angelica-msg - 9/13/04 Period use of Angelica. Recipes. Candied angelica. NOTE: See also the files: herbs-msg, herbs-cooking-msg, lavender-msg, seeds-msg, spices-msg, Candying-art, candy-msg. ************************************************************************ NOTICE - This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday. This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter. The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make no claims as to the accuracy of the information given by the individual authors. Please respect the time and efforts of those who have written these messages. The copyright status of these messages is unclear at this time. If information is published from these messages, please give credit to the originator(s). Thank you, Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous Stefan at florilegium.org ************************************************************************ Date: Tue, 14 Dec 1999 10:01:45 +0100 (MET) From: Par Leijonhufvud Subject: Re: SC - Sweets to the sweet, have some fruitcake... On Mon, 13 Dec 1999, Lilinah biti-Anat wrote: > Also, i remember from long ago reading some recipes that called for > candied angelica. Is this something anyone has found or made, and if > so, how does it taste? Angelica archangelica? One of the few exported plants from scandinavia during the medieval period. Supposedly protected from the plague. /UlfR - -- Par Leijonhufvud parlei at algonet.se Date: Tue, 14 Dec 1999 10:29:50 -0000 From: nanna at idunn.is (Nanna Rognvaldardottir) Subject: Re: SC - Sweets to the sweet, have some fruitcake... >Angelica archangelica? > >One of the few exported plants from scandinavia during the medieval >period. Supposedly protected from the plague. And against witches and magic. Almost every part of the plant is actually edible - here in Iceland, the stalks were peeled and boiled and eaten with butter, or with milk and cream. The roots were eaten raw or boiled, with dried fish or dulse, the seeds were used as spice, and the leaves were used for salads. Nanna Date: Tue, 14 Dec 1999 07:51:56 -0800 From: "David Dendy" Subject: Re: SC - Sweets to the sweet, have some fruitcake... >Also, i remember from long ago reading some recipes that called for >candied angelica. Is this something anyone has found or made, and if >so, how does it taste? Sort of sweet and green, a coolish sort of flavour, not extremely strong, but pleasant. We do have candied angelica in stock (see the "Sweet Stuff" page) if you want to try some. Francesco Sirene David Dendy / ddendy at silk.net partner in Francesco Sirene, Spicer / sirene at silk.net Visit our Website at http://www.silk.net/sirene/ Date: Tue, 14 Dec 1999 20:05:01 -0000 From: "=?iso-8859-1?Q?Nanna_R=F6gnvaldard=F3ttir?=" Subject: Re: SC - Sweets to the sweet, have some fruitcake... ÚlfR wrote: >But make sure you get the right species. Mistakes can be fatal. Not a problem here - there are only two species, Angelica archangelica and Angelica sylvestris, and both were used. >BTW, are those uses period or later? Certainly some uses were period - the sagas mention digging for angelica roots, and the oldest Icelandic law texts mention them too. Many farms had angelica gardens and it was the only plant used as a vegetable that was grown here throughout the Middle Ages. They are not much used these days but I have recipes for, amongst other things, pickled angelica, candied angelica and dried angelica leaves. And rhubarb and angelica jam. And if anyone has read Fóstbræ›ra saga (sorry, can´t remember the English name), there´s a wonderful story of the two ribalds, fiorgeir Hávarsson and fiormó›ur Kolbrúnarskáld, who went to pick hvönn (angelica) in Látrabjarg, a seacliff in Northwestern Iceland, and climbed somewhat down the cliff. fiormó›ur went up with some of their harvest but when he came down again he didn´t see fiorgeir anywhere. He thought he was so absorbed in his angelica-havesting that he had forgotten himself and called out: "Don´t you think you have enough by now?" Then fiorgeir answered: "I think I shall have enough when I have the one I hold now." And when his foster brother went to look for him, he saw that fiorgeir was clinging to an angelica stalk for dear life, with a sheer drop of hundreds of meters into the ocean below. But he was too much of a man to yell for help ... (sorry, I´m quoting from memory only, I´m sure there is a translation online somewhere, but this is a passage most Icelanders know very well). Nanna Date: Tue, 14 