spices-msg - 1/20/08
Information on medieval spices. Period documentation. Sources.
NOTE: See also the files: herbs-msg, herbs-cooking-msg, p-herbals-msg, seeds-msg, p-spice-trade-msg, saffron-msg, garlic-msg, merch-spices-msg, gums-resins-msg, spice-mixes-msg, galangale-msg, ginger-msg, G-of-Paradse-msg, nutmeg-mace-msg.
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NOTICE -
This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday.
This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org
I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter.
The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make no claims as to the accuracy of the information given by the individual authors.
Please respect the time and efforts of those who have written these messages. The copyright status of these messages is unclear at this time. If information is published from these messages, please give credit to the originator(s).
Thank you,
Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous
Stefan at florilegium.org
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From: jeffs at math.bu.EDU (Jeff Suzuki)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: spices etc.
Date: 28 Nov 1994 15:01:52 -0500
>Indian (like from India) spices were, I understand, sold by placing
>the spice on one side of a scale and gold on the other. When the
>weight balanced you had payed for the spice -- it's weight in gold.
Depends on the period and the spice. Saffron is far more expensive
than pepper. Sugar is not cheap either.
For lots of other _neat_ info regarding the cost of spices etc. in
late period Italy, see Frank Swetz, _Capitalism and Arithmetic_, which
also includes a facsimile copy of _The Treviso Arithmetic_, the first
mathematics textbook ever printed, even if it does use the pernicious
Arabic numerals.
Tio dell'abaco
From: rousseaua at immunex.wa.com
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Cubeb
Date: 22 Aug 95 14:44:40 PST
Organization: Immunex Corporation, Seattle, WA
Hey all from Anne-Marie in An Tir
Grains of Paradise and Galangale are both readily available here in Seattle.
My favorite herbal apothecary has whole galangale, which resembles a ginger
root you've let sit in the produce drawer of your fridge for about a century.
I've also found the powdered stuff (aka galinga) wherever they sell stuff for
Thai cooking. One thing, I've noticed that the already powdered stuff seems
pretty wimpy, but I can't imagine getting any usable spice out of the petrified
whole stuff. Any suggestions?
--AM, who thinks one of the best things about living here is being able to get
bottles of rosewater in half liter sizes for really really cheap, and just
across the street from work! Hee.
From: bjm10 at cornell.edu (Bryan J. Maloney)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca,rec.crafts.brewing,rec.food.historic
Subject: Re: Need help identifying spice
Date: Thu, 14 Mar 1996 18:35:33 -0400
Organization: Cornell University
rcpj at panix.com (Pierre Jelenc) wrote:
> Bryan J. Maloney <bjm10 at cornell.edu> writes:
> > However, I am at a bit of a loss to divine the identities of two spices
> > (not being a proper cook). What are "auence" and "spikenard"?
>
> Avens: a plant of the genus Geum (rose family).
>
> Spikenard: Nardostachys jatamansi (a type of valerian).
Okay, so what are these plants marketed under and/or what are their modern
common names?
From: dpeters at panix.com (D. Peters)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca,rec.crafts.brewing,rec.food.historic
Subject: Re: Need help identifying spice
Date: 14 Mar 1996 19:50:30 -0500
Organization: Panix
Pierre Jelenc <rcpj at panix.com> wrote:
>Bryan J. Maloney <bjm10 at cornell.edu> writes:
>>
>> Okay, so what are these plants marketed under and/or what are their modern
>> common names?
>
>That's what they're called: avens and spikenard.
>
>They are not used in cooking anywhere that I know of; your only chance is
>with a plant nursery, I suppose.
I bought my spikenard from the Indiana Botanical Gardens in Hobart, IN;
my catalogue got lost in the move east, but I would think that Directory
Assistance could help you.
If you like giving your custom to SCA merchants, try the Pepperers' Guild.
Have fun.
D.Peters
From: mjbr at tdk.dk (Michael Bradford)
From: jeffebear1 at aol.com
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: medieval spice names wanted
Date: 26 Dec 1996 04:00:46 GMT
Grains of paridise, 4 pepper blend, cardamon etc. are availible mailorder
or walk in from DragonMarsh 3737 6th St Riverside, Ca 92501 (909)
276-1116.
They carry over 4000 herbs and spices plus a whole lot more. You can order
a herb & oil list or just request your list. Most items are around $1.00
an oz.
They carry such items as saffron and galangal root at affordable prices.
Great for the SCA recreation cook.
Lady Morigianna
From: "Philip W. Troy" <troy at asan.com>
To: sca-cooks at eden.com
Date: Wed, 09 Apr 1997 13:13:07 -0400
Subject: Re: Medieval spices
Sean Ellwood wrote:
> Any suggestions on how to look check and see if certain spices were
> available in Medeival China or Europe.
>
> Sven Carlson
Sure!
One place to look for such information is in books like "Food in
History" by Reay Tannahill. Another is Harold McGee's "On Food and
Cooking".
Finding such accounts for China could be hard, since there's not too
much for those who can't read accounts in Chinese. Except of course for
accounts by people like Marco Polo, who is, at best, not always
trustworthy, and William of Rubrick (I think that's his name) who is far
more so.
Europe is pretty easy. The extant recipes indicate quite clearly what
spices would have been available in the place and time the recipes were
written. They call for them, don't they? : )
Regards,
Adamantius
From: gfrose at cotton.vislab.olemiss.edu (Terry Nutter)
Date: Tue, 15 Apr 1997 17:04:04 -0500
Subject: Re: SC - Re: sca-cooks Re: Spice Use and Food Poisoning, etc.
Hi, Katerine again. Philippa asks:
>Just to play devil's advocate.... I quite understand growing up using what
>to some would be "heavy handed" spicing, but for what reason did this heavy
>use of spice start? It is now tradition, but what were the origins? And
>even if it weren't to cover the taste of meat going slightly "off", could it
>have been because the wild vegetables and gamier meat had stronger basic
>flavors which are balanced better by stronger spicing?
>Just a thought.
First, where spicing is heavy, the reason is often that people like the
taste. That simple. For virtually every major item that occurs in
medieval dishes that call for spice, we also have surviving recipes that
call for few spices or none. Chicken, in particular, runs the gamut
from unspiced dishes to dishes that call for (some unknown quantity
of) half the spices on the rack. That suggests that the intent is not
to cover, but to vary the cuisine.
But more crucially: what makes you think that medieval dishes were heavily
spiced?
Every study I've seen that purports to support that conclusion does so
by looking at household accounts, and distributing total spice purchases
over kitchen purchases. But that's nonsense, for four separate reasons.
First, spices were also used in the bakery and brewery. Second, spices
(especially salt and pepper) were used in preserving -- and soaked out
before eating. Third, whole spices were sometimes burned on the fire for
scent. Fourth, food that comes in as local produce or as rents will not
appear in the purchases, but constitutes a large part of what was eaten
in non-urban upper class settings.
Every study that actually looks at the spices used for a particualr meal
and the food in it reaches the opposite conclusion: that medieval spicing
was not particualrly heavy handed.
Since recipes by-and-large do not include quantities, you cannot tell
from the recipes themselves.
So: what makes you think that the phenomenon you are trying to explain
ever existed?
Cheers,
- -- Katerine/Terry
From: gfrose at cotton.vislab.olemiss.edu (Terry Nutter)
Date: Wed, 16 Apr 1997 08:52:23 -0500
Subject: Re: SC - Re: Spice Use and Food Poisoning, etc.
Hi, Katerine here. Allison responds to Phillipa:
>As for the current heavy use of pepper in foods, I think that followed
>the popularity of Mexican--or American-version Mexican--foods. Tests
>have been done by restaurant chains and food companies, and they have
>found that more people ate more food if it were heavily spiced.
Pepper was the cheapest medieval spice, and the one most heavily documented
as used widely not only in upper class cookery but in every class right
down to peasants. The current use is a revival (not particularly of
medieval practices; relative to a significant drop here in the middle of
this century). Medievals used a number of pepper-like spices, including
cubeb and grains of paradise (I'm not speaking botannically, but in
terms of general flavor class), both of which I've fed to people with
no interest whatsoever in historical cuisine, to rave reviews. The
bottom line, I think, is that people everywhere use spices because they
*taste good*. That so many spices show up across so wide a swath of
culinary traditions suggests that this is simply a human tendency. How
much spices we eat results, among other things, from the food we're
used to. Whether people in general like the flavor of any spices at all
seems more strongly related to the interaction between human taste and
smell and the spices themselves.
- -- Katerine/Terry
From: Charles Dean <charles at macquarie.matra.com.au>
Date: Wed, 16 Apr 1997 23:30:20 +1000 (EST)
Subject: Re: SC - Re: sca-cooks Re: Spice Use and Food Poisoning, etc.
Hi all,
This posting prompted me to expound a pet theory of mine.
> But more crucially: what makes you think that medieval dishes were heavily
> spiced?
>
> Every study I've seen that purports to support that conclusion does so
> by looking at household accounts, and distributing total spice purchases
> over kitchen purchases. But that's nonsense, for four separate reasons.
> First, spices were also used in the bakery and brewery. Second, spices
> (especially salt and pepper) were used in preserving -- and soaked out
> before eating. Third, whole spices were sometimes burned on the fire for
> scent. Fourth, food that comes in as local produce or as rents will not
> appear in the purchases, but constitutes a large part of what was eaten
> in non-urban upper class settings.
>
> Every study that actually looks at the spices used for a particualr meal
> and the food in it reaches the opposite conclusion: that medieval spicing
> was not particualrly heavy handed.
Warning Charles' pet theory on spices follows:
I believe that medieval cooks did use more, in quantity, of spices in
dishes than we do today. There is good evidence that their spice
consumption was higher that is now current by volume. We do have some
recipes that give spice quantities that seem excessive to our modern
tastes. I also believe that our cooking ancestors had a very similar
palette to our modern one, in what was an acceptable amount of spicing.
Two factors are also not taken into account when looking at medieval
spicing. Firstly most of the spices we taste today have had 400+ years
of plant breeding to make them taste stronger. You can see shifts in
amounts of spices called for in recipes between Mrs Beaton's cooking
book and modern versions, a much smaller period than 1200 to today.
Secondly medieval spices were (often) transported over large distances,
often for more than a year. In most cases they were kept in non-air
tight containers. Most spices loose flavour when exposed to air.
Spices were often stored longer then as is done currently as supply
was more infrequent or spasmodic. Given the above reasons it is
reasonable to assume that the spices available to the medieval cook
had considerably less flavour than the modern versions that we are
using for comparison.
If you accept my premsies above then end the result is that our
medeival cook could produce a result in flavour intensity that was little
different to the effects we create today in modern cooking but using
more in quanity of spice to achieve it. I am assuming that is is far more
likely that spice flavour intensity varied rather than some sort
of genetic shift changed our modern palatte from our medieval ancestors.
Charles
- ---------------------------------------------------------
Charles Dean charles at macquarie.matra.com.au
Matra Internetworks - Internet service providers.
Ph (06) 251 6730 Fax (06) 253 4840
PO BOX 714, Jamison Centre, ACT 2614 AUSTRALIA
From: "Sue Wensel" <swensel at brandegee.lm.com>
Date: 16 Apr 1997 10:46:58 -0500
Subject: Re: SC - spicing
> Clare said:
> As to the strength of a spice,-- barks, seeds and roots keep their
> scent and taste far longer that flowers and leaves. Herbs need to be used
> up much more quickly than spices. I have cloves that I use for various
> things that are at least 5 years old. The volatile oils in spices are a
> bit more long lasting that volitiles oils from leaves and flowers. (That's
> why old potpourri smells different ) There are exceptions of course.
I agree with this point. In addition, storing bark/seeds/roots, unground, in
waxed paper helps retain the volatile oils without increasing the amount of
moisture. Keep these dry and they will retain their strength for a long time;
get them wet and "use them or lose them."
We have better drying techniques on a mass scale now than was possible in
period. Therefore, I think our leafy/flowery spices last longer. We also
have better storage containers now than then, with the advent of plastic.
However, I do not think that it is out of line to assume that many (but by no
means all) of the leafy/flowery spices used in period in upper class houses
were grown in the manor gardens and used fresh. They would dry them for use
during the winter. If indeed this were the case, then how does that change
our conversions of period recipes? The standard conversion is 1 teaspoon of
dried herb for 3 of fresh.
Derdriu
swensel at brandegee.lm.com
From: "Philip W. Troy" <troy at asan.com>
Date: Sat, 03 May 1997 01:07:03 -0400
Subject: Re: SC - Long pepper
LYN M PARKINSON wrote:
> What, exactly, is long pepper? I am allergic to all peppers so haven't
> investigated this, but I ought to know about it as it appears in so many
> recipes, and I could have a fellow cook add it after I'd sampled the
> pepperless version.
>
> Allison
Long pepper is piper longum, as opposed to piper negrum, or black
pepper. It is a close realtive of black pepper, but the little berries
grow in a cluster similar to a tiny oblong bunch of grapes or an ear of
grain. Flavor is apparently similar but not identical to black pepper.
I have not used it myself, and have not run across any in 15 years or so
of looking, on and off. Some claim it is extinct, while others claim to
know where it can be obtained by mail order. All I know is that I've
never seen any long pepper, and don't think I've net anyone else who has
seen it themselves. Plenty of "friend of a friend" stuff, though, so I
suppose it could be a sort of urban legend.
My apologies to anyone who may have seen or used the stuff: I am not
accusing anyone of deceit, just saying I've never seen it.
Adamantius
From: Uduido at aol.com
Date: Tue, 6 May 1997 22:18:03 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: SC - Paprika
<< Since we have been discussing the sources for a variety of foods I was
curious if anyone could add to my knowledge about paprika. According to my
sources, the Turks introduced paprika to Hungary during their occupation.
