
It is a good Sallet, to slice a cold Capon thin; mingle with it some
Sibbolds, Lettice, Rocket and Tarragon sliced small. Season all with
Pepper, Salt, Vinegar and Oyl, and sliced Limon. A little Origanum
doth well with it.
The glossary says that Sibbolds are Welsh onions, and doesn't give an
entry for Rocket.
HTH, HAND, etc.,
Vika
Date: Mon, 14 Feb 2000 12:21:29 -0600
From: david friedman <ddfr at best.com>
Subject: SC - Early recipes (was: New World Foods-rant)
At 4:07 AM +0100 2/10/00, Thomas Gloning wrote:
>In respect to these 1000 years, we have thousands of
>15th century recipes, we have -- maybe -- hundreds of 14th century
>recipes, we have a few 13th century recipes; some of the early _texts_
are extant only in _later manuscripts_. I would love to see _one_ 7th or
8th or 9th century cookery recipe (30% of the time).
How about 6th century?
Mustard Greens
Anthimus, De Observatio Ciborum
Mustard greens are good, boiled in salt and oil. They should be eaten
either cooked on the coals or with bacon, and vinegar to suit the
taste should be put in while they are cooking. [end of original]
1 1/4 lb mustard greens (including smaller stems)
1 t salt
3 T oil
4 slices bacon
4 t vinegar
Wash mustard greens. Boil stems two minutes, then add leaves, boil 6
more minutes and drain. Fry bacon or cook 6 minutes in microwave.
Heat oil, add greens and stir, then add salt and cook five minutes.
Crumble bacon and put over greens with vinegar. Stir it all up and
cook another 3 minutes.
Elizabeth/Betty Cook
Date: Tue, 15 Feb 2000 03:54:37 +0100
From: Thomas Gloning <gloning at Mailer.Uni-Marburg.DE>
Subject: SC - Early recipes (was: New World Foods-rant)
Elizabeth/Betty Cook said:
<<<<
Thomas Gloning wrote: 'In respect to these 1000 years, we have thousands
of 15th century recipes, we have -- maybe -- hundreds of 14th century
recipes, we have a few 13th century recipes; some of the early _texts_
are extant only in _later manuscripts_. I would love to see _one_ 7th or
8th or 9th century cookery recipe (30% of the time).'
How about 6th century?
Mustard Greens
Anthimus, De Observatio Ciborum
Mustard greens are good, boiled in salt and oil. They should be eaten
either cooked on the coals or with bacon, and vinegar to suit the
taste should be put in while they are cooking. [end of original]
1 1/4 lb mustard greens (including smaller stems)
1 t salt
3 T oil
(...)
>>>>
How about 6th century? Well, there is no 6th century recipe. The recipe
is 20th century, based on an English translation of a certain version of
a 6th century dietetic Latin text.
The 'De observatione ciborum' is not a cookbook with recipes, but a
medical, a dietetic work. It is true, that several kinds of culinary
preparations are mentioned in this text. Mentioning a kind of culinary
preparation within a dietetic text is not the same as giving a recipe.
In some cases, mentioning a kind of preparation in some detail can come
close to giving a recipe. The difference between the two is a difference
in function. The function of a recipe is to describe how to prepare a
dish. The function of a dietetic passage is to give medical information
about the health value of some food stuff depending on the _type_ of
food stuff, the _age_, the _preparation_ [here is where the culinary
aspect comes in], etc.
As far as I can see, the reconstructed recipe you gave us, is yours
(20th century), based on a 6th century dietetic description.
The "original" you quoted in English is not an original, but a
translation. The original is in Latin, and the best edition I know of is
the one of Eduard Liechtenhan (Berlin 1963) in the "Corpus Medicorum [!]
Latinorum" ('Collection of Latin Medical Texts; Collection of Medical
doctors who wrote in Latin').
What comes close to your translation is this piece of Latin text (or
what else is the translation a translation of?):
"Napi boni sunt. elixi in sale et oleo manducentur, siue cum carnibus
uel laredo cocti ita, ut acetum pro sapore in coctura mittatur." (p.21).
What is interesting here among other things is the difference "on the
coals" and the latin "cum carnibus". Looking at the apparatus criticus
of the Liechtenhan edition, [where all the variants of the extant
manuscripts are printed] two of the oldest codices have "carbonibus"
(coals) instead of the "carnibus" of the other manuscripts. Thus, the
translation was based upon a certain _version_ of the Latin text.