Dec 1999 22:13:28 EST From: Peldyn at aol.com Subject: Re: SC - Sweets to the sweet, have some fruitcake... nannar at isholf.is writes: > ÚlfR wrote: > >But make sure you get the right species. Mistakes can be fatal. > > Not a problem here - there are only two species, Angelica archangelica and > Angelica sylvestris, and both were used. I think the worry was over mistaking Angelica for Hemlock. They look very similiar to each other. To candy Angelica, take cut pieces of the stem and soak them in a simple sugar syrup for a couple days. Take them out and let them dry a bit. BTW there is another species of angelica, Angelica atropurpurea that is found growing wild in North America. Peldyn Date: Tue, 14 Dec 1999 23:32:30 EST From: LrdRas at aol.com Subject: SC - angelica. nannar at isholf.is writes: << Pickled angelica, candied angelica and dried angelica leaves. And rhubarb and angelica jam. >> Recipes, please? I have been growing angelica for several years to the point where it has developed a woody base and have found no substantial recipes in which to use it. I have been diligently picking off it's flower heads each year to assure it's survival until the next year since it oftentimes acts like a biennial and dies after setting seed but maintains it's perennial nature when kept seed free :-) Ras Date: Wed, 15 Dec 1999 10:28:06 -0000 From: nanna at idunn.is (Nanna Rognvaldardottir) Subject: Re: SC - angelica. Ras wrote: >Recipes, please? I have been growing angelica for several years to the point >where it has developed a woody base and have found no substantial recipes in >which to use it. I have been diligently picking off it's flower heads each >year to assure it's survival until the next year since it oftentimes acts >like a biennial and dies after setting seed but maintains it's perennial >nature when kept seed free :-) I don´t think there are any period recipes but the plant seems to have been much used - our highest mountain (Hvannadalshnúkur) is named for it, for instance - and many old sources mention "root excursions" into the wilderness, which had to be undertaken either in early spring or in late autumn. In between the root is considered too bitter. Also, the root of a plant that grew partly in a shade was considered less bitter than one which grew in the sun so I don´t know how plants grown in a warmer climate than here will turn out. I haven´t found any recipes for the root yet but many descriptions of their use - they were eaten fresh, plain or with dried fish, butter and often dulse. Or they were fried in butter or grilled. Or preserved, either in whey or simply wrapped in hay and buried in the ground. Or used to flavor brandy (angelica root brandy is still being produced commercially here). The stalks were cut when young, before they became woody. They were eaten raw with butter, or chopped fine and eaten as a salad with fresh fish. Or used in soups and stews along with the leaves, or in jam with rhubarb (after mid 19th century). Or boiled and preserved in whey. Or chopped, raw, and mixed with skyr (curds). A few recipes (I´ll try to find more, I have them somewhere) Pickled angelica 250 g (1/2 lb) young angelica stalks salt 3 medium-sized angelica flower clusters 3 dl (1 1/3 c) good vinegar 2 dl (1 c) water 150 g (2/3 c) sugar 2 tsp mustard seeds 6 black peppercorns a small piece of ginger, fresh or dried 6 cloves Simmer the stalks in salted water for about 15 minutes, then drain them, let them cook and peel them. Simmer the flowers in the same water for 5 minutes, then drain. Mix vinegar, water, sugar, mustard seeds, peppercorns, ginger and cloves in a saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes or so. Arrange stalks and flowers in a hot, sterilized jar, pour the boiling vinegar in the jar to cover. Close and seal. Rhubarb and angelica jam 1 kilo (2 lbs) rhubarb stalks 500 g (1 lb) angelica stalks 1 kilo (2 lbs) sugar 2 1/2 dl (scant 1 cup) water Peel and chop rhubarb and angelica stalks and soak them in cold water. Put sugar and water in a nonreactive pan, bring slowly to the boil and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Let boil for one minute, then add the drained rhubarb and angelica. Simmer for an hour or more, or until the jam is fairly thick. Ladle into hot, sterilized jars and seal. Angelica soup 1 kilo (2 lbs) angelica leaves 3 litres (3 quarts) good meat or vegetable stock 60 g (1/4 c) butter 75 g (1/2 c) flour 1/2 - 1 tsp sugar salt 2-3 carrots 1 medium rutabaga (swede), or turnip Wash the leaves