The Turkish occupation occured after the Battle of Mohacs in 1526. >>
Possibly. Hot pepper seeds were brought back on all three of the first
Columbus voyages. By 1528, they were a MAJOR agricultural crop in the
Mediterranean Basin. I tend to personally avoid at all costs the use of new
world foods in a feast because to many people it allows too much of an
intrusion of the Current Middle Ages into the dream they are trying to
achieve at an event.
Bearing that in mind when I do European and Middle Eastern cuisine I never go
out of my way to use any recipes that contain new world foods. And do not
have any redacted in my collection. I also never decide what I would like to
cook and then go searching for "period" recipes to justify it's use. All of
the above I do do with thoughts of my guests and their ultimate enjoyment of
unquestionably period food.
Lord Ras
From: Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>
Date: Wed, 07 May 1997 11:51:52 -0400
Subject: SC - Re: Long Pepper (again!)
ALERT! ALERT! DANGER, WILL SCATLOCH!
I've just made a rather silly error, and thought I'd point it out before
anyone attempts to act upon this whole issue...
The most competent herbal encyclopedia I know shows quite clear
illustrations of both piper negrum and piper longum. The Negrum variety,
or black pepper, also grows in a long, fairly tight cluster, which looks
rather like an elongated blackberry. I suspect the individual berries
are separated to facilitate even fermentation (whence comes the
blackness) and drying.
Piper longum is apparently much smaller than black pepper (1 inch or so
vs. 3 or 4 inches long) and is more tightly packed in the cluster. So,
the cross-hatching effect drawn by some artists may have some basis in
reality; it looks almost like the bud from which a pine-cone grows.
I therefore suspect it's possible Ysabeau has seen green peppercorns.
Also, in case it helps, I have here some alternate names for the beastie
in question:
Pharmaceutical name: Fructus Piperis Longi
Botanical name: Piper Longum
Mandarin: Bì Bá (That's Bi Ba, with both vowels accented facing
each other, like angry cartoon eyebrows, for those of you with straight ASCII text readers)
Japanese: Hihatsu
Korean: P'ilhal
English: Long Pepper Fruit
I also have a pair of Chinese ideograms, which might be useful for the
non-Mandarin-speaking Chinese, but I can't duplicate them here on short
notice.
I also have acquired a listing of every herb store in the New York City
area (several hundred) , and so the hunt begins...See what you people
started??? : )
Sorry about the error. Didn't mean to mislead anyone. It 's just that my
tiny brain is full, and for each new thing I learn, I tend to forget
something else.
Adamantius
Date: Mon, 2 Jun 1997 16:56:23 -0400 (EDT)
From: Varju at aol.com
To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu
Subject: Re: That Period Hot Pink
The Turks introduced paprika to Hungary in the 1500's. Now, what it got used
for after that I don't know.
Noemi
From: david friedman <ddfr at best.com>
Date: Mon, 30 Jun 1997 21:49:28 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Re: SC - mustard history
Linneah quotes an article on mustard and asks:
>I like mustard but I don't often see it at feasts. Was it really as
>ubiquitous as the above makes it sound?
_Food and Drink in Britain_ (C. Anne Wilson) quotes figures for a
fifteenth-century English household which in a given year used 3/4 lb
saffron, 5 lb pepper, 2 1/2 lb ginger, 3 lb cinnamon, 1 1/4 lb each of
cloves and mace, and 84 lb mustard seed. Mustard, after all, was locally
grown and was a whole lot cheaper than spices which had to be imported from
the Orient.
Elizabeth/Betty Cook
Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 18:28:35 -0400
From: Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>
Subject: Re: SC - The siege cook challenge.
S. Noss wrote:
> When you honored folks grind spices for all kinds of things and for
> mustard as below - what are you using to grind with? The old mortar and
> pestle or food processor?
>
> Shirley
A mortar and pestle is easier than it sounds, once you get used to it.
Failing that, go out and spend $20 (about what you'd probably pay for a
decent mortar and pestle, anyway) on two (2) electric coffee grinders.
Label one "Coffee". Label the other "Spices". Learn to clean them well.
They will be your friends. Those who don't drink coffee might need only
one.
Adamantius
Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 23:15:28 -0400 (EDT)
From: Uduido at aol.com
Subject: Re: SC - The siege cook challenge.
<< to grind with? The old mortar and pestle or food processor? >>
I use a mortar and pestle for small amounts (e.g. less than 1/4 cp). For
larger amounts I use a coffee grinder (translate>spice grinder). For messy
things in large amounts I use the food processor or blender.
For small amounts, I would recommend the mortar and pestle as the flavor and
texture have a pronounced difference in flavor to a trained palate than the
other methods used.
Lord Ras
Date: Sun, 20 Jul 1997 18:34:47 -0700 (PDT)
From: david friedman <ddfr at best.com>
Subject: Re: SC - RECIPE CHALLENGE II
Adamantius writes:
>Somebody raised the point that it was unclear as to whether "clowes
>gilofre" meant cloves, the spice, or the clove pink gillyflower.
>Actually, the point was rammed down my throat that I was an idiot for
>even considering that the spice might have been intended, but that is
>neither here nor there...
Period (and modern) French for cloves is "girofle"; a clove is "un clou de
girofle"; given how much of period English cooking comes from French, I can't see why anything but the spice would be meant.
Elizabeth/Betty Cook
Date: Tue, 22 Jul 1997 23:44:41 -0400 (EDT)
From: Uduido at aol.com
Subject: Re: SC - opinions desired on feast menu/ (long - sorry)
<<Are fennel seeds available in regular stores or where can I get it?>>
Yes. If not any Italian market should have them since they are a major
seasoning in Italian sausage.
Lord Ras
Date: Thu, 14 Aug 1997 08:46:02 -0400 (EDT)
From: Griff41520 at aol.com
To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu
Subject: Re: period spices?
In regards to period spices, the cook book PLEYN DELIT goes into detail
about period spices. They recommend as a substitute for
"grains of paradise"-cardomom. Also Galingale can be found in Asian or
Indian markets as galangal. To me it has a flavor somewhere between lemon
grass and ginger. You can find the cookbook at the chivalry sport web
site-www.renstor.com/index. look under books.
Ivy
Kingdom of Trimaris
Shire of Tri Os
Date: Tue, 30 Sep 1997 08:26:58 -0400
From: Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Re: Questions
Kathleen M Everitt wrote:
> What are grains of Muske?
Musk is any of various animal sex-attractant, pheromonal secretions.
They were, in period, and are, now, very common in perfumes. They used to
be taken and processed from glands of the musk deer or several other
mammals. Essentially they were used to add an exotic perfume to foods.
Adamantius
Date: Sun, 05 Oct 1997 09:49:58 -0400
From: Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>
Subject: Re: SC - honey dormice recipe
Decker, Terry D. wrote:
<snip>
> Recipe By : Apicius
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
>
> NOTES : Glires: Isicio pocino, item pulpis ex omin membro glirium
> trito, cum pipere, nucleis, lasere, liquamine farcies glires et sutos in
> tegula positos mittes in furnum aut farsos in cilbano coques.
>
> Dormice: Stuffed dormice with pork filling, and with the meat of whole
> dormice ground with pepper, pine nuts, silphium, and garum. Sew up and
> place on a baking tile, and put them in the oven; or cook the stuffed
> [dormice] in a pan.
>
> Translation from Giacosa, Ilaria Gozzini; A Taste of Ancient Rome,
> University of Chicago Press, 1992.
>
> Stuffed Dormouse: Is stuffed with forcemeat of pork and small pieces of
> dormouse meat trimmings, all pounded with pepper, nuts, laser, broth.
> Put the dormouse thus stuffed in an earthen casserole, roast it in the
> oven, or boil it in the stock pot.
Just thought I'd throw a small note in here: laser and silphium are not
the same thing. IIRC (which is as close as you're going to get on a
Sunday morning before I've had my tea) silphium was a more or less
unidentified (at least to us) plant resin which appears to have gone
extinct or otherwise unavailable between the lifetime of Marcus Gavinus
Apicius, and the time at which the earliest Apicius manuscript (7th
century?) is dated. Laser appears to be the more readily available
substitute for silphium, and is believed to be asafeotida gum,
presumably ground to a powder. This is available as an extract in some
herb or health-food stores, and as the genuine article, powdered resin,
in Indian markets under the name "hing powder".
G. Tacitus Adamantius, always interested in Soul Food ; )
Date: Mon, 13 Oct 1997 00:19:11 -0400 (EDT)
From: LrdRas at aol.com
Subject: SC - Cubebs
<< what is cubebs >>
Cubebs = cubeb berries. Sort of peppery tasting with a hint of allspice.
Although they are not used in modern cookery in my knowledge, they are still
used in the production of gin as are galingal and grains.
Ras
Date: Mon, 13 Oct 1997 07:40:01 -0400
From: Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Roc recipe-sort of
> I have heard of galengal and grains of paradise [and I think I finally
> found a shop that carries some!,but what is cubebs?
> Lady Beatrix of Tanet
Cubebs are yet another black pepper relative, looking vaguely like an
allspice berry, but tasting rather like pepper with a strange numbing
effect on the tongue. Not too different from Szechuan or Sansho or
Fagara peppercorns (which are also not peppercorns, either...), and
these are pretty good substitutes if you can't find cubebs.
Adamantius
Date: Mon, 23 Mar 1998 07:26:37 -0800
From: "Anne-Marie Rousseau" <acrouss at gte.net>
Subject: Re: SC - spices vs. herbs?
Hi all from Anne-Marie
The strict definition is that if its from a leaf, its an herb, and if its
from bark, seeds, flowers, or a non-plant material etc its a spice.
According to my reading, in the middle ages, herbs did indeed encompass
things like swiss chard and spinach (this according to the lists of "herbs"
we are giving in things lke Charlemagnes _de Villis_ and other period
gardening lists). And this list isnÕt limited to culinary herbs, either.
Hope this helps...
- --AM, who's 20th century mom says "if its cheap its an herb, if its
expensive and imported, its a spice" :)
Date: Wed, 28 Jan 1998 09:04:24 -0800
From: "Anne-Marie Rousseau" <acrouss at gte.net>
Subject: Re: SC - spices
Hi all from Anne-Marie
Angeline asks about grains of paradise and cubebs...
If you cant get grains, I would recommend a mix of two parts black pepper
to one part ginger. If you cant get cubebs, I would recommend substituting
Tellicherry or other high quality flavorful black peppercorns. _Pleyn
Delit_ says to use cardomom or a mix of cardamom and black pepper for
grains, but to my palate, there is no flavor of cardamom. She admitted to
me in a private email that she wrote that without ever having SEEN grains,
much less tasted them. When I chomp on a cubeb, all I really taste is
pepper.
- --AM
Date: Wed, 28 Jan 1998 15:09:29 EST
From: CorwynWdwd <CorwynWdwd at aol.com>
Subject: Re: SC - spices
> There was a formula to 'create' cubebs, or something that would make the
> same sort of taste, but I haven't found anything about grains of paradise.
> How/Where can I find that.
Cubebs can be found at a lot of Indian markets. You can TRY substituting
allspice and pepper. Grains of Paradise are a kind of Cardomon, and they taste
similar in my experence. Try an Indian or Orental market if there's one
nearby.
Cprwyn
Date: Mon, 2 Feb 1998 23:24:21 -0800
From: david friedman <ddfr at best.com>
Subject: Re: SC - spices
Corwyn wrote (concerning grains of paradise):
>Okay, okay, they're not EXACTLY like cardomon, but the ones in my kitchen
>right now taste like in intense (as in dried) cardomon. :-)
>>Of course, when I've been out to buy black mustard seeds (and called first)
>I've been offered brown when I got there (and there most assuridly IS a
>difference). Maybe I got shafted again?
>>Corwyn.
To me they taste peppery but not quite as hot and maybe a little sweeter?(It is hard to describe tastes.) Not particularly like cardamon. As towhether you got what you thought you were getting, grains are a little smaller than peppercorns, brown rather than the almost black of pepper,almost round but pointed at one spot which is tan--looks almost yellow against the brown.
Elizabeth/Betty Cook
Date: Mon, 16 Mar 1998 10:27:02 -0000
From: "Yeldham, Caroline S" <csy20688 at GlaxoWellcome.co.uk>
Subject: SC - Spice query (was recipe with long spice list)
I'd echo David/Cariodac's query about tumeric.
Scully in 'The Art of Cookery' quotes the inventory of Pegalotti (1315 -
1340), a Florentine grocer who stocked amongst other things, "anise, pepper,
white, black and long, ginger (6 types), tumeric, cinnamon, cassia buds,
cassia, caraway, grains of paradise, sugars (8 types) alum, mastic, zedoary,
cloves, clove stalks, clove leaves, nutmegs, cubebs, cardamons, galingale,
mace, cumin, carobs, aloes, saffron, grape wines, quince wine, pomegranate
wine, honey, molasses, carob syrup, dates, figs, currants, pistachios",
but I haven't seen any recipes with tumeric, zedoary (or alum, aloes or
mastic for that matter). Any ideas anyone? Could they be medicinal?
Scully mentions pomegranate wine as given in cases of illness.
BTW John Hervey gives the The 'Fromond' List of Plants of c. 1500, a list of
plants grown in England (including artichokes!) and also including
galingale, which did surprise me, as I assumed it was imported. I'd be
interested in comments.
Caroline
Date: Mon, 16 Mar 1998 17:15:37 EST
From: KKimes1066 <KKimes1066 at aol.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Galingale
It grows abundantly in the Thames, and is known as "Sweet Flag".
To reiterate an earlier statement.....
DANGER WILL ROBINSON!!!
Sweet flag is a suspected carcinogen. Don't use it. Whole root
Galangale can be had very cheaply from Penzey's Spice Catalog.