To sum up:
- -- Anthimus' 'De observatione ciborum' is a 6th century dietetic text,
not a cookbook with recipes;
- -- However, Anthimus mentions several preparations in some detail so
that one can reconstruct 20th century recipes from his 6th century text;
- -- The earliest manuscripts extant with the 6th century text are from
the 9th century (from St. Gallen and Bamberg);
- -- As always, there is textual variation to some extent in the early
manuscripts (e.g. "cum carnibus"/ "cum carbonibus") that makes it
difficult to decide what exactly is the "kind of preparation" meant.
Why did you choose the version "cum carbonibus", and not "cum carnibus"?
Seem to be very different recipes!
I still believe that the global picture of the short recipe statistics,
you quoted, is not inadequate ("thousands of 15th century recipes, we
have -- maybe -- hundreds of 14th century recipes, we have a few 13th
century recipes").
Thanks a lot for pointing me and others to the _near relatives_ of
cookery recipes in the dietetic texts.
Cheers,
Thomas
Date: Wed, 08 Mar 2000 11:14:28 -0800
From: "Laura C. Minnick" <lcm at efn.org>
Subject: Re: SC - Salads, anyone? OOP and not
Branwen wrote:
> In an attempt to eat a bit healthier, I wish to eat more salad - and force
> some down the throat of my fiance as well. We're pretty much stuck in the
> iceburg-tomato-cucumber-crouton-ranch dressing rut (although I made a nice
> salad nicoise once). Does anyone have ideas for creative, healthy salads,
> preferrably ones that don't require a ton of dressing? I'd love to try some
> period ones!
First, stop using Iceberg lettuce! It is just cellulose and water- no
flavor, and virtually no vitamins or other nutritive value.
Try leaf lettuce, red or green, romaine, spinach, escarole, butter
lettuce, endive, radicchio... there's lots of stuff. Also, try cutting
herbs into the greens. For instance, in the summer when the leaves are
big, I use basil as though it were a green. Is VERY yummy! Also parsley,
thyme, mint, rosemary, oregano, chervil arugula (in small quantities- it
can be very bitter), a little sage, watercress...
As for period salads, there's an excellent one in _Forme of Cury_ (in_Curye on Inglysch_)
#78- "Salat. Take persel, sawge, grene garlec,
chibolles, oynouns, leek, borage, myntes, porrettes, fenel, and touncressis, rew, rosemarye, purslarye; laue and waische hem clene. Pike
hem. Pluk hem small with thyn honde, and myng hem wel with rawe oile;
lay on vinegar and salt, and serue it forth."
There are many of this ilk, but I like this because there are so many
choices! And no mention of lettuce. Maybe there's no room left in the
bowl!
'Lainie
Date: Wed, 8 Mar 2000 18:36:44 EST
From: Varju at aol.com
Subject: Re: SC - Salads, anyone? OOP and not
Aldyth at aol.com writes:
<< It was from Apicius, and had endive, fresh herbs, balsalmic vinegar,
olive oil, and sea salt. Noemi, could you post that one since you did it? >>
Sure. . .
I'll give the recipe that I worked off of, although I'm not sure which
translation of Apicius it came from. (We'll have to rely on Mistress
Aldyth for that, since she gave the guild the "assignment" to work this
recipe out, along with some others for our last meeting.)
Seasoned Salad
There may likewise be a seasoned salad from lettuce, borage, mint, calamint,
parsley, wild thyme, marjoram, chevril, sow-thistle, lancet, nightshade,
fenel flower, and other aramatic herb, well washed with the water pressed
out. They need a large dish. They ought to be sprinkled with alot of salt
and moistened with oil and a little vinegar. When they have sat for a little
while their wild toughness demands cutting and chewing. this is better in
winter than in summer, because it requires strong digestion which is better
in winter.
My version:
Seasoned salad
lettuce (whichever type your prefer)
fresh parsley, thyme and marjoram
sea salt
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
Wash lettuce and herbs wel, drain and pat dry. Cut or tear lettuce into
pieces, and place into a large bowl. Place herbs over lettuce. Sprinkle
salt over lettuce and hebs to taste, and then pour olive and vinegar over
salad to taste.
When served I left the salt, oil and vinegar next to the bowl so people could
add more if they wished.