and blanch them in lightly salted water for 2 minutes or so, then drain and chop them. Peel the vegetables, chop them roughly and parboil in lightly salted water until almost tender. Heat the stock to boiling point and . Melt the butter in a large pan, stir in flour and cook for a minute or two, then gradually whisk in the hot stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Add angelica leaves and vegetables and simmer for 5-10 minutes more. Season to taste with sugar and salt and serve with quartered hard-boiled eggs or dumplings. The book I quote from gives virtually the same recipe for scurvy-grass soup and Northern dock soup, BTW. Nanna Date: Wed, 15 Dec 1999 18:58:45 EST From: Peldyn at aol.com Subject: Re: SC - Sweets to the sweet, have some fruitcake... Hi Ras! I think the problem would be trying to harvest angelica in the wild if you don't know how to tell it apart from water hemlock. They grow in the same places and look almost exactly alike. Peldyn Date: Thu, 23 Dec 1999 10:14:53 -0500 From: "Daniel Phelps" Subject: Re: SC - angelica. Sorry to be so late on this thread, playing catch up I am, did anyone mention the recipe for candied angelica root found in "Joy of Cooking"? I've used it for ginger root. Daniel Raoul Date: Sun, 26 Dec 1999 13:33:38 -0500 From: "Daniel Phelps" Subject: Re: SC - angelica. I wrote: ><< did anyone > mention the recipe for candied angelica root found in "Joy of Cooking"? > I've used it for ginger root. > > Daniel Raoul >> Ld. Ras wrote: >NO. Could you post it please? :-) > > Since I have other cookery manuals that I consider far better for me >personally than 'Joy of..,' I have never added it to my library. Candied or Crystallized Roots and Stalks Wash: 2 cups of angelica roots and young stalks or cleaned scraped acorus calamus roots. Place them in a crock. Pour over to cover 1/2 cup salt 2 cups boiling water. Cover crock and let the angelica soak for 24 hours. Drain, peel and wash in cold water. Cook to 238 F: 2 cups of sugar 2 cups of water Add the cleaned angelica roots and stems. Cook for 20 minutes. Drain the angelica, but reserve the sirup. Put the angelica on a wire rack in a cool dark place for 4 days. Then bring the sirup and roots to 238 F and cook for 20 minutes or until the sirup candies the roots. Drain on a rack until thoroughly dry. Store tightly covered. Date: Sun, 7 Sep 2003 15:14:01 -0700 (PDT) From: Huette von Ahrens Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Lovage vs Angelica?? To: Cooks within the SCA --- Elise Fleming wrote: > Greetings. In an article about lovage, the > editor equates it with > angelica and writes "Remember, angelica is > lovage." The dictionary > says that lovage is an apiaceous herb, > "Levisticum officinale" and > that angelica is an umbelliferous plant of the > genus Angelica, esp. > A. Archangelica". Therefore, these two can't > be the same, can they? > Do the two look alike? Taste alike? > > Alys Katharine They don't look alike from the pictures I have seen. The only relationship I can see is a common use as a substitute for celery. The Oxford Companion to Food says of Lovage: Lovage: Levisticum officinale, an umbelliferous plant that grows in S. Europe and as far north as England. It resembles wild celery in appearance, and was formerly used in the same way, but is milder and sweeter with a distictively warm, spicy fragrance. Lovage was popular as a flavouring herb in classical times, and is often mentioned in Apicius. The Romans called it ligusticum because it grew abundantly in Liguria. The altered form of levisticum, common in late Latin, was the origin of the English and other modern names, and was later adopted as the botanical name. The hardier and coarser-flavoured plant which is sometimes called 'Scotch' or 'black' lovage, but whose correct name is Alexanders, was given Ligusticum as its generic name (but has since lost it in favour of Smyrnium). Lovage continued to be grown in medieval kitchen gardens. The leaves were used as a flavouring and to make a cordial; the stems were cooked like celery; and the roots were made into a sweetmeat. The suggestion of 'love' in the name is also seen in German; the plant had a reputation as a love potion. The eclipse of wild celery by the cultivated type also led to the decline in the use of lovage, which is now little known anywhere. This is a pity, because the flavour is distinctive and, used with discretion, very good in soups, salads, and meat dishes alike. The Oxford Companion to Food says of angelica: Angelica: the name for a group of tall unbelliferous plants with thick stems, in the genus Angelica. Of the many species growing in the most temperate regions of the world, the most famous and useful, growing in Europe, is Angelica Archangelica. Parkinson (1629) observed that all Christian nations call this plant by names signifying its angelic associations, and "likewise in their appellations hereof follow the Latine names as near as their Dialect will permit". The basis for the angelic associations is not clear, although it may be connected with the plant's reputation as an antidote to poisons; and the archangelic ones might be due to the fact that the flower would be in bloom on 8 May (old calendar), the day of St. Michael Archangel. A. archangelica grows well in Scotland, Germany, Scandinavia, and Russia. It is among the few tall plants which can withstand the weather in Iceland and the Faeroes. It will also thrive further south, and is grown in both France and Italy; and likewise in many parts of N. America, where it has been introduced as a cultivated herb. It differs from most members of the genus in having smooth stalks and leaves in all its parts, and has a distinctive scent, often described as musky. Formerly the leaf stalks were blanched and eaten like celery, and the leaves were candied. The roots were made into preserves, and angelica water was a well-known cordial. Its use as a vegetable survives in some countries, e.g. Greenland and the Feroes, where it is eaten cooked. Nowadays, however, much of the most common use is to candy the stalks, cut into short pieces, for use in cakes and confectionary. In England, it is frequently used to decorate a trifle. Most of the angelica grown commercially for candying comes from France and Germany. The candied stalks have been sold as 'French rhubarb' in the USA. Elsewhere, the addition of a little angelica to stewed rhubarb is thought to be a good way of reducing the acidity. Growing and candying angelica have been a speciality of Niort in France since the latter part of the 18th century, and the Niortais now have a monopoly in France. (Tales about the origin of their specialization are of doubtful validity, and it was not an invention of Niort--the art of candying angelica was already being practised in the south of France around 1600; but claims have been made that the angelica grown at Niort is superior to any other.) The process of candying angelica is elaborate, involving many stages and takes up to a year or more. Angelica jam is made and so are chocolate-coated pieces of candied angelica. Huette From: "Terry Decker" To: "Cooks within the SCA" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Lovage vs Angelica?? Date: Sun, 7 Sep 2003 20:51:06 -0500 You are correct, with some caveats. Angelica can refer to a number of plants in the genus Angelica, A. angelica is just the most common. A. heterocarpa, Spanish angelica, more closely resembles lovage than A. angelica. Angelica and lovage apparently are in closely related genera in the family Apiaceae (or Umbelliferae in older texts) and are similar in taste. Bear > Greetings. In an article about lovage, the editor equates it with > angelica and writes "Remember, angelica is lovage." The dictionary > says that lovage is an apiaceous herb, "Levisticum officinale" and > that angelica is an umbelliferous plant of the genus Angelica, esp. > A. Archangelica". Therefore, these two can't be the same, can they? > Do the two look alike? Taste alike? > > Alys Katharine Date: Sun, 7 Sep 2003 22:24:46 EDT From: UrthMomma at aol.com Subject: [Sca-cooks] Re: Sca-cooks Digest, Vol 4, Issue 27 To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org Angelica is lovage ?? I don't know what folk names the author was accustomed to, but angelica is not lovage. Lovage is good to use where celery is called for, especially in stews where it can cook properly as fresh lovage, even finely chopped can be rather coarse in texture, as in it feels like you are chewing on maple or oak leaves. Yea, angelica does somewhat resemble lovage in the garden as it also grows tall and has hollow stems also and "cut" foilage if I recall from also killing it about five years ago, but culinary uses the same as lovage ?? Certainly not in the other modes of herb usage that I know of. Bees probably love the flowers of both - "lovage is an apiaceous herb", but bees love the flowers of most herbs. Olwen Bucklond plant killer extraordinarie Edited by Mark S. Harris angelica-msg Page 9 of 9