That is the real stuff, and you can get it with in one or two days if
need it desperately.
Percival Beaumont Esq-App
From: Mark Shier <mark at medievalwares.com>
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Spices
Date: Fri, 20 Mar 1998 14:40:01 -0800
Organization: Island Net on Vancouver Island B.C. Canada
Anyone interested in medieval culinary spices should track down a copy of
"Spices in the Medieval Diet", by Bruno Lauroix, in Food and Foodways
1, 1985, pp 43-76.
Lauriox uses account records, cookbooks and medical treatises to look
at spice use. Among other things, he concludes that the idea of pepper
being extremely expensive and restriced to the nobility is a modern
fiction. He is cautious on the amount of spices consumed, but he does
not think that consumption was much higher than today.
mark der gaukler
Date: Mon, 13 Apr 1998 10:49:55 EDT
From: DianaFiona <DianaFiona at aol.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Fwd: Spice Is Nice
<< Ras says:
> My only disappoint is that they don't carry long pepper which I would
> give my eye teeth to get ahold of especially if it were still clustered.
> <sigh>
Worldspice carries long peppers, and if by "still clustered", you mean
still looking like little long petrified catkins, that's the stuff. >>
Haven't looked at their site in a while, but I believe that Sirene Spices
(They're the ones that have been advertising in TI.) sell long pepper also.
Their address is: http://www.silk.net/sirene/
Ldy Diana, who *really* needs to get around to ordering from one of
these wonderful places!
Date: Mon, 20 Apr 1998 10:53:25 EDT
From: LrdRas <LrdRas at aol.com>
Subject: SC - Whole spices
stefan at texas.net writes:
<< What differance would it make if it were still clustered or not? Or do
you have a specific use in mind that needs the long pepper to still be
on clusters? >>
There are two things which make purchasing long pepper in clusters (or any
other spice whole). First you are relatively assured that the spice has not
been adulterated. Secondly being clustered reduces the surface area which
comes in contact with the surrounding atmosphere thereby reducing oxidation
and deterioration resulting in a much longer shelf life. We see the same
concept in purchasing other spices whole such as nutmegs, peppercorns,
cinnamon sticks and saffron threads. The less processing the better.
Ras
Date: Fri, 24 Apr 1998 14:37:49 -0700
From: vincent_tom at burr-brown.com
Subject: Re: SC - Source for Gallingale
>Excuse me for showing my ignorance - what is Gallingale?
It's a cousin to Ginger, with a bit more of a peppery flavor to it. It's
only popular now to Medievalists and Indonesian cooks, as far as I know.
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 12:07:11 -0400
From: Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Spices in cooking [was Jamaican Jerk (was jerked meat)]
Anne-Marie Rousseau wrote:
>
> My favorite debunker of the spoiled food myth is to point out that we have
> shopping lists for big households and when you look at the amount of spice
> they buy, it really isnt that much. Where lots of people get confused is in
> the variety and number of DIFFERENT spices (especially those of the exotic
> garlic salt crowd). Medieval food often (but not always) will call for
> small amounts of lots of different things. This seems exotic until you look
> at the lable of a Heinz 57 bottle, or read the ingredients of your Kentucky
> Fried Chicken. Your basic ketsup has far more types of spices in it, say,
> than your basic egredouce.
Yeah, if you look at a source like Le Menagier, who, while not royalty
or anything, seems to have been well-to-do, the evidence found in his
work seems to suggest extreme frugality with spices (including
suggestons for best ways to re-use the cloves, etc., how to clean the
last bit of powdered pepper out of your mortar so it doesn't go to
waste, and a number of other indicators that suggest that while a number
of spices were used, even by the "middle class", their use was not
profligate). Add to that the fact that it seems evident that there were
definite seasons for slaughtering several farm animals, as well as for
hunting game, and the picture is much more of a society whose
consumption of fresh meat was centered on the colder months of the year,
say, November to February.
Following that you have Lent, with meat-eating severely curtailed, if not
entirely eliminated, for a month and a half or so. That leaves us with
half of spring and the summer to be eating this alleged rotten meat, in
spite of the fact that we know a lot of salt meat was eaten at these
times, together with the fresh meat of smaller domestic animals and
game, like chickens and rabbits. The recipes I have seen that are
specifically identified as being for summer seem to center on chicken
and capon, which would be killed on an as-needed basis.
Finally, there are the recorded laws against disguising day-old meat as
fresh, with pretty stiff penalties, especially for those who processed
it in things like pies to make the freshness, or lack thereof, a more
burred issue.
I just can't buy the idea that there was so much meat just lying around
going off.
Adamantius
Date: Fri, 17 Jul 1998 09:34:01 -0500
Subject: SC - Spice cabinet-what do we stock?
Nick Sasso wrote:
> What items would be considered necessary, recommended and luxury
> items in a recreationist's spice collection. This includes spices, dried
> herbs, condiments and other flavorings.
From: Meadhbh: maddie teller-kook <meadhbh at io.com>
I would recommend the following:
Saffron
Cubebs
Grains of Paradise
Black Pepper
Cloves
Bay Leaf
Oregano
Basil
Marjoram
Garlic
Ginger
Galangale
Rosemary
Lovage
Borage
Rose Petals (organic only)
Calendula
Nutmeg and Mace
From Bear "Decker, Terry D." <TerryD at Health.State.OK.US>
Cardamom
Coriander
Anise seed
Fenugreek (for early Medieval and ethnic cooking)
From: "John Henschen" <bacchus at revealed.net>
cardamom
coriander
From: Failenn "DAVIS, VICTORIA" <VICTORIA.DAVIS at aeroquip.com>
savory
From: Amy E. Sousa/Lady Elisabeth Borden, Barony of the Bridge, EK <LdyElisbth at aol.com>:
Chervil
Hyssop
and Sage
From: Rudd Rayfield <RuddR at aol.com>
cinnamon
From: Ras <LrdRas at aol.com>
sugar
Date: Fri, 17 Jul 1998 14:15:25 -0400
From: Nick Sasso <Njs at mccalla.com>
Subject: SC - Spices, pantry and import of each
The list I have been offered here is appreciated greatly. It offered a
few things I had not considered. The question that seems of even more
import is: which ones are absolute necessities, and which are important
yet less so?
When I present to a group of new cooks or curious people, they will be
a bit overwhelmed by a laundry list of things they have to buy to be
medieval cooks.
I figure that the list of general must haves includes
SPICES: saffron, grains of paradise, black peppercorns, galingale,
cardamom, salt, cubebs
Additionally, as available for purchase, or in an herb garden:
FRESH HERBS garlic, sage, rosemary, ginger, borage, (No one
mentioned) Rue, chervil, marjoram,
CONDIMENTS: verjuice, vinegar, garum/liquimen
Date: Fri, 17 Jul 1998 12:20:29 -0700
From: "Anne-Marie Rousseau" <acrouss at gte.net>
Subject: Re: SC - Spice cabinet-what do we stock?
Hi all from Anne-Marie
my kitchen for tourneys has the following...
balsamic vinegar
white wine vinegar
good quality olive oil
whole nutmegs and grater
cone sugar and grater
cassia (cinnamon)
ginger
whole garlic
salt
peppercorns and peppermill
a big jar of my poudre forte (contains all kinds of stuff, and is a good
general medieval seasoning. means I have to pack less!)
saffron
Fresh herbs I bring according to the recipes I plan on making...for this
weekend I have marjoram, parsley, sage, and mint.
- --Anne-Marie, who is packing for coronation as we speak
Date: Fri, 17 Jul 1998 15:17:21 EDT
From: DianaFiona at aol.com
Subject: Re: SC - Spices, pantry and import of each
I figure that the list of general must haves includes
SPICES: saffron, grains of paradise, black peppercorns, galingale,
cardamom, salt, cubebs
Additionally, as available for purchase, or in an herb garden:
FRESH HERBS garlic, sage, rosemary, ginger, borage, (No one
mentioned) Rue, chervil, marjoram,
CONDIMENTS: verjuice, vinegar, garum/liquimen
============================================================ >>
Everyone's going to have slightly different prefferences on the
listings, depending on what sources they use most. My slight adjustments would
include moving ginger to the (Dried) spices list, dropping the cubebs, and
adding cinnamon, cumin and corriander. In the fresh herbs, I'd drop borage and
add parsley, thyme, mint and hyssop--and, reluctantly, fresh corriander (I
hate it, but it *was* pretty popular......). I'd probably add mustard to the
condiments--I haven't seen it *in* that many dishes, but it's easy to get and
so *good*. ;-)
Ldy Diana
Date: Sat, 18 Jul 1998 00:51:27 -0400
From: Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Re: Spice Cabinet-what do we stock?
I thought it might be nice to include a list from a period source:
Taillevent's Viandier (Scully translation) .
"170. Spices Necessary for This Present Recipe Book: ginger, cinnamon,
cloves, grain of paradise, long pepper, aspic [this might be a
mistranslation for spikenard], round pepper, cassia buds, saffron,
nutmegs, bay leaves, galingale, mace, laurel leaves, cumin, sugar,
almonds, garlic, onions, shallots, herb bennet, sorrel, vine leaves or
vine shoots, currants and green wheat in winter. For steeping, white
wine, verjuice, vinegar, water, greasy broth, cow's milk and almond
milk."
The two references to bay leaves and laurel leaves may be an error: bay
leaves are pretty much regarded as the edible form of laurel leaf; maybe
the second reference is to bay berries?
This is interesting in that it appears to show some differences between
French and English verions of medieval court cookery. Note the absence
of cubebs, coriander seed, caraway seed, anise or fennel seed, which
appear pretty frequently in the contemporary (late 14th century) English
recipe books.
What would I add? Mustard, cubebs, coriander seed, anise, fennel,
caraway, saunders, parsley, sage, marjoram, hyssop, dittany, and
pellitory (iffy). I'd also want some honey and some good oil, but those
might not be appropriate for a discussion on spice cabinets.
Adamantius
Date: Sat, 18 Jul 1998 08:09:34 -0500
From: vjarmstrong at aristotle.net (Valoise Armstrong)
Subject: 11 th C. spices and zedoary (was: Re: SC - Spice cabinet-what do we stock?)
All the discussion of what spices we stock for recreating period cooking
tickled something in my memory. In my never-ending search for all things
German I found the following on the web page for Francesco Sirene
<http://www.silk.net/sirene/medgerm.htm>; There's a chart called A Medieval
and Renaissance German Spice Chest. I rummaged through my files and found
it. Apparently this was complied from 7 cookbooks ranging from mid-14th to
late 16th centuries by Michel Balard. Complete bibliographical info is on
the page. One of the spices on the list that I don't recognize is zedoary.
Anyone know what that is? This is from an English translation of a
French-language article on German cookbooks, I'm not sure which language
zedoary comes from.
On the the 11th century part - On the same page there a quote from a 13th
century book that quotes an earlier work by al-Tartushi, who visited Mainz
in 1083 and described the spices available: "On occasion spice, which comes
from only the farthest Orient, is found there, whereas Mainz is situated in
the farthest Occident: for example, pepper, ginger, cloves, spikenard,
costum, and galanga, which are imported from India, where they occur
quantity."
Full bilbiographical information is on <http:www.silk.net/sirene.medgerm.htm>
Date: Sat, 18 Jul 1998 08:20:54 -0500
From: vjarmstrong at aristotle.net (Valoise Armstrong)
Subject: Re: SC - Spice cabinet-what do we stock?
I just posted the message on 11th century spices and thought I ought to
check and make sure the page I referred to was still there on the Francisco
Sirene site. It was and I also found pages on late Roman, Norse, and
Russian spice chests, as well as some great suggestions on how to put
together a spice chest for your particular persona. The address is:
http://www.silk.net/sirene/spiceche.htm
Valoise
Date: Sat, 18 Jul 1998 14:31:49 -0500
From: "Decker, Terry D." <TerryD at Health.State.OK.US>
Subject: RE: 11 th C. spices and zedoary (was: Re: SC - Spice cabinet-what do we stock?)
> One of the spices on the list that I don't recognize is zedoary.
> Anyone know what that is? This is from an English translation of a
> French-language article on German cookbooks, I'm not sure which language
> zedoary comes from.
Zedoary is the dried powdered rhizome of the Indian plant, Curcuma zedoaria.
The word is probably Persian in origin. The plant originates in the
Himalayas and is grown in Madagascar (thank you, quick ref and Root). Don't
ask me about the taste, I've never used any.
Bear
Date: Sat, 25 Jul 1998 22:18:04 -0500
From: "Decker, Terry D." <TerryD at Health.State.OK.US>
Subject: RE: SC - Is allspice period?
> Isn't allspice a native of the West Indies? If so would it be possible
> for it to be LATE period? Does anyone know of any late period
> recipes that call for allspice?
>
> Henri
> mailto:mikel at pdq.net
I've seen two versions of this. One says Columbus found allspice in Jamaica
in 1494. The other says he missed it, and it was found by later explorers.
It was one of the spices used for curing boucan (17th Century). The first
recipe I know of it being used in is a terrapin soup from the early 19th
Century. If you come across it in an older recipe it may be called pimiento
or pimento.
Bear
Date: Wed, 5 Aug 1998 12:18:39 EDT
From: THLRenata at aol.com
Subject: Re: SC - Galingale and grains of paradise...
You might also try DragonMarsh in Revierside, CA. They have a huge selection
of herbs and spices, including both GoP and galingal.
They can be reached at Dragonmrsh at aol.com or www.dragonmarsh.com.
There was some trouble with the website last week, so you might just want to
e-mail them and get their catalog.