Notes:
I only used a few of the herbs listed because I was unable to find any of the
others. (This is not surprising for this area, and I'm glad I found what I
did.) I chose to use balsamic vinegar since it has a nice flavor and was not
too overpowering.
Noemi
Date: Thu, 9 Mar 2000 06:43:17 EST
From: ChannonM at aol.com
Subject: SC - Re: A Harmless Salada LONG
<< << It was from Apicius, and had endive, fresh herbs, balsalmic vinegar,
olive oil, and sea salt. Noemi, could you post that one since you did it? >>
>>
I have worked with the recipe as well, here is my work on it. Let me know if
the proportions come out with strange characters and I'll repost. I'm getting
ready to go to work at the moment and don't have time to redo them now.
Hauviette
VNe Agrestes Lactucae Laedant/ A Harmless Salad of Lettuces
Fresh Greens
Original Recipe
ApiciusBook III-XVIII-
1 Endives (a) dress with liquamen, a little oil, wine and chopped onion
(b) In winter use endives instead of lettuce with a dressing or with honey
and strong vinegar
2 Dress lettuces with oxyporum, vinegar, and a little liquamen, to make them
more easily digestible , to prevent flatulence and so that the lettuces
cannot harm your system ;2 oz cumin, 1 oz ginger, 1 oz fresh rue, 12
scruples juicy dates, 1 oz pepper , 9 oz honey; the cumin may be Aethiopian,
Syrian, or Libyan. When it has become dry bind everythign with the honey.
when needed mix half a teaspoonful with vinegar and a little liquamen, or
take half a teaspoonful after the meal.
Dressing
Original Recipe
Apicius #111
Ne Lactucae Laedant/A harmless salad
2 ounces of ginger, 1 ounce of green rue, 1 ounce of meaty dates, 12 scruples
of ground pepper, 1 ounce of good honey, and 8 ounces of either aethiopian or
syrian cumin. Make an infusion of this in vinegar, the cumin crushed, and
strain, Of this liquor use a small spoonful mix it with stock and a little
vineagar:you may take a small spoonful after the meal.
Modern Adaption
For the Romans, salad was served as an appetizer beginning sometime under
Domitin , as Waverly Root conveys the translation:îTelle me why Lettuce,
which our Grandsires last did eate,? Is now of late become, to be the first
of meat?
The recipe for the preparation to î render the salad harmlessî is a medicinal
treatment ìwhich helps digestion and is taken to conteract inflationî . The
fresh greens I chose to use included endive, arugula, leaf lettuce and
romaine lettuce.
Arugula was descibed as an aphrodisiac by the Roman Martial, and considering
its velvety texture and slightly bitter taste it is no wonder people fell in
love eating it . Endive is specified in the aforementioned recipe. As for
Romaine lettuce by virtue of its alternative name ìCosî according to Waverly
Root, tells us where the Romans got it. ìIt is still an important crop on
the Greek island of Cos, a place which gets a good deal of sun; Romaine,
accordingly, is the only lettuce able to resist heatî Leaf lettuce was used
as it is a sweet lettuce, and is reminiscent of the loose leafed variety of
lettuces that were available to the Romans. Sliced red onion was added for
colour and flavour. The salad dressing pulls from all three preseeding
recipes and combines olive oil, vinegar, and the seasoning of the Rx to ìmake
the salad harmlessî.
1/2 bunch endive
1/2 head leaf lettuce or any combination of these greens washed and torn
1 bunch arugula
1/2 head romaine lettuce
Dressing
The dressing recipe utilises the basic medium of oil and vinegar and then
incorporates the spicing from the Apicius recipe. I reduced the original
recipe down to a manageable quantity of 1/16 as a trial, then to 1/8 for the
quantity of a feast. The quantity was based on the unit measurement of the
ounce and converting ìscruplesî into ounces(1/16 ). In addition I measured
the quantity where possible to convert the measurement into standard teaspoon
or tablespoons wherever possible. This was done by using a weight scale then
transferring the ingredient to a spoon measure. I have found it to be very
helpful in making the redacted recipe understandable yet maintaining itís
integrity. The infusion is then refrigerated until required at which time it
is added to the typical oil and vinegar dressing base.