Renata
Date: Fri, 25 Sep 1998 13:54:29 -0500
From: "Decker, Terry D." <TerryD at Health.State.OK.US>
Subject: RE: SC - An article on medieval spices
It is a scholarly journal. Try this URL:
http://www.gbhap-us.com/journals/325/325-top.htm
> ----------
> From: Mark.S Harris[SMTP:rsve60 at email.sps.mot.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, September 23, 1998 11:12 AM
> To: SCA-Cooks maillist
> Subject: SC - An article on medieval spices
>
> I was editing this message to put in my spices-msg file and thought
> that some of you might find it interesting but not have seen it yet.
>
> Can anyone tell me about this "Food and Foodways"? I assume it is
> a journal of some type.
>
> Stefan li Rous
> stefan at texas.net
>
> =============
> From: Mark Shier <mark at medievalwares.com>
> Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
> Subject: Spices
> Date: Fri, 20 Mar 1998 14:40:01 -0800
> Organization: Island Net on Vancouver Island B.C. Canada
>
> Anyone interested in medieval culinary spices should track down a copy
> of
>
> Lauriox uses account records, cookbooks and medical treatises to look
> at spice use. Among other things, he concludes that the idea of pepper
> being extremely expensive and restriced to the nobility is a modern
> fiction. He is cautious on the amount of spices consumed, but he does
> not think that consumption was much higher than today.
>
> mark der gaukler
Date: Fri, 9 Oct 1998 11:19:34 EDT
From: LrdRas at aol.com
Subject: Re: SC - Spice/Herb Grinders (was Rosemary Usage)
THLRenata at aol.com writes:
<< Please tell me about spice grinders, as it looks like I'n going to need one.
(I just got a shipment of Grains of Paradise and Cubebs!) What kinds do you
listfolk recommend? How does one clean them between herbs?
Renata >>
I use a coffee grinder for my herbs and spices when I don't think my mortar
and pestle will be sufficient. The grinders are available at any department
store and are rather inexpensive. I think mine was around 10 dollars. I only
use it for spices and herbs.
Since you will never be putting liquid ingredients in it or grinding anything
that is not in a dried state cleaning is really unnecessary beyond normal
maintenance. A simple swipe with a paper towel is all that is really
necessary.
Ras
Date: Fri, 9 Oct 1998 08:15:17 -0700
From: "Anne-Marie Rousseau" <acrouss at gte.net>
Subject: Re: SC - Spice/Herb Grinders (was Rosemary Usage)
Hi all from Anne-Marie
we are asked about spice grinders.
I use (as does Tony of WorldSpice) a Braun coffee mill that has never seen
coffee in its life. I use this for small batches of almonds for almond milk
too. I use a large natural bristle pastry brush to clean it by brushing out
the moving bits, etc VERY thoroughly immediately after use. Occasionally
I'll wash the lid with soapy water (like when I grinded chocolate in it
and it all melted, rats!)
The little braun mills have a good strong motor, and they're cheap enough
that when you finally kill it (mines been going strong for about five years
now, but Tony goes through one every couple months) you donÕt feel bad.
For nutmeg and cone sugar, I have a small cheese grater. For pepper, I have
a dedicated pepper mill (got a lovely german wood one from Tony), and for
grains I have a dedicated pepper mill (a cheap small plastic one, not from
Tony!). I also have a marble mortar and pestle, but hardly use that
anymore.
For smaller amounts of fresh herbs (or at a re-enactment event), I use a
very sharp knife and elbow grease. For large batches, I use my Cuisinart.
- --AM
Madrone/ An Tir
Seattle/WA
Date: Fri, 9 Oct 1998 14:40:45 EDT
From: DianaFiona at aol.com
Subject: Re: SC - Spice/Herb Grinders (was Rosemary Usage)
LrdRas at aol.com writes:
<< Since you will never be putting liquid ingredients in it or grinding anything
that is not in a dried state cleaning is really unnecessary beyond normal
maintenance. A simple swipe with a paper towel is all that is really
necessary.
Ras >>
Ha! Tell that to my grinder when I try grinding a sweet spice after all the
cumin I'm constantly using! ;-) I've occasionally resorted to very carefully
washing and rinsing the bowl, wiping dry, then letting it air out well before
using again.
Ldy Diana
Date: Fri, 9 Oct 1998 16:56:52 -0400
From: "Margo Hablutzel" <Margo.Hablutzel.margolh at nt.com>
Subject: SC - Reducing feast fees and cleaning spice grinders
For the latter, I was taught to run a bit of bread through to clear out the
bits of spice, or coffee, as bread is usually cheaper and more expendable
(and you get some interesting-flavoured crumbs for breading, cakes, etc.).
- ---= Morgan
Morgan Cely Cain * Steppes, Ansteorra
(although temporarily in Atlantia)
Date: Fri, 09 Oct 1998 23:21:36 -0400
From: Phil & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Reducing feast fees and cleaning spice grinders
Margo Hablutzel wrote:
> For the latter, I was taught to run a bit of bread through to clear out the
> bits of spice, or coffee, as bread is usually cheaper and more expendable
> (and you get some interesting-flavoured crumbs for breading, cakes, etc.).
This little bit of wisdom is, I recall, the _very first_ thing mentioned by le
Menagier de Paris in his section on cookery.
Adamantius
¯stgardr, East
Date: Sat, 10 Oct 1998 14:54:50 -0400
From: renfrow at skylands.net (Cindy Renfrow)
Subject: Re: SC - Reducing feast fees and cleaning spice grinders
Adamantius sez:
>This little bit of wisdom is, I recall, the _very first_ thing mentioned
> by le Menagier de Paris in his section on cookery.
"Primo, in all sausages and thick pottages, wherein spices and bread be
brayed, you should first bray the spices and take them out of the mortar,
because the bread which you bray afterwards requires that which remaineth
from the spices; thus naught is lost that would be lost if 'twere done
otherwise."
Power, The Goodman of Paris, p. 223.
Cindy/Sincgiefu
renfrow at skylands.net
Date: Sun, 06 Dec 1998 12:45:02 -0800
From: Vicki Strassburg Eldredge <taltos at primenet.com>
Subject: SC - Time to give something back
With all the wonderful information I've received from this list, it's only fair
that I share when I find something really cool. (This may be redundant for some
of you, but I know I was excited by it.) A chart follows which gives a
spice, and then the name it can be found under in various ethnic stores.
~Maedb
>From _The Complete Book of Spices (A Practical Guide to Spices and Aromatic
Seeds)_ by Jill Norman, (c) 1990 ISBN 0-670-83437-8
ajowan ~ ajwain, carom, lovage (indian)
anise ~ saunf (indian) yan kok (chinese) jintan manis (malaysian)
asafetida ~ hing (indian)
caraway ~ kala jeera, shia jeera (indian)
cardamom ~ elaichi (indian) wok lok wuat (chinese) kapulaga (indonesian)
buah ~ pelaga (malay) kravan (thai)
cassia buds ~ nagkesar (indian)
cayenne ~ lal mirch (indian) pisi hui (thai)
coriander ~ dhania (indian) ketumber (indonesian, malay) pak chi met (thai)
cubeb ~ tjabe djawa (indonesian)
cumin ~ jeera (indian) jinten (indonesian) jinten putih (malay) yee raa (thai)
cumin,black ~ kala jeera (indian)
curry leaves ~ kari patta (indian) daun kari (indonesian) daun kai pla (malay)
bai karee (thai)
dill ~ sowa (indian) adas cina (indonesian)
fennel ~ saunf (indian) wooi heung (chinese) adas (indon., malay)
fenugreek ~ methi (indian)
galangal,greater ~ laos (indones.) lengkuas (malay) khaa (thai)
galangal,lesser ~ sa leung geung (chinese) kencur (indon.)
kaffir lime leaves ~ daun jeruk purut (indonesian) bai makrut (thai)
lemon grass ~ sereh (indonesian, malay) ta krai (thai)
mace ~ bunga pala (malay) dawk chand (thai)
mango powder ~ amchoor (indian)
mustard seeds ~ rai (indian) biji sawi (malay)
nigella ~ kala jeera, kalonji (indian)
pomegrante ~ anadana (indian)
poppy seeds ~ khas khas (indian) kas kas (malay)
saffron ~ kesar (indian) kunyit kering (malay)
screwpine ~ rampe (indian) daun pandan (indonesian) bai toey hom (thai)
sesame ~ til (indian) chee ma (chinese) bijan (malay) dee la (thai)
star anise ~ pak kok (chinese) bunga lawang (indonesian, malay) poy kak bua
(thai)
tamarind ~ imli (indian) asam (indonesian) asam java (malay) mak kam (thai)
turmeric ~ haldi (indian) wong geung (chinese) kunjit (indonesian, malay) kamin
(thai)
zedoary ~ amb halad, gundhmul, kachar (indian) kentjur (indonesian)
- --
~ Me (vicki, maedb, taltos)
Date: Mon, 18 Jan 1999 20:27:54 -0500
From: Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>
Subject: Re: hot foods (was Re: SC - Period Chili)
Kornelis Sietsma wrote:
> On the subject of hot foods - chilies may by OOP, but are there period
> recipes for hot foods using mustard, pepper, or horseradish?
>
> You can get a good decent heat from any of these products - but was this a
> period practice? And how old are "devilled" foods?
While mustard, pepper, and horseradish were used in period, they seem
rarely, if ever, to have been added to other foods to make them
significantly hot. The only recipe text that comes close to this usage
(that I can think of offhand) is Hugh Plat's 1609 kielbasa recipe (To
Make a Polonian Sawsedge), in which he instructs us, as I recall, to
make the sausage good and hot with ginger and pepper. I seem to recall
one or two other references to using spices liberally so long as you
_don't_ make the dish too hot.
(And no, before people latch onto the above, it is in no way intended to
suggest people used a lot of spices to disguise rotten meat. Fresh meat
was generally cheaper than spices.)
All this being said, though, while there were both mustard and pepper
sauces used pretty consistently throughout the SCA's period (the only
horseradish sauce I can think of offhand is in Kenelm Digby, published
in 1669), I think it would generally have been considered to be
medically unsound to eat _very_ hot foods, what with choleric humours,
an' all.
Adamantius
¯stgardr, East
Date: Mon, 1 Feb 1999 23:02:06 -0600
From: "Decker, Terry D." <TerryD at Health.State.OK.US>
Subject: RE: SC - Quantities of salt and spices used.
> When we discuss quantities of spices added, we would do well to consider their
> shelf life. In period, spices were usually on the (Silk) Road something like
> three years after their harvesting, before they came to the cooks' hands.
Another common route for spices was from India to Mocha at the beginning of
the monsoon. From Mocha to the two major ports at the head of the Red Sea.
Transport overland to Alexandria or the Levant. Then by sea to Turkey and
Italy or overland to Persia.
This sea route was used for almost a thousand years without hindrance,
moving at least one large shipload of spices every year.
Spices brought over the sea route appear to have brought premium prices,
being fresher and untainted by animal sweat.
> Our spices, OOTH, are whisked from their plant-y birth to Mccormick's
> bottelery, [or wherever] and thence to our shelves in mere weeks. Obviously,
> what we use is likely to give a much bigger bang than what they had!
>
> Surely this must be a factor.
>
> Devra the Baker
Not necessarily. Ground spices lose potency faster than whole spices. And
it is often hard to tell how long a ground spice has been in distribution.
I buy most of my spices from a health food store and difference in potency
between those and the spices from the large distributors is truly
noticeable.
Bear
Date: Tue, 02 Feb 1999 09:04:41 -0500
From: Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Quantities of salt and spices used.
Devra at aol.com wrote:
> Our spices, OOTH, are whisked from their plant-y birth to Mccormick's
> bottelery, [or wherever] and thence to our shelves in mere weeks. Obviously,
> what we use is likely to give a much bigger bang than what they had!
>
> Surely this must be a factor.
Possibly. On the other hand, we don't know how long they sit around in
McCormick's warehouse before processing and canning, and, more or less
conversely, it's hard to gauge the shelf life and adulteration level of
spices sold already ground in the medieval marketplace. That being said,
though, the three-year trip on the Silk Road probably didn't abuse whole
spices any more than three years of storage in my
overheated-through-lack-of-ventilation kitchen, and I have cinnamon
sticks, nutmegs, cloves, peppercorns, cubebs, galingale, grains of
paradise and long pepper (some several years old) and when I grind them
they still have considerably more oomph than anything ground and tinned.
I agree this must be a factor, but what the effect is is hard to say.
There are good arguments to be made on both sides of this issue.
Adamantius
¯stgardr, East
Date: Sat, 06 Feb 1999 21:17:07 -0800
From: Anne-Marie Rousseau <acrouss at gte.net>
Subject: Re: SC - spice grinder
At 06:54 PM 2/6/99 -0500, Seton1355 at aol.com wrote:
>I've decided that I need a new spice grinder - a better spice grinder. The
>one I'm using now is, in fact a coffee grinder and it doesn't grind my spices
>fine enough. Can anyone suggest where I can get a good spice grinder?
>
>Phillipa
Hi all from Anne-Marie
I use a Braun "coffee mill" with great results. It comes highly
recommended...that's what Tony Hill uses at Worldspice (except for the
large batches of curry, etc, then he uses a bigger commercial one). If you
dont overload it, and use a pulsing motion, I find it grinds as fine as
storebought.
- --AM
Date: Wed, 17 Feb 1999 21:22:30 -0600
From: "Decker, Terry D." <TerryD at Health.State.OK.US>
Subject: RE: SC - Medieval vs Renaissance Cooking
> There seems to be a dramatic difference between the two -- grains or paradise,
> cubebs, galengale and other popular medieval spices went out of style for
> one thing.
>
> Does anyone know why this happened and approximately when?
>
> Renata
The change appears coincidental with the opening of direct trade between
Europe and the Far East.
I believe Hourani speculates that the change in spices may have occurred
because of problems along the normal spice routes in conjunction with above
mentioned direct trade, which initially had a lower carrying capacity than
the well established trade.