original recipe measurements 1/16 1/8
cumin 2oz 2 TB 1 TB
ginger 1oz 1 TB 1/2 TB
rue 1oz* 1 1/2 TB 3/4 TB
pepper 1 oz 1 1/2 tsp 3/4 tsp
dates 12 scrupples(1/2oz) 2-3 dates 1-2 dates
honey 9oz 2 Tblsp 1 Tblsp
Vinegar 1 litre** 2 cups 1 cup
? the rue was dry vs fresh therefore 1/2 of the end weight was used
** an infusion is described as 30g of dry ingredient to 500 ml of liquid per
The Complete Medicinal Herbal by Penelope Ody
Method
The Original recipe does not explain how to combine the spices. I chose to
combine the dry ingredients in a marble mortar. I added the dates chopped and
honey last working the mass into a dry paste (this follows the translation by
Flowers and Rosenbaum of the above recipe) I heated the white vinegar to a
boil and poured over the spices in a heat proof bowl. The infusion was
allowed to steep for 10 minutes then strained. I kept the infusion in a small
canning jar in the refrigerator until I was ready to make the salad dressing.
The Dressing
Utilizing the smallest quantity of the infusion 2 TB were incorporated into
the following:
1/4 C olive oil
1/8 C red wine vinegar
1 tsp honey
brine (1/4 tsp salt in 2 TB water)
This can be adjusted to serve your purposes. The above recipe can be made at
any quantity following the proportions.
The ingredients were whipped together and served over fresh greens.
This recipe is quite complicated, but the results are fantastic. I was quite
pleased with the dressing and have stored the spice infusion in the
refridgerator for a week or so. It does require some time to follow the
steps, but Iím sure youíll be happy with the results.
Date: Fri, 21 Apr 2000 15:38:56 -0700
From: lilinah at earthlink.net
Subject: SC - Three Easy Pieces, or Verjus Redux
The Shire of Crosston, with whom i camp, has a period pot-luck feast
at every Crown Tournament (3 per year in the West). There are always
guests, so there are around 2 dozen diners or so, and frequently
other folks show up looking for food and we feed them, as well.
Generally, there's plenty. At The West Kingdom March Crown Tourney
just passed, I made three dishes from Barbara Santich's "The Original
Mediterranean Cuisine" for the Saturday night feast. I didn't use her
"redactions" for any of them, just referred to the originals and the
translations.
VERJUS REDUX
I have now used the Fusion brand Napa Valley Verjus that i bought
from Whole Foods and i thought it was quite nice. I tasted a spoonful
of it before pouring some into the dish i was cooking - i'm weird, i
probably could have drunk a juice glass of it - it was tart and
fruity, but not bitter. I used it in a recipe for garbanzo beans
cooked in almond milk.
This was not the unpleasant white grape Fusion brand verjus that
Niccolo di Francesco wrote about. I used the Fusion red verjus, which
was a lovely purplish red color and was neither unpleasantly tart nor
at all bitter, as Niccolo says the Fusion white was. I don't have the
recommended Navarro brand to compare it with, but the Fusion red was
quite good.
PIECE ONE
Ciurons Tendres Ab Let de Melles
(from Sent Sovi)
<snip of chickpea recipe - see beans-msg>
PIECE TWO
Cauli Verdi con Carne
(from Libro della Cocina)
<snip of cabbage recipe - see vegetables-msg>
PIECE THREE
On Preparing a Salad of Several Greens
(from de Honesta Voluptate)
ORIGINAL: not included in Santich
TRANS: A preparation of several greens is made with lettuce, bugloss,
mint, catmint, fennel, parsley, sisymbrium, origan, chervil,
cicerbita which doctors call teraxicon, plantain [the herb], morella,
and other fragrant greens, well washed and pressed and put in a large
dish. Sprinkle them with a good deal of salt and blend with oil, then
pour vinegar over it all when it has sat a little; it should be eaten
and well chewed because wild greens are tough. This sort of salad
needs a little more oil than vinegar. It is more suitable in winter
than in summer, because it requires much digestion and this is
stronger in winter.
I used arugula/roquette (long narrow grey-green leaves with rounded
notches), radicchio (a tight ball of maroon and white leaves), large
leafed cress (as Santich says, " 'sisymbrium' seems to be a variety
of cress"), flat-leaf parsley, fresh basil, fresh sage, fresh
oregano, fresh thyme, fresh mint, and some of the tender green fennel
stalks. I dressed the leaves with salt and a good olive oil, and
tossed to distribute. After letting them sit a while, i sprinkled the
dish with balsamic vinegar and tossed again.
- ---------------
I picked these dishes because they were relatively quick and easy to
prepare at a busy event, yet authentic. I was actually done cooking
before the others who cooked on site. (i mention this because i'm
usually still cooking when everyone is already eating)
Anahita al-shazhiyya
Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2000 07:35:25 -0700
From: Anne-Marie Rousseau <acrouss at gte.net>
Subject: Re: SC - Cold Soup/Vegetables?
Hey all from Anne-Marie
perhaps a nice compound salat? it's cold, and VERY colorful, especially if you
garnish with all kinds of wonderful edible flowers, and fun textures. The taste
will be VERY different from her proposed main dish, which is, at least,
perioide according my lexicon.
In my experience, soup, much less cold soup, no matter how tasty, is not well
recieved in general, and is a bear to serve, and half your diners wont have
bowls, etc etc etc.
THe recipe we use in the Madrone Culinary GUild is a huge hit every time....we
actually get little green salat back. wonders never cease! :)
all rights reserved, no publichation without permission, etc etc etc....:)
COMPOUND SALAT:
Salat [Forme of Curye XX III.XXVI]
Take persel, sawge, garlee, chibon [chives], oynons, leek, borage, mynt,
porrect, fenel and ton tressis [gloss], rew, rosemarye, purslayre, lave and
waische hem clene, pike hem, pluk ye small with thyn honde and mynge hem wel
with rawe oile, layor vyneg and salt, and serve it forth.
Compound Sallet [The English Hous-wife, 1615]: To compound an excellet Sallet,
and which indeed is usuall at great Feasts, and upon Princes Tables, take a
good quantity of blancht Almonds, and with your shredding knife cut them
grossly. Then take as many Raisins of the Sun clean washt, and the stones
pickt
out, as many Figs shred like the Almonds, as many Capers, twice so many
Olives,
and as many Currants as of all the rest, clean washt, a good handfull of the
small tender leaves of red Sage and Spinage: mixe all these well together with
good store of Sugar, and lay them in the bottom of a great dish. Then put unto
them Vineger and Oyl, and scrape more Suger over all: then take Oranges and
Lemmons, and paring away the outward pilles cut them into thinne slices. Then
with those slices cover the Sallet all over. Then over those Red leaves lay
other course of old Olives, and the slices of well pickled Cucumbers, together
with the very inward heart of Cabbage lettice cut into slices. Then adorn the
sides of the dish, and the top of the Sallet with more slices of Lemons and
Oranges, and so serve it up.
Our version:
0.125 c. slivered almonds
1 oz capers
2 oz currants
0.125 c. figs
1 tsp lemon juice
1.5 heads of lettuce, spinach and other greens
1/4 c. olive oil
2 oz olives
1 orange, peeled and sliced (no white part). Reserve half for garnish
1 oz sweet pickles
0.125 c. raisens
1 pinch salt
1 tsp sugar
0.5 c. balsamic vinegar
4-5 lemon slices for garnish
Slice, chop and/or shred all ingredients. Layer in a nice salad bowl. Make a
vinegrette dressing from the oil, vinegar, salt and sugar. Pour on Sallet,
sprinkle with lemon juice and serve, garnished with lemon and orange slices.
Date: Mon, 05 Mar 2001 21:09:08
From: "Vincent Cuenca" <bootkiller at hotmail.com>
Subject: SC - Onion Salad Recipe
From Redon, et al. "The Medieval Kitchen"
Manuscript Source: Zambrini, Francesco, ed. Libro della Cucina del secolo
XIV
"De la insaleggiata di cipolle" (Recipe 90)
"Togli cipolle; cuocile sotto la bragia, e poi le manda, e tagliale per
traverso longhette et sottili; mettili alquanto d'aceto, sale, oglio, e
spezie, e da a mangiare"
"Take onions; cook them in the embers, then peel them and cut them across
into longish, thin slices; add a little vinegar, salt, oil, and spices, and
serve.
Recipe:
6 sweet onions, red or white, unpeeled
olive oil
salt
pepper
vinegar
1/2 teaspoon fine spices (ginger, cinnamon, pepper, cloves, saffron)
Wrap the onions in tinfoil, then roast them in the embers of a fire, or in a
500-degree oven, for 1 hour. Once cooked, unwrap and let cool, then peel
them and slice them thin. Toss in a salad bowl with olive oil, salt,
pepper, vinegar, and fine spices. serve lukewarm."
This is good camp cooking; try roasting fennel along with it.