Bear
Date: Fri, 19 Feb 1999 08:25:07 -0600
From: "Decker, Terry D." <TerryD at Health.State.OK.US>
Subject: RE: SC - pepper
Black pepper (Piper nigrum) is of Javanese origin. It originally appears to
have been imported into Europe by Romans trading in Egypt and the Levant.
The trade continued after the fall of Rome and made pepper one of the major
spices of medieval times.
Black pepper is the entire fruit. White pepper is the fruit with the dark
outer hull removed. I've found no date for the initial use of white pepper,
but, IIRC, I have seen a late period recipe which calls for it. For
authenticity, black pepper is probably the best call. The difference
between white and black pepper is that white pepper has a milder taste
The genus Piper also contains cubeb, betel, and kava.
Bear
Date: Fri, 19 Feb 1999 16:55:53 -0500
From: "Margo Farnsworth" <margokeiko at esslink.com>
Subject: Re: SC - pepper
I found this page on the web with their description of the plant:
http://www.shadow.net/~heruka/seeds.html
Piper Nigrum: "Black-pepper, Peppercorn-plant" P. Nigrum is the true source
of Black pepper, and not to be confused with Capiscum (hot) peppers. Piper
Nigrum is an extremely ornamental plant, perfect for the home and great in a
greenhouse. This species appears like a vine with heart shaped leaves and
produces a semi-epiphytic growth of roots from stem. Highly suggested...Very
prolific and a rarity. Plant $ 12
>Is it possible to grow black pepper in a garden?
>Or would it even be worth the effort?
>
>Fallon
From the other info I found, the plant is subtropical or tropical, so I
guess it would depend on where you live if you could grow it outside or not.
Faoiltighearna
Torvald's Hird
Canton of Ravenhill, BBM, East
Date: Fri, 19 Feb 1999 18:25:58 -0500
From: "Margo Farnsworth" <margokeiko at esslink.com>
Subject: Re: SC - pepper
>So out of curiosity then, how do the peppers grow on the plant and how are
>they prepared for use?
A pretty decent picture can be found at:
http://www.albion.edu/fac/biol/skean/pipenipg.htm
From looking at this picture, I would assume the fruit is allowed to mature
and then picked and dried. I have also seen in gourmet stores green
peppercorns in brine, I assume these are picked and pickled while still
fresh.
Faoiltighearna
Date: Fri, 19 Feb 1999 18:50:00 -0500
From: Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>
Subject: Re: SC - pepper
The peppercorns are basically berries growing in a cluster from a
central stem, like a little bunch of grapes, or perhaps like a
blackberry. The berries are removed from the stem, and, as I recall,
allowed to ferment somewhat, blackening the fruit layer of the berries.
They are then dried.
At some point in this process the fruit pulp layer is removed from some
peppercorns, leaving only the pale seed, a.k.a. white peppercorns.
Adamantius
¯stgardr, East
Date: Sat, 20 Feb 1999 00:04:04 -0000
From: "=?iso-8859-1?Q?Nanna_R=F6gnvaldard=F3ttir?=" <nannar at isholf.is>
Subject: Re: SC - pepper
Black pepper is the unripe fruit and is green before drying. White pepper is
the seed of the ripe fruit (the fruit itself is red). For more info on
pepper (and other spices), try this site (scroll down to the index and click
on pepper):
http://www-ang.kfunigraz.ac.at/~katzer/engl/index.html
Nanna
Date: Fri, 19 Feb 1999 20:51:46 -0600
From: "Decker, Terry D." <TerryD at Health.State.OK.US>
Subject: RE: SC -
Looking in Waverly Root's Food, the comment is made that Horace thought the
perfect general seasoning was black salt and white pepper. Horace lived in
the 1st Century BCE, so white pepper should be in period.
Root does comment that green pepper was not known in the Occident before
W.W.II.
Bear
Date: Wed, 12 May 1999 09:21:53 -0500
From: "Decker, Terry D." <TerryD at Health.State.OK.US>
Subject: RE: SC - cumin
> Does anyone know the difference between "cumin" and "black cumin"
> Phillipa
Cumin is Cuminum cyminum. Black cumin is Nigella sativa. The spice cumin
is made from the fruit of the cumin. The spice black cumin is made from the
seeds of the black cumin. Just to make matters fun, cumin is sometimes used
to referred to black cumin.
Bear
Date: Wed, 12 May 1999 10:50:15 -0500
From: "Decker, Terry D." <TerryD at Health.State.OK.US>
Subject: RE: SC - cumin
The quick ref gives Nigella sativa as the answer. This apparently is the
plant commonly identified by the name "black cumin." The site you quote is
the only one to flatly contradict this usage and identify Cuminum nigrum
exclusively as "black cumin."
A quick check of Francesco Sirene's web site:
http://www.silk.net/sirene/b.htm
produces the information about the common usage and points out that while
the seeds of Cuminum nigrum are smaller and darker than regular cumin,
calling them black is stretching it. He also states the black cumins are
also known as black caraway.
So unless the recipe comes from the area which uses Cuminum nigrum, the odds
are black cumin is Nigella sativa.
Some other names for Nigella are nutmeg flower, love in the mist, fitch, and
gith. I believe the last two names would be those most likely to appear in
a medieval text.
Bear
Date: Sat, 12 Jun 1999 09:28:13 -0700
From: "David Dendy" <ddendy at silk.net>
Subject: Re: SC - Bhuna Prawn and Puri
><< Also where would I get the dry-roasted spices from? Maybe dry roast
> >them myself or are they obtainable like that I wonder? >>
>
>Most India type recipes (and other cuisines as well) specify that you roast
>the spices before grinding or adding them. This is usually accomplished by
>simply putting them in a small pan on the stove burner or, less often, by
>putting them in the oven. Roasted spices, per se, are not often offered on a
>retail level, so far as my experience has been.
>
>Ras
The purpose of dry-roasting spice just before use is to bring out the
essential oils with the heat. Therefore buying previously dry-roasted spices
would be self-defeating, as once the essential oils are brought out they do
not linger long, and so the flavour would have fled.
Francesco
Date: Sat, 12 Jun 1999 09:37:12 -0700
From: "David Dendy" <ddendy at silk.net>
Subject: Re: SC - curry leaves?
>I«m not sure why they are called curry leaves but it comes from Hindi,
>where they are called kari phulia or karipatta. Indonesian daun salam is
>rather similar and can sometimes be used as a substitute.
>
>Nanna
The reason is concealed within the name. Curry (or "kari") did not
originally mean "spice mixture", as it does to westerners today, but "stew".
It was the British who took home the idea of a spicy stew, and started
calling a standardized spice mixture "curry powder". (No self-respecting
Indian cook would use the same spice mixture in all dishes, or buy it
ready-made and losing flavour in a jar) So curry leaves are called that
because they are used in curries ("stews"), not because they are a
substitute for the so-called curry powder.
Francesco
Date: Sat, 12 Jun 1999 18:08:30 -0000
From: "=?iso-8859-1?Q?Nanna_R=F6gnvaldard=F3ttir?=" <nannar at isholf.is>
Subject: Re: SC - curry leaves?
From: David Dendy <ddendy at silk.net>
Francesco wrote:
>The reason is concealed within the name. Curry (or "kari") did not
>originally mean "spice mixture", as it does to westerners today, but "stew".
>It was the British who took home the idea of a spicy stew, and started
>calling a standardized spice mixture "curry powder". (No self-respecting
>Indian cook would use the same spice mixture in all dishes, or buy it
>ready-made and losing flavour in a jar) So curry leaves are called that
>because they are used in curries ("stews"), not because they are a
>substitute for the so-called curry powder.
Yes, I knew that, of course, but I was really wondering why *this* spice was
called curry-something - I mean, lots of spices are used in curries without
taking their name from them. But I checked my Indian cookbooks just now and
the answer was really self-evident - almost any recipe from Kerala or Tamil
Nadu (in Southern India) includes 10-20 curry leaves - other spices may vary
but lots of curry leaves and chilies are almost always called for. The curry
leaves were probably even more prominent before chili peppers were brought
to India. So it is perfectly natural that they should be called curry leaves
(a similar modern European example might be lovage, which is so prominent in
many dried vegetable soup and stew mixtures that it is called "the Maggi
herb" in many countries, Maggi being the best-known manufacturer of such
products).
Nanna
Date: Wed, 28 Jul 1999 10:09:01 -0500
From: "Decker, Terry D." <TerryD at Health.State.OK.US>
Subject: RE: SC - spikenard
A good place to start looking for spices is on Francisco Sirene's web site:
http://www.silk.net/sirene/index.htm
The following is from his spice finder and catalog:
SPICA INDICA (ancient Rome) = Spikenard (Spices).
Spikenard (Spices) = Nardostachys jatamansi.
This root (or more properly rhizome) has a heavy and peculiar odour, like a
mixture of valerian and patchouli. The taste is bitter and aromatic. Used in
India from early times in perfume and medicine, it was imported to the
Greco-Roman world. It scented the precious ointment offered to Jesus. The
Roman cookbook of Apicius calls for it in sauces for meat, seafood, and
fowl. It is an ingredient in some medieval hypocras and clarry recipes.
[n.b. -- do not confuse this with American Spikenard (Aralia racemosa), a
totally different plant, which is what is usually offered as 'spikenard' in
North America.]
Bear
Date: Mon, 30 Aug 1999 23:08:41 -0700
From: "David Dendy" <ddendy at silk.net>
Subject: Re: SC - questions: TO BOIL PHEASANTS, PARTRIDGES, CAPONS AND CURLEWS
> Seton1355 at aol.com writes:
> << What is canel flour?>>
>
> Ground cinnamon
The original phrase quoted, as I recall, was "flower of canel". I agree
that canel is cinnamon. However, though "flower" might be a homonym
for "flour", it could also mean "flower" in the sense of the finest or best;
ex., "the flower of chivalry". Of course, if the latter meaning is intended,
that still does not preclude it from being the finest *ground* cinnamon.
Lady Brighid ni Chiarain
Settmour Swamp, East (NJ)
Actually, it is neither. "Flower of canel" is cassia buds -- the 'flower'
bud of the cassia/cinnamon tree (similar in appearance to cloves). The idea
that for some reason canel/cassia/cinnamon ground up was referred to as
"flour/flower", when all other spices ground up were powders, is something
perpetrated by early translators of cookery books, who were not very
familiar with spices, and didn't know that cassia buds were a popular spice
in period Europe.
Francesco Sirene
P.S. If you want to try cassia buds, we can supply them.
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: Mon, 30 Aug 1999 23:19:54 -0700
From: "David Dendy" <ddendy at silk.net>
Subject: Re: SC - SPICES
>My good lord husband recently gifted me with the book SEVEN CENTURIES OF
>ENGLISH COOKING: A Collection of Recipes by Maxime de la Falaise.
>This is from the back of the book.
>Phillipa
I'm not sure of your question. Are you asking about the reliability of these
statements from the book? (This book is one of the dinosaurs of historical
cookery works; many years ago, when it came out, it was ground-breaking in
reconstructing past cuisine, but today is long out of date in reliability
and authenticity -- although I must admit some of the recipes still taste
nice.) When she wrote it, exotic spices were unavailable, and I suspect she
was simply guessing. Today all of the genuine articles are readily available
(we sell them, for example. And our powder forte and powder douce are made
to actual 14th century Italian recipes. [PS We do have powder douce now, and
I'll be getting it onto the web-catalogue in a day or two].)
>CUBEBS
>A mixture of black pepper and allspice can replace the taste of cubebs.
Not very close. Get the real thing.
>SAUNDERS
>A red coloring made from powdered sandal wood. Use of cochineal, carmine, or
>red food coloring. I don't like any of these options.
Saunders is "red sandalwood", a completely different species from the normal
white sandalwood familiar to head-shop patrons.
>POUDER-FORTE
>A mixture of dried chives, mace and pepper
I have no idea where she gets the chives from.
>POWDER DOUCE
>A blend of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and pepper
A little closer, though there are actual authentic recipes available.
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, 31 Aug 1999 07:57:29 -0700
From: Anne-Marie Rousseau <acrouss at gte.net>
Subject: Re: SC - flour of cinnamon
Hey all from Anne-marie...
Ras sez:
>The origin of the word flower and flour is identical so I fail to see how
>pieces is more logical than ground especially when such an interpretation
>confuses the recipe rather than clarifying it. Consider that one of the
>definitions of flower itself is 'a finely divided powder. With all the
>evidence in hand, I would still go with finely ground cinnamon (e.g., flowers
>of cinnamon) unless more substantial evidence is forthcoming.
interestingly, Taillevent calls for "fleur de cassia". James Prescotts
translation interprets this as cassia buds, which are available from
Francesco as well as from WorldSpice. Thorvald/James told me that he tried
the recipe with the dried buds and it was yummy, albeit less cinnamon-y
than if you used the flour of cassia, ie ground cinnamon.
I personally think its very rude of those Mssr Taillevent to use that
particular term and not tell us what he meant. Hmph.
- --AM, who got the cookbooks unpacked first after her move this weekend :)
Date: Wed, 1 Sep 1999 15:13:55 EDT
From: Seton1355 at aol.com
Subject: SC - Spice grinders
For years I have been looking for a way to remove the spice smell left in my
grinder after I grind spices. I just got this info from a curry list that
I'm on. It seems like a good idea so I;m passing it on.
Phillipa
<< Grinding a handful of salt afterwards will remove all the oils,
rendering the grinder usable for other purposes. >>
Date: Wed, 01 Sep 1999 22:35:01 -0400
From: Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Spice grinders
Seton1355 at aol.com wrote:
> For years I have been looking for a way to remove the spice smell left in my
> grinder after I grind spices. I just got this info from a curry list that
> I'm on. It seems like a good idea so I;m passing it on.
> Phillipa
>
> << Grinding a handful of salt afterwards will remove all the oils,
> rendering the grinder usable for other purposes. >>
It should work, but I'd be concerned about dulling the blades of my
grinder with salt. You might try a couple of crackers. Le Menagier
recommends bread be ground _after_ the spices when you're using bread to
thicken a sauce or something, because the bread ground in the mortar
will absorb the spices and eliminate waste.
Adamantius
Date: Thu, 02 Sep 1999 10:27:33 -0400
From: Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Spice grinders
Seton1355 at aol.com wrote:
> Thank you Master! That sounds like a good idea too! But will table salt
> from the cheap box of salt (nothing fancy) dull the blads any faster than
> hard, crusty bread?
> Phillipa
Probably not. High-gluten breads, dry or otherwise, aren't known for
kindness to edges, which is why serrated bread knives are used. This why
I suggested a cracker or two. On the other hand, salt probably wouldn't
harm the grinder unless you used it frequently.
I'm assuming a grinder like an electric coffee grinder. Mills, such as a
pepper mill, would work differently; salt would probably be better in
that case.
Adamantius
Date: Thu, 02 Sep 1999 10:46:34 -0500
From: Helen <helen at directlink.net>
Subject: Re: SC - Spice grinders
I most often use a fresh white bread heel to clean my blades. You can grind
up fresh white bread for crumbs in your grinder for meat loaf etc. It does not
gum up or seem to dull the blades.
Helen
Date: Sun, 19 Sep 1999 00:40:59 -0500
From: Stefan li Rous <stefan at texas.net>
Subject: SC - Spices in Poland
In reading "Food and Drink in Medieval Poland" I came across some
interesting comments about some spices I had not heard before.
p41:
This paragraph is about the middle to late 1300s.
He mentions the importation of two sorts of galingale ("lesser",.
Alpina officinarum, and "greater", Alpina galanga).
Have other folks seen mention of two types of galingale? Which one
is the one sold today as galingale? both? Any idea what the differances
are?
All the spices in this list were apparently imported through Cyprus.
He also mentions Cypriot "monk's pepper" the seed of agnia or chaste
tree (Vitex agnus castus). "The pepper was added to monastic dishes to
suppress venery or sexual desire."
Anyone have any more on this or similar spices? I've got a little bit
on period aphrodisiacs. This is the first time I think I've heard of
a period spice being used to achieve the opposite effect.
Hmmm. Maybe that's the solution for the SCA-Cook's list baby boom? :-)
- --
Lord Stefan li Rous Barony of Bryn Gwlad Kingdom of Ansteorra
Mark S. Harris Austin, Texas stefan at texas.net
Date: Sat, 18 Sep 1999 23:45:43 -0700
From: "David Dendy" <ddendy at silk.net>
Subject: Re: SC - Spices in Poland
From: Stefan li Rous <stefan at texas.net>
>In reading "Food and Drink in Medieval Poland" I came across some
>interesting comments about some spices I had not heard before.
>
>p41:
>This paragraph is about the middle to late 1300s.
>He mentions the importation of two sorts of galingale ("lesser",.
>Alpina officinarum, and "greater", Alpina galanga).
>
>Have other folks seen mention of two types of galingale? Which one
>is the one sold today as galingale? both? Any idea what the differances
>are?
We carry both types of galingale. Greater or Java galingale (southeast
Asia) is the milder of the two, perhaps like ature of ginger and
cardamon. Lesser galingale (southern China) is much sharper in flavour,
like a combination of ginger and pepper. Greater galingale would seem to
have been the preferred variety in medieval Europe, though both were used.
>He also mentions Cypriot "monk's pepper" the seed of agnia or chaste
>tree (Vitex agnus castus). "The pepper was added to monastic dishes to
>suppress venery or sexual desire."
We have monk's pepper if you want to try some (it's not in the web
catalogue; we use it in a spice mixture -- but if anyone wants some e-mail
and we'll quote you a price)
Yours spicily,
Francesco
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: Sun, 19 Sep 1999 08:18:31 -0400
From: Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Spices in Poland
Stefan li Rous wrote:
> Have other folks seen mention of two types of galingale? Which one
> is the one sold today as galingale? both? Any idea what the differences
> are?
Greater galingale has a larger cross-section (i.e. bigger slices) and awhitish flesh similar to ginger, while lesser galingale is smaller andwith a reddish-orangey flesh. It would be hard to discuss flavor differences in writing... . Greater galingale is also listed in The Von Welanetz Guide to Ethnic ingredients with a bazillion alternative names I won't go into here, except to say that many of the alternative names are in European languages, while the alternative names for lesser galingale (at least the ones they list) seem to be strictly Asian languages. This leads me to suspect the galingale known in period Europe may well have been Greater Galingale. On the other hand, what every herb and spice store I've seen sells as galingale is kentjur or Lesser Galingale (the little red guys), I could be wrong about this. I haven't discussed this in detail with the people at Aphrodisia. It may be that both found their way into medieval Europe.
> All the spices in this list were apparently imported through Cyprus.
>
> He also mentions Cypriot "monk's pepper" the seed of agnia or chaste
> tree (Vitex agnus castus). "The pepper was added to monastic dishes to
> suppress venery or sexual desire."
>
> Anyone have any more on this or similar spices? I've got a little bit
> on period aphrodisiacs. This is the first time I think I've heard of
> a period spice being used to achieve the opposite effect.
Ummm, I understand saltpeter is/was famous for being added to prison food, especially baked goods and meat dishes, for precisely that effect. Basically it messes up your blood pressure, rendering um, hydrostatic pressure regulation, um, impossible. Impotence in a can. It probably also caused some fatal strokes, though, with excessive repeated use. Salt would do the same, but the amount required would be unpalatable unless you used very frequent small doses (which many people do in their ordinary diets anyway...)
Adamantius
Date: Thu, 11 Nov 1999 09:28:19 -0500
From: Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Comparitives: East vs West
LrdRas at aol.com wrote:
> castorquinn at crosswinds.net writes:
> << what spices flowed through to Western Europe,
> before about 1300? I am talking here of exotic spices, not the native
> spices , if there were any (were there?). >>
>
> A quick glance at period recipes reveals cassia, cinnamon, galengal, long
> pepper, black pepper, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, grains of paradise, mace,
> raisins of Corinth, etc.
Not to pick nits, but are you looking at a source "before about 1300"? I
don't imagine there'd be a huge difference, but since there aren't all
_that_ many pre-1300 sources available to us (and people always seem to
ask for stuff from before all those lovely 14th-century sources, don't
they ; ) ?), any differences might be hard to quantify accurately.
> Native 'spices' were pretty much NOT used in noble cookery, SFAIK.
Native European spices would include, among others, caraway, mustard,
fennel, anise, and cumin, and while they may not rate the spiff factor
that grains of paradise enjoy, they are used with fair frequency, and I
gather the proliferation of Dark Ages/early medieval literary references
to dishes of chicken in cumin sauce would suggest the domestic spices
_might_ have rated higher in early period than they did later. I read
this in a book by Richard Barber, I forget which, but it seems sensible
that in, say, the reign of Charlemagne, for example, when the spices
from the far East seem to have been somewhat more difficult to come by
than in later years, the slack might have been taken up by domestic
products.
Adamantius
Date: Thu, 11 Nov 1999 10:48:48 -0500
From: "Richard Kappler II" <rkappler at home.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Comparitives: East vs West
>> << what spices flowed through to Western Europe,
>> before about 1300? I am talking here of exotic spices, not the native
>> spices , if there were any (were there?). >>
Cassia and cinnamon were mentioned by St. Isidore, Archbishop of Seville.
In a grant made to a monastery in 716 by Chilperic II, cinnamon and cumin
were included. In 745, Gemmulus, a Roman deacon, sent pepper and cinnamon
to Boniface, Archbishop of Mayence. In the 9th century, cloves, pepper,
cinnamon as well as local indigenous plants were used in a monastery in
Switzerland for seasoning fish. In Charlemagne's royal gardens you would
find fennel and fenugreek. By the end of the 12th century nutmeg and mace
were to be found in Northern Europe. Also mentioned in this time period was
coriander.
regards, Puck
Date: Thu, 11 Nov 1999 12:28:22 EST
From: LrdRas at aol.com
Subject: Re: SC - Comparitives: East vs West
troy at asan.com writes:
<< Not to pick nits, but are you looking at a source "before about 1300"? >>
Trait de Cuisine is c. 1300 which would seem to indicate that the recipes
were used somewhat pre-1300. They list the usual spices that came from the
Orient. It is from this that I made my preliminary list in my former post. Is
there some indication that Trait is actually later than noted? Seasonings
listed include pepper, ginger, parsley, sage, white garlic, mustard, green
garlic, cinnamon, cumin, long pepper, sugar, 'hot' pepper (?), 'a leaf of
some sort', cypress root, saffron, lavender, cloves, salt, sour pepper (?),
verjuice, malt (vinegar (?)), cider, sour wine, grain verjuice, onion and an
unknown ingredient called 'ciconant.' Thyme, marjoram, rosemary, chives,
shallots, sorrel, oregano and bay laurel are not mentioned although I would
suspect that they might come under the general term 'herbs' although this
supposition lends little credible support to any theory that they were
'widely' or 'commonly' used in noble households.
An Old Icelandic Medical Miscellany, although from a 15th century CE
manuscript is most likely a copy of a manuscript dating from the 1200s CE,
seasonings listed in this manuscript include salt, saffron, cloves, mace,
cardamom (surprisingly), pepper, cinnamon, ginger, mustard seed, vinegar,
cumin, nutmeg, ginger, parsley, garlic, wild thyme, sage, and mint. 'Common'
herbs such as Bay laurel, oregano, rosemary and marjoram are not mentioned.
An Anonymous Andalusian Cookbook of the Thirteenth Century is very much
pre-1300s and is also European (e.g., Spain) which clearly shows that the
spices I mentioned were very much in use in Western Europe pre-1300s CE. In
fact, Spain is further west than even England. :-) Seasonings listed are
pepper, coriander seed, lavender, cinnamon, cilantro, mint, onion, garlic,
vinegar, saffron, cumin, ginger, cloves, rue, celery leaves, citron
leaves, lemon leaves, thyme, fennel seed and flowers, Chinese cinnamon,
powdered sugar, butter, camphor, rosewater, lemon, rosepetal jam, cilantro
juice, galinale, clove basil, celery juice, fennel stalks, caraway, pine
nuts, bee balm, musk, etc. (I ended my quest in this manuscript on page 14 of
49 pages. Up to that point I found no mention of bay laurel, rosemary,
oregano, chives or marjoram.
I also found no mention of grains of paradise in any of the 3 cited pre-1300
CE manuscripts. Please forgive me that small mistake. :-) I also did not
include listings in any of several manuscripts from the Middle east dating
back to the 900s CE although, as the location of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, it
would have been technically an area of Western Europe. :-)
I am not disputing your claim that several local 'spices' were ordered to be
grown in Charlemagne's gardens but whether these were used in noble cookery
or as medicinals still is to be answered.
Yours in Service of the Dream and the Kingdom of Aethelmearc,
Ras
Date: Sun, 28 Nov 1999 08:22:05 -0500
From: Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>
Subject: Re: SC - white pepper
Stefan li Rous wrote:
> Is white pepper not period? I remember it being called for in the Savory
> Toasted cheese redactions because that was the reason we first bought
> some white pepper. Guess I should go take a look at the redaction and
> the original recipe.
It probably existed, but may not have been used in Europe until late in
period. I note that it is not mentioned by Taillevent as one of the
spices necessary for running a kitchen, for what that's worth.
Today white pepper is used extensively in Asian cooking, especially
southern Chinese dishes (and pretty aggressively, too -- that cuisine is
possibly the most subtle on earth but definitely not bland), and in
situations where the appearance of black pepper in a whitish food might
be deemed unattractive, like, say, in a Nouvelle Cuisine (for the new
people on this list, that's what HG Cariadoc calls any European dish
from after ~1550, C.E.) dish of Savoury Toasted Cheese...
I vaguely recall, offhand, seeing white pepper mentioned in one or two
Nouvelle Cui -- I mean late period recipes.
Adamantius
Date: Wed, 1 Dec 1999 07:10:02 -0800
From: "David Dendy" <ddendy at silk.net>
Subject: SC - White Pepper in Period
Just catching up on recent messages. Several people asked whether white
pepper was imported to Europe and used in period. Here's what I can come up
with in a hurry.
Pliny the Elder's *Natural History* in the first century AD mentions three
sorts of pepper. Black pepper fetched four denarii a pound, white pepper got
seven, and long pepper was most expensive at fourteen denarii.
The Italian merchant manual of Pegolotti (Florence, between 1310 and 1340)
includes round (black) pepper, white pepper, and long pepper among its list
of 288 'spices'. Uzzano's manual of 1442 also lists white pepper. It is
separately noted in some customs tariffs.
Marco Polo noted large quantities of white pepper in the Malaysian
archipelago (although this was probably mainly for export to China, where
white pepper was a preferred variety).
So white pepper was known to Europe, and was imported to some degree. What I
do not know is whether it was used to any significant extent in cookery. I
don't offhand recall seeing any recipes in period cookbooks which called
specifically for white pepper. Perhaps those who are going through cookbooks
would be kind enough to keep an eye open for mentions of white pepper, and
post any if found?
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: Sun, 05 Dec 1999 09:24:48 -0800
From: Anne-Marie Rousseau <acrouss at gte.net>
Subject: Re: SC - mustard recipes
hiya from Anne-Marie
Ras sez:
><< just how fine can an
> underpaid and underappreciated powderer scullery get them?
>
>Very fine. With use of bolting cloths in particular. Also remember that in
>large household, manor houses and castles scullery persons would unlikely
>have been powdering spices. This task was often accomplished by wandering
>'spice grinders'. Another thing to think about would have been the purchase
>of the ground seed at the apothecaries. Many tasks that we assume were done
>in the kitchen were not done any more in the middle ages than they are now.