Vicente
Date: Fri, 15 Jun 2001 09:52:52 -0400
From: Elaine Koogler <ekoogler at chesapeake.net>
To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org
Subject: Re: OT RE: [Sca-cooks] How long...
Reply-To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org
I just made some "Carrot Sallad" from Dining with William Shakespeare for our
demo at the Relay for Life this evening. They are VERY tasty, easy to make
and should be ok without refrigeration for several hours. Recipe:
A Carrot Sallad
1 # baby carrots
3 cups water
=BD tsp salt
=BC tsp. chervil
=BD cup white wine vinegar
4 tbsp. Salad oil
=BC tsp. white pepper
1 lg. Sprig parsley
Scrub carrots and cut off green tops. Bring water, salt, chervil to a boil in
a saucepan. Add the carrots, cover the pot, and cook until the carrots are
tender but still crisp=97about 10 minutes.
In a deep bowl, mix together the vinegar, oil and pepper. Drain the carrots,
add them to the dressing and stir them until they are nicely coated. Cover
the bowl and marinate the carrots in the dressing for at least an hour.
Wash the parsley in cold water, shake off the moisture, and snip off the
stems. Make a rosette of the leaves in the center of a dinner plate. Arrange
the carrots around the parsley like a sunburst, and pour a little of the
dressing over the carrots
It's really quite tasty...I've found that even folk who don't like carrots
like this stuff.
Kiri
Date: Thu, 15 Jun 2000 21:20:45 EDT
From: Seton1355 at aol.com
Subject: SC - Cilantro and Pine Nuts Salad
Could this have been something the early Crusaders had eaten?
Cilantro and Pine Nuts Salad
The famous Arab geographer al-Muqadasi, writing in the year 985 CE,
noted among the marvels of Jerusalem pine nuts called kadam, which
are unrivaled anywhere on earth.
Ingredients
200 grams pine nuts
Olive oil
A bunch of fresh coriander (cilantro)
A bunch of fresh parsley
Fresh lemon juice
2-3 garlic cloves, crushed
A little vinegar-wine I use balsamic vinegar)
Salt
Roast the pine nuts carefully in a small pot on a low flame,
using a little oil. It is important to stir constantly.
Don't do other things in the meantime! Stir all the time and
make sure the pine nuts do not burn.
With a large, sharp knife chop the coriander and the
parsley, place in a bowl and add the pine nuts, which have by now cooled.
Squeeze in lemon juice, drip in a little olive oil, season
with garlic, vinegar-wine, and salt.
Taste, adjust the seasoning, and serve.
A few green onions, very thinly sliced, can be added to the
salad.
Date: Sun, 27 Aug 2000 13:08:38 EDT
From: Gerekr at aol.com
Subject: Re: SC - Protectorate Feast 2 - No recipes
>From: TerryD at Health.State.OK.US (Decker, Terry D.)
>I also have one other problem. I'm short one dish -- Elizabethan,
>vegetable, preferably green, definitely not spinach. Anyone got any ideas
>or recipes?
>
>Bear
Having had my Lorwin forever (25+ yrs), she was my first reaction...
Let's see, what's "vegetive", not spinach and looks like it would come
out green?
To stewe hartechockes in creme - John Murrell, A Booke of cookerie, 1621
"Take the thickest bottomes of the thickest Hartechockes being very
tender boyled, and stew them in a little butter and vinegar, whole Mace
and Sugar, then take halfe a pinte of sweete Cream boyled with whole
Mace, straine it with the yolkes of two-new-laid egges, and brewe them
together with halfe a ladlefull of the best thicke butter and vinegar,
and a little Sugar, so dish up the bottomes of the Hartechockes, & lay it
with sippets of a slickt Lemon round about, then poure your sauce on the
toppe of the Hartechockes, and sticke them full of fryde tosts upright
scrape on a little Sugar and serve it to the table hot."