I've never seen a reference to them being wandering, only that they were a
special job. cool!
I also have seen in le menagier an admonition that one should buy spices
whole, which suggests that it is possible to buy them ground, but that its
not a good idea (at least according to one middle aged Parisian :))
as for the scullery crack, I was referring to myself, of course!
- --AM
Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2000 10:19:18 EST
From: Seton1355 at aol.com
Subject: SC - MASTIC
Well, one positive aspect to this whole bruhaha in Trimaris about feasting is
that it has spured me on to start looking up recipes again.
I recently asked what *mastic* is. Well, I found the answer!
Phillipa Seton
THE FOOD OF THE WESTERN WORLD An Encyclopedia of Food from North America and
Europe. Theodora FitzGibbon
Quadrangle / New York Times Book Co. 1976
MASTIC
(Pistacia lentiscus)
An evergreen resinous shrub native to Southern Europe, the sap of which is
used as a culinary flavoring. .... The gum tastes fairly like liquorice, is
obtained by making cuts into the tree bark.
Date: Tue, 29 Feb 2000 10:47:09 -0600
From: david friedman <ddfr at best.com>
Subject: RE: SC - REC: BAID MASUS
Phillipa Seton said
> For tonight's supper I made **Baid Masus** from His Grace's Miscellany. I
> had never made it before. It was delicious! A very straight forward recipe
> and easy to make. I didn't have any *mastic* however. (I hope everyone got
> my previous post on mastic - a liquorice flavored sap)
I believe the information you posted said that mastic was the sap,
and the bark was liquorice flavored. Mastic doesn't taste in the
least like liquorice. More like turpentine (think retsina for a
similar effect in something consumable), which is why we use it in
very small quantities.
David/Cariadoc
Date: Wed, 05 Apr 2000 19:04:35 CEST
From: "Christina van Tets" <cjvt at hotmail.com>
Subject: SC - spice substituting
Earlier I spoke about a text I am working on which specifies where you can
and can't substitute. Thought you might be interested.
Herewith the promised recipes:
6. To make kimmeneye of chickens. Take cumin and bread. Grind it together
and drive it through a strainer with a thin broth. Then you shall let it
cook together until the chickens are cooked enough. Then take yolks of eggs
with saffron crushed with wine. Let this simmer or boil very little in
order that it may bind only a little.
9. Item. You should know that one puts no spice in any kimmeneye other than
cumin and saffron.
This is fairly clear, I think, about what you could legitimately get away
with in the confines of the recipe. Kimmeneye is also spelt kimmeneyde, if
that's any use.
11. To make another jeleye. Take fish and cut then in pieces according to
whether you want them small or large, but it must be washed very clean, then
it must be dried very well from the water. Then take the half [of that]
quantity in wine, and the third [of that] quantity in vinegar. You will
boil the aforesaid fish well in this, and see that you skim it clean, and
remove all the scum so that you take off all the white and there is none
left, and let it boil until it is enough. So take it out of the water and
let itdrain well in a colander or on a wooden mat which will drain it well.
Then take spices that are strong. That is, lots of galingale - some do not
put galingale, but other spices - much saffron, nutmegs, ginger, cardamom,
mace and grind it up small in a mortareach by itself or all together, to a
powder, and put it through a strainer with the broth in which the fish was
boiled. Whoever also wants to, takes the scales or the skin of the fish,
one part, and cuts it up and puts it into the broth and one must let that
simmer until it is reduced to a third or less. And when it is boiled lay
the fish in dishes as they ought to lie. That is, with their scales/skin on
the bottom and with the insides outwards. Then take as many dishes as you
want to make and fill them with fish. Then you shall pour the sauce over
them and let them cool and so they will set when they are allowed to cool.
These recipes are all from Een Notabel Boecxken van Cokeryen, by Thomas
vander Noot, printed in Brussels about 1514.
Sorry the recipes are long, but I thought it wouldn't be fair to send you
half a recipe just to illustrate a point. As you can see, the first recipe
states very clearly that you _may not_ substitute in this dish, whereas the
second is much more relaxed about what goes into it, as long as the spices
are strong.
In short, I don't think there can be one simple rule about substituting.
Cairistiona
Date: Sun, 30 Apr 2000 14:04:23 CEST
From: "Christina van Tets" <cjvt at hotmail.com>
Subject: SC - sp[r]ice
M (of 007 fame??) asked:
>Since when was rice become a spice?
According to a fantastic book I have in front of me, entitled 'History
Source Books: The Elizabethan Age: The Queen, Nobles and Gentry' (it's a
school text, going almost entirely from primary sources which it presents
for the kids - heh heh, I'm indoctrinating my English students), the steward
of Ingatestone Hall (and therefore possibly others too?) called anything
which came from a hot country a spice. Among the list of 'spices' here are
currants, rice, almonds, prunes, dates and raisins. Maybe this is a key?
Cairistiona
Date: Thu, 25 May 2000 10:25:23 -0400
From: Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>
Subject: Re: SC -spice and economics
"Decker, Terry D." wrote:
> This point is open to question. In 716, Chilperic II the King of Neustria,
> abated the taxes on one pound of cinnamon, two pounds of cloves and 30
> pounds of pepper for the monastery of Corbie in Normandy. And in 745, the
> archbishop of Mainz, Wynfrith Boniface, received a gift of pepper from the
> Roman deacon Gemmulus.
>
> There are a number of references which suggest the spice trade did not
> disappear, but continued through Byzantium into Europe at a slower and more
> costly pace.
>
> Bear
I'm inclined to agree. I think there's a good case to be made for the
diminution of eastern spice supplies reaching Europe, with a
concommitant rise in the use of domestic spices such as cumin, anise,
mustard and caraway, but I'm not aware of the emergence of a spiceless
cuisine among those classes that were accustomed to having them. At
least not the most basic imported spices like pepper.
Adamantius
Date: Sun, 30 Apr 2000 20:05:32 -0500
From: "Decker, Terry D." <TerryD at Health.State.OK.US>
Subject: RE: SC - transporting ingredients
If you look at the import duties of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, spices
delivered by sea paid a higher duty than spice delivered by caravan. This
suggests that spices shipped by sea via India and the Red Sea were more
potent and valuable than those brought overland.
Spices shipped by sea would have been sealed in containers which would
protect them from water. This would also help protect them from the air.
Bear
> One thing you may have noticed: when quatities of spices *are* mentioned
> in period recipes, it looks like a ridiculously large amount. It is.
> Their spices weren't very potent. (this is corroborated by explorers'
> surprise at the flavors when they reached the Spice Islands) As a friend
> once told me, "These things were put in hide bags and transported on the
> back of an animal for months, then put on a leaky boat for more months.
> Care to guess what happened to the essential oils?"
>
> If you want everything to taste good, worry less about how they
> transported it and look instead at the physical conditions you have to
> deal with--heat, humidity, wind, rain, marauding drunks. Screw top jars
> are fine and medieval people would have killed for them. Come to think
> of it, they'd kill for our quality of spices.
>
> Morgana
Date: Mon, 01 May 2000 15:22:16 -0400
From: Elaine Koogler <ekoogler at chesapeake.net>
Subject: Re: SC - transporting ingredients
By the way, on the subject of storage, I have found that my spices last longer
when stored in colored bottles. To that end, (and with a great deal of protest
from my lord) I have used Mickey beer bottles (barrel-shaped, large mouth, green
in color) and found corks to fit the mouths. They really have worked well over
the years. Phillip keeps asking me if I don't need more!
Kiri
Date: Mon, 1 May 2000 15:05:44 -0700
From: lilinah at earthlink.net
Subject: Re: SC - transporting ingredients
> The spice shelf in my kitchen
>smells sooo good that I can hardly bring myself to transfer the spices from
>their paper bags to their jars.
>
>Gwynydd
Best to do so, though, if you want them to retain their fine
flavorful and aromatic essential oils. Regardless of how they were
kept in Medieval times. You'll get to enjoy them longer. If you
really like it, you could take a small amount of your favorite and
put them in a little cloth pouch like a sachet and keep it in the
cupboard to remind you of what you are protecting.
Although i now have most of my medieval herbs and spices in smallish
glass jars, light is also hazardous to spices and herbs and if you're
spices are kept in a standard kitchen spice rack most of the time,
many will loose their color as well.
Furthermore, heat causes the essential oils to volatilize - thus the
flavor is gradually lost into the air, even in a closed jar - it
isn't hermetically sealed, after all (unless you have one of those
vacuum sealing machines i saw on the shopping channel at my mom's
house) - so the volatile oils will seep out.
So, if you want to preserve their flavor and appearance, i recommend
that you keep you herbs and spices in a cool place, not over or near
your stove and/or oven, and either use the brown jars (but then you
can't see as easily what's inside) or keep your jars in a dark place.
Anahita
just discovered my galangal has lost its flavor so i need a new
batch, but my 25 year old cubebs are still amazingly fragrant.
Date: Tue, 2 May 2000 04:28:07 EDT
From: CBlackwill at aol.com
Subject: Re: SC - transporting ingredients
ekoogler at chesapeake.net writes:
> By the way, on the subject of storage, I have found that my spices last longer when stored in colored bottles. To that end, (and with a great deal of protest from my lord) I have used Mickey beer bottles (barrel-shaped, large mouth, green in color) and found corks to fit the mouths. They really have worked well over the years. Phillip keeps asking me if I don't need more! <
You may want to consider changing the bottles you store your spices in, and
see if a brown bottle doesn't keep them longer... It is my experience that
when sunlight passes through green glass, it can cause some kind of reaction.
I know this to be the case with beer (from scholarly research only, you
understand, and never any practical experience with the stuff). My
coriander, powdered ginger and cardamom pods all went rancid after about a
week in green glass.
Balthazar of Blackmoor
Date: Tue, 02 May 2000 08:21:07 -0400
From: grizly at mindspring.com
Subject: Re: Re: SC - transporting ingredients
As with hops, I suspect that the volitiles are susceptible to the blue range of the visible light spectrum. The photoreactive materials in the spice are going to fire off in the presence of full spetrum white light as well as any portion with the blue range. Therefore, green glass will let it pass while brown will block most/all of it. You might try using some tinted contact paper if you don't have resources for all new glass jars.
I also find that the freezer is my friend. Spices will last years in the freeze that would og in months on the shelf. A few small ball jars and I'm off to the races.
niccolo
Date: Thu, 25 May 2000 18:28:13 -0400
From: Darice Moore <magistra at tampabay.rr.com>
Subject: Re: SC -spice and economics
"Decker, Terry D." wrote:
>> This point is open to question. In 716, Chilperic II the King of Neustria,
>> abated the taxes on one pound of cinnamon, two pounds of cloves and 30
>> pounds of pepper for the monastery of Corbie in Normandy. And in 745, the
>> archbishop of Mainz, Wynfrith Boniface, received a gift of pepper from the
>> Roman deacon Gemmulus.
>>
>> There are a number of references which suggest the spice trade did not
>> disappear, but continued through Byzantium into Europe at a slower and more
>> costly pace.
I've been doing quite a bit of research on the Franks (my persona is
Frankish) and I recall from one book that throughout the Merovingian
era, there was quite a lot of squabbling among the Frankish kings as to
who would "get" Provence included in their holdings. Provence was the
import/export center, and whoever controlled it received the extensive
importation duties on such items as silk, spices, et al. Importation
continued, though it may not have been practiced as frequently as
before.
- - Clotild
Date: Thu, 13 Jul 2000 21:40:00 -0400
From: "Siegfried Heydrich" <baronsig at peganet.com>
Subject: SC - neat spice site
Got this from Netsurfer, and it's something you'll like. Clipped is the
copy, and the URL. Been there, looked at it, Sieggy sez check it out!
Spice World
Gernot Katzer's Spice Pages provide the ultimate reference for serious spice
users. If bland doesn't suit your palate, learn what you can use to enhance
your meals. The site centers around 113 (at press time) spices covered in
the fullest detail, from characteristics to uses to history to cultural
importance. A cross-index in numerous languages lists over 4,200 terms and
words relating to the 113. No matter how exotic a spice's name in a recipe,
you can find its English or German equivalent quickly and easily. This tasty
Web site is easy to navigate and attractive, and will only improve, we
suppose, when Digiscents goes gold.
Spices: http://www-ang.kfunigraz.ac.at/~katzer/engl/index.html
DigiScents: http://www.digiscents.com/
Sieggy
Date: Fri, 21 Jul 2000 09:04:21 EDT
From: ChannonM at aol.com
Subject: SC - Re: Fennel from Platina
People have asked for the recipe so here is my rendition. Please note that
Platina describes oil as having warming properties and salt drying ones. I
have considered also that he describes food to be eaten in the first course
(P)What should be eaten first
There is an order to be observed in taking food, since everything that moves
the bowels and whatever is of light and slight nourishment, like aples and
pears, is more safely and pleasantly eaten in the first course. I even add
lettuce and whatever is served with vinegar and oil, raw or cooked. Then
there are eggs, especially the soft-cooked kind, and certain sweets we call
bellaria, seasond with spices and ine nuts or honey or sugar. These are
served very appropriately to guests.
Recipe
Roasted Fennel- basted with olive oil, salt and fresh cracked pepper, roasted
on a fire if the weather permits, if not, then served raw, sliced very thin
with a light sprinkling of red wine vinegar.
(P) Book 3 # 18
Pliny calls fennel ferulaceum because it grows out of rods [feruli] just as
many others do. It has warm and dry force but yet is not simple, for its
taste reveals that bitterness is mixed in it. It has been said that snakes,
to which fennel is very pleasant, shed age upon eating this herb and lay
aside weakness of eyesight, which they contract by a long stay in
subterranean places, by rubbing their heads on fennel-stalks.
We use this vegetable both raw and cooked, not without reason, for it
generates good humors, helps the chest, and opens the clogged courses of
veins.
Hauviette
Date: Sat, 22 Jul 2000 13:16:35 -0700 (PDT)
From: Angus <angus at iamawitch.com>
Subject: Re: SC - grains of paradise vs black cardamom
- --- "Christina van Tets" <cjvt at hotmail.com> wrote:
>Have been going over Francesco's marvellous description of grains of
>paradise again. So are these the same thing that my Nepali friends here
>have been waving around as black cardamom?
>
>Cairistiona
According to Gernot Katzer's spice pages
(http://www-ang.kfunigraz.ac.at/~katzer/engl/index.html)
they have the following characteristics:
*used part:
GoP --- Seed. The seeds have approximately the size and the shape of cardamom seeds (3 mm), but are reddish-brown in colour.
BC --- Seeds. Normally, the large (typically, 3 cm), brown pods are sold as a whole.
*Plant family:
GoP --- Zingiberaceae (ginger family).
BC --- Zingiberaceae (ginger family).
*Sensoric quality:
GoP --- Spicy, hot and warm, a little bitter.
BC --- Black cardamom has a fresh and aromatic, but also smoked aroma. Camphor is easily discernable in its odour.
*Main Constituents:
GoP --- In the acetone extract of Ghanese grains or paradise, the following hydroxyphenylalkanones were found:
1-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-decan-3-one (called (6)-paradole),1-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-3-hendecan-3-one (called (7)-paradole) and 1-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-3-hendeca-4-ene-3-one (called (6)-shoagole) in approximately equal parts. (Phytochemistry, 14, 853, 1975).
Other work reports (6)-paradole and (6)-gingerole (5-hydroxy-(6)-paradole).
BC --- The seeds contain 3% of an essential oil, which is dominated by 1,8-cineol (more that 70%). Smaller and variable amounts of limonene, terpinene, terpineol, terpinyl acetate and sabinene have also been reported (Phytochemistry, 9, 665, 1970)
*Origin:
GoP --- West Africa (Nigeria to Ghana). Most imports stem from Ghana. In the countries of origin, the seeds are used not only to flavour food, but they are also chewed on cold days to warm the body.
BC --- Several species of the genus Amomum are distributed all over the mountainous area from the Himalayas to Southern China. Furthermore, some African cardamoms (genus Aframomum, in Madagaskar, Somalia and Kameroon) have a similar taste and appear sporadically on the Western market.
*Etymology:
GoP ---In the Middle Ages, the spice was termed graines of paradise because of its high value. Guinea and Malagetta refer to the region of origin.
About the elements -amomum in the genus name see cardamom.
BC --- For the botanical genus name Amomum and for cardamom, see cardamom. The botanical species name subulatum derives from Latin subula "awl", referring probably to the awl-shaped and pointed leaves.
About the genus Amomum:
I am not sure on the origin of the old genus name Amomum and the modern form Cardamomum. The Greek name kárdamon is recorded for a plant of probably Persian origin, but this seems more probably refer to a kind of cress.
In the New Testament (which was largely written in Greek), the name ámoomon appears in reference to an aromatic plant. This could be derived (and some books state so) from the adjective ámoomos "blameless, without reproach"; given, however, that ámoomos is a regional and poetic form, this seems less probable than (what other books state) the derivation from Aramaic hemama (of whose origin I know nothing).
The modern genus name Elettaria is derived from the local name in a South East Asian tongue (cf. Hindi elaichi).
The sensoric qualities and main constituents of Grains of Paradise and Black Cardamom are totally different so it's not the same spice =(. (otherwise I would have raided a nearby store a long time ago, the sell black cardamom at a good price.
/Angus MacIomhair
Date: Sun, 23 Jul 2000 21:50:40 -0700
From: "David Dendy" <ddendy at silk.net>
Subject: Re: SC - grains of paradise
Cairistiona asked:
>Have been going over Francesco's marvellous description of grains of
>paradise again. So are these the same thing that my Nepali friends here
>have been waving around as black cardamom?
No, they are different spices. Grains of Paradise are *Aframomum
meleguetta*, and come from West Africa; Black Cardamon is *Amomum subulatum*
and comes from northern India. As you may tell by the botanical names, they
are related, but less so than, for example, black pepper and cubebs. They
are not only different species but different (albeit close) genera. It's
notoriously hard to describe tastes, but one might say that grains of
paradise taste like a very much hotter, more peppery cardamom, while black
cardamon taste like a rougher cardamom, a little musty.
Francesco Sirene, Spicer / sirene at silk.net
Visit our Website at http://www.silk.net/sirene/
Date: Tue, 17 Oct 2000 12:16:40 -0400 (EDT)
From: Jenne Heise <jenne at mail.browser.net>
Subject: Re: SC - Herb blends for soft cheeses--a question
> Sorry, I don't have any documentation. I do think I'll look into the
> origins of black caraway. They are used quite a bit in Russian, Greek and
> Middle Eastern foods, not so much in the new world.
Nigella (black cumin or black caraway) is alleged by Sophie Hodorowicz
Knab and by Maria Dembinska to be period as used in Polish _breads_.
Interestingly enough, there is very little documentation on cheeses and
milk products in the (secondary) sources on eastern europe that I have.
- --
Jadwiga Zajaczkowa, mka Jennifer Heise jenne at tulgey.browser.net
Date: Sat, 28 Oct 2000 09:12:29 -0400
From: "Jen Conrad" <tjconrad at earthlink.net>
Subject: SC - Fw: Ian Hemphill's _Spice Notes_
From the rec.food.historic newsgroup.
Luveday
> Those of you not visiting Australia may miss out on a new compendium of
> herbs and spices. It is _Spice Notes_ by Ian Hemphill and can be ordered
> from
>
>
> I have no connection whatsoever with Hemphill, except that I have just
> bought a copy of the book.
>
> For each item there is a list of names in other languages, a general
> introduction, origin and history, processing, buying and storage, and
> use. Some 2 to 10 pages are devoted to each item.
>
> Items covered are:
>
> Ajowan, Alexanders, Allspice, Amchur, Angelica, Aniseed, Annatto Seed,
> Asafoetida, Balm, Barberry, Basil, Bay Leaves, Bergamot, Black Limes,
> Borage, Brown Cardamom, Bush Tomato, Calamus, Candle Nut, Caper,
> Caraway, Cardamom, Celery Seed, Chervil, Chicory, Chilli, Chives,
> Cinnamon and Cassia, Cloves, Coriander, Cress, Cumin, Curry Leaf, Dill,
> Elder, Epazote, Fennel, Fenugreek, Filé Powder, Galangal, Garlic,
> Ginger, Grains of Paradise, Horseradish, Juniper, Kaffir Lime Leaves,
> Kokam, Lavender, Lemongrass, Lemon, Myrtle, Lemon Verbena, Licorice
> Root, Lovage, Mahlab, Mastic, Mint, Mustard, Nigella, Nutmeg and Mace,
> Oregano and Marjoram, Orris Root, Pandan Leaf, Paprika, Parsley, Pepper
> - Mountain, Pepper - Pink, Schinus, Pepper - Szechwan, Pepper-Vine,
> Pomegranate, Poppy Seed, Purslane, Rocket, Rosemary, Safflower, Saffron,
> Sage, Salad Burnet, Salt, Savory, Sesame, Sorrel, Star Anise, Sumac,
> Sweet Cicely, Tamarind, Tarragon, Thyme, Turmeric, Vanilla, Vietnamese
> Mint, Wattleseed, Zedoary.
>
> A final section in this 497 page book deals with the art of combining
> spices into curry powders, etc..
>
> Don't buy the book for its illustrations - there aren't any!
>
> The text is light but scholarly.
>
> Richard Wright
Date: Tue, 07 Nov 2000 09:55:34 -0600
From: "Michael F. Gunter" <michael.gunter at fnc.fujitsu.com>
Subject: non-member submission - Re: SC - Crown Touney/Queen's Tea
>>> Jenne Heise<jenne at mail.browser.net> 11/7/00 10:13:02 AM >>>
<<<<<I've been having trouble grinding true cinnamon in a mortar &
pestle. Is there any special trick to it?--
Jadwiga Zajaczkowa, mka Jennifer Heise>>>>>>
I find that it just takes a long time and much effort for the fibrous
herbs/spices. Others may have a trick. The rougher the mortar, the easier to grind. My smoothish marble one has problems with whole cinnamon that my coffee
mill doesn't have (that is a hand cranked jobber).
niccolo difrancesco
Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2000 22:21:21 -0000
From: "=?iso-8859-1?Q?Nanna_R=F6gnvaldard=F3ttir?=" <nannar at isholf.is>
Subject: Re: SC - Steamed Pudding Recipes - 2nd installment
[about comments that pimento = allspice]
Kiri wrote:
>All right. Now I'm confused. When I think "pimento", I think of a reddish
>pepper sort of thing that's sweet that I mix with mayo and cheddar cheese to
>make pimento cheese. Surely this isn't what you're talking about! The pimento
>I know is definitely a new world thing, and I've never seen it any way but in a
>small glass jar.
>
>So please, 'splain!
"...when Spanish explorers encountered the plant in Jamaica at the beginning
of the 16th century, they thought the berries resembled those of the pepper
and gave them names such as "Jamaica pepper", and "pimento" (from pimienta,
the Spanish word for peppercorn).
As for the peppers, pim(i)ento was originally used as a term to cover all
peppers. I´ve read somewhere that the Spaniards (presumably a different set
of Spaniards from those who encountered the allspice berries) thought that
since this new spice was hotter and more potent than pepper (pimienta, which
is female), it had to be a male version, so they called it pimiento (male).
I have no idea if that is true.
Allspice is called pepper in many languages (Jamaica pepper, Nelkenpfeffer,
kryddpeppar, poivre de la jamaique, etc.), pimenta in others, but some names
also refer to its taste and aroma, which often seem like a blend of several
spices (in Icelandic, it is called allrahanda, which means "all sorts"; this
term is also used for mixed spice blends of the type I described in my
earlier post and sometimes you have no idea which of these things the term
refers to in a recipe.
Nanna
Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2000 21:22:30 -0500
From: Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Steamed Pudding Recipes - 2nd installment
Nanna Rögnvaldardóttir wrote:
> Allspice is called pepper in many languages (Jamaica pepper, Nelkenpfeffer,
> kryddpeppar, poivre de la jamaique, etc.), pimenta in others, but some names
> also refer to its taste and aroma, which often seem like a blend of several
> spices (in Icelandic, it is called allrahanda, which means "all sorts"; this
> term is also used for mixed spice blends of the type I described in my
> earlier post and sometimes you have no idea which of these things the term
> refers to in a recipe.
To add to the confusion, some French cooks refer to allspice as
quatre-epice, regardless of the fact that they also use an actual blend
of four spices (pepper, cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon) for a largely
similar purpose.
Adamantius
Date: Wed, 27 Dec 2000 11:44:45 -0500 (EST)
From: Jenne Heise <jenne at mail.browser.net>
Subject: Re: SC - orris/iris root
> After taking a closer look at a bottle of 'Bombay Sapphire' (gin) I came across a spice/herb I haven't heard of. All spices used in the gin are listed and one of them is orris. On the label it says 'Orris (Iris root), from Italy'.
> I checked the spice pages at
> http://www-ang.kfunigraz.ac.at/~katzer/engl/index.html
> but couldn't find any info. Anyone out there who could enlighten me ?
Um. Orris root is the rhizome from the Florentine Iris. These Irises have
a rhizome (sort of like a root, rather than a bulb: ginger, galangal, and
tumeric are all rhizomes), which is dried and powdered and sold as 'Orris
root'; also, the essential oil is extracted and sold as 'orris oil'.
Freshly ground Orris has a violet scent and I've read that it was
the primary ingredient in violet powder, along with oil of Parma violet.
It isn't generally used in cooking, though the Encyclopedia Britannica
does note that it is used in some gin.
If you want to make a period-style body powder or sachet, Orris powder
makes a good base.
--
Jadwiga Zajaczkowa, mka Jennifer Heise jenne at tulgey.browser.net
Date: Sun, 14 Jan 2001 21:02:50 EST
From: LrdRas at aol.com
Subject: Re: Saumon Gentil (was: SC - Re: SC- Turkish Food)
jenne at mail.browser.net writes:
<< Uh-- guys, where did the Gillyflowers go? And where the did the cloves come from? >>
Gilliyflower being used to mean carnations is a later meaning of the word original the term meant cloves.
From Miriam-Webster:
gil*ly*flow*er (noun)[by folk etymology from Middle English gilofre clove, from Middle French girofle, gilofre, from Latin caryophyllum, from Greek karyophyllon, from karyon nut + phyllon leaf -- more at CAREEN, BLADE]First appeared 1551 : CARNATION 2
Ras
Date: Tue, 24 Apr 2001 08:53:28 -0400 (EDT)
From: Jenne Heise <jenne at mail.browser.net>
Subject: Re: SC - figs
> There's another ingredient here that I think you may need to be
> concerned with if you want the ingredients to be period for pre-1600
> Europe and I think that is the allspice.
> It was my understanding that allspice is a New World spice. I'm not
> sure when it became commonplace in Europe, especially in England.
Yup, you would be right, Stefan. The Encyclopedia Britannica sez, "The first record of its import to Europe is from 1601."
However, replacing allspice is relatively trivial, since the taste is a combination of nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves. Add some grated nutmeg, a bit more cinnamon & cloves, and omit the allspice.
- --
Jadwiga Zajaczkowa, mka Jennifer Heise jenne at mail.browser.net
Date: Thu, 3 May 2001 10:27:45 -0700 (PDT)
From: Chris Stanifer <jugglethis at yahoo.com>