To boyle ... peascods - the same
<snip of boiled peascods recipe - see peas-msg>
A grand salad of watercress - Robert May, The Accomplisht cook, 1660
To boil French beans or lupins - the same
A salad of watercress and violets - the same
Also, she created a lettuce/chicory/endive salad from a material in a
couple of dietaries :
"All herbs should be eaten according to the time of the year and the
property of them, the hot sorts for winter, the cold for summer, and the
temperate for spring and autumn." (Among the cold herbs he placed
lettuce, white endive, succor (chicory or curly endive). For old people,
he said, it was) "expedient sometimes to boyle [lettuce] whole in
pottage, and afterwards to eat them with Sugar, Vinegar and Oyle. In this
manner Galen used it in his old age against watchfulnesse
(sleeplessness)". William Vaughan's Directions for health (1617)
and "Among al hearbes, none hath so good juyce as lettice. Some men doe
suppose that it maketh abundance of bloud, albeit not very pure or
perfect : it doth set a hot appetite and eaten in the evening it
provoketh sleep. Suckory or Cycory is like in operation to Lettice and
tempereth choler wonderfully." Thomas Elyot's The Castle of health (1610)
There are several other Salads, esp the two May/watercress items listed
above.
Well, do you want period or Elizabethan? Looks like you might squeeze
the Murrell in, but the May looks pretty late. Here's hoping others come
up with references a bit more in period!
Chimene
Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2000 19:37:08 -0400 (EDT)
From: Jenne Heise <jenne at tulgey.browser.net>
Subject: Re: SC - Period cookshop at Pennsic?
> I don't have time at the moment to go through lots of sources, but
> reading through the first five meals in Le Menagier I do not find any
> mention of any salad or salad like dish. My casual impression is that
> that is typical. Perhaps someone else has done a more careful
> examination of the data.
Menu XIX calls for 'cress and sorrel with vinegar'
Menu XXIII calls for 'cress and mint'
Menu XXIV calls for 'lettuces'
All of these are fish menus, so we can conjectorure that the little old
man who got married around 1393 and who lived in Paris, felt that greens
should be served with fish, not meat, and probably thought of them as a
Lenten dish.
A quick look in the OED suggests that at least by the 15th century it was
a known dish if not common. Of course the term 'sallat' may not have come
into the language for a dish of raw (or lightly cooked) greens much before
then.
1481-90 Howard Househ. Bks. (Roxb.) 398 Item, for erbes for a selad j.
d. 1533 ELYOT Cast. Helthe (1539) 41 Yonge men..shell
eate..salades of cold herbes. 1578 LYTE Dodoens 125 This herbe..is much
vsed in meates and Salades with egges. 1601 HOLLAND Pliny
II. 37 If you would make a delicate sallad of Cucumbers, boile them first,
then pill from them their rind, serue them vp with oile, vinegre,
and honey.
c1390 Forme of Cury (1780) 41 Salat. Take persel, sawge, garlec
[etc.]..waische hem clene..and myng hem wel with rawe oile, lay
on vyneger and salt, and serue it forth. 1550 J. COKE Eng. & Fr. Heralds
30 (1877) 64 Oyle olyve whiche was brought out of
Espayne, very good for salettes. 1597 HOOKER Eccl. Pol. V. lxxvi. 8 A
Sallet of greene herbes.
Perhaps it was a renaissance fashion, to eat fresh greens in spring?
Jadwiga Zajaczkowa, mka Jennifer Heise
Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2000 22:05:05 -0400
From: "Ron Rispoli" <rispoli at gte.net>
Subject: Re: SC - Period cookshop at Pennsic?
From: Jenne Heise
>All of these are fish menus, so we can conjectorure that the little old
>man who got married around 1393 and who lived in Paris, felt that greens
>should be served with fish, not meat, and probably thought of them as a
>Lenten dish.
>Perhaps it was a renaissance fashion, to eat fresh greens in spring?
Perhaps salads were listed for a Lenten menu because the greens are more
plentiful during that time and unavailable the rest of the year. Off hand
fall greens such as mustard and kale are best cooked. Cabbages are best
pickled in case the next years spring greens fail. The spring in northern
Europe isn't very long even for wild greens.
Date: Fri, 1 Sep 2000 16:25:29 -0600
From: "Karen O" <kareno at lewistown.net>
Subject: SC - Salads in period & artichokes
>Jadwiga Zajaczkowa, writes:
> > Perhaps it was a renaissance fashion, to eat fresh greens in spring? In
addition to the references you note , Apicius (1st C-4th C AD) has recipes
for salads and dressings, so does Platina (15th C Italian) has recipes and
references and descriptions of salads and their medicinal value. In winter,
there were winter greens (chard, kale, beet tops) in spring more variation.
In every cooking manuscript or work of period that I can recall, there were
salad type recipes. <<
> I think salads were more common than we are giving credit.<
> Hauviette
_ Martha Washington's Booke of Cookery_ Pages 15 & 16: [Karen Hess
writing] "There is no recipe for green salad in our manuscript. For those
who think that simply dressed mixed green salads are a relitively modern
development, I give this delightful recipe from _The Forme of Cury_< 1390,
for "Salat': Take parsely, sage, <snip> and mix them well with raw
[olive] oil. Lay on vinegar and salt, and serve it forth. . .Gerard in 1597
discusses the eating of raw salads under numerous headings, including raw
artichokes, usually dressed only with olive oil and salt.
Markham gives three pages to salads in 1615 and John Evely, the diarist,
devoted to the subject an entire book, _Acetaria: A Discourse of Sallets_,
1699 . . . .it seems reasonable to suppose that green salads were eaten in
the household."
Just coz I got it from ILL yesterday and stumbled upon it.
Caointiarn
Date: Sat, 02 Sep 2000 01:33:09 +0200
From: TG <gloning at Mailer.Uni-Marburg.DE>
Subject: SC - salad
- -- In Rumpolt's menues, salad is mentioned several times and in some
variation for the "erste Gang zum Nachtmal" (first course at the evening
dinner). -- His chapter "Von allerley Kr‰uter Salat/ wei? vnd gr¸n/ wie
nachfolget" (About salad from all kinds of herbs (?)/ white and green/as
stated below) has 50 entries.
- -- "salat" is mentioned under the heading "kraut" in the Tegernsee
monastery's year's menu (around 1530), and "kraut" as a part of a meal
is mentioned frequently.
- -- According to Moriz Heyne, the use of salad in 'Germany' is first
attested in Ekkehard's "Benedictiones ad mensas", and this seems to be
an indicator, that lettuce was eaten in the monasteries. -- "lactucas"
are mentioned both in the garden plan of the monastery St. Gallen and in
the Capitulare de vilis. (But how, exactly, where they used?)
- -- There is also an important passage in Wolfram von Eschenbachs
'Parzival' (ca. 1210) 551.19ff.:
"do brahte ein des wirtes sun
purzeln unde latun
gebrochen in den vinaeger ..."
'Then, one of the host's sons brought
portulaca- and lettuce-salad,
prepared with vinegar ....'
(contrary to what health manuals of the time say, this text goes on and
states that lettuce is not healthy, makes no good blood, etc.)
Th.
Date: Sat, 02 Sep 2000 07:41:03 -0400
From: Ann & Les Shelton <sheltons at conterra.com>
Subject: SC - Castelvetro & salads (long)
Just got Castelvetro's "The Fruit, Herbs & Vegetables of Italy" through
ILL yesterday {best $1.58 I've invested in a long time}, had to throw in
his comments about salads in spring:
"Salads: And now the time has come for me to write about all the
different kinds of salads we have at this time of year.
It is almost impossible to describe our delight in the delicious green
salads of this joyful season. The cooked salads we ate in the winter
seem so boring, while all this fresh greenery is a pleasure to the eye,
a treat for the palate, and above all, a really important contribution
to our health, purging us of all the unwholesome humours accumulated
during the winter months."
He then talks about a wild chicory salad and an excellent mixed salad,
which he describes as "the best and most wonderful of all." He then
gives instructions as to how to properly make a salad, because he
complains that housewifes and foreign cooks don't get rid of the sand
and grit on the greens. You wash your hands, then stirs the greens in a
bowl of water, lifting them out 3-4 times until all the sand has fallen
to the bottom. Dry the greens with a linen cloth, put them in a bowl to
which salt has already been added, add oil and stir, then add vinegar.
He has some pretty harsh comments about the salad making abilities of
other countries . . .
"Never do as the Germans and other uncouth nations do - pile the badly
washed leaves, neither shaken nor dried, up in a mound like a pyramid,
then throw on a little salt, not too much oil and far too much vinegar,
without even stirring. And all this done to produce a decorative
effect, where we Italians would much rather feast the palate than the
eye.
You English are even worse; after washing the salad heaven knows how,
you put the vinegar in first, and enough of it that for a footbath for
Morgante, and serve it up, unstirred, with neither oil nor salt, which
you are supposed to add at the table. By this time some of the leaves
are so saturated with vinegar that they cannot take the oil while the
rest are quite naked and fit only for chicken food.
So, to make a good salad the proper way, you should put the oil in first
of all, stir it into the salad, the add the vinegar and stir again. And
if yo