08-04-2004, 05:02 AM
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Good King Henry and other 'odd' herbs
The message
from (Nick Maclaren) contains these words:
| I can assure you that some of the recipes are very basic indeed!
Oh, I know that - I have seen and even used such books - but I
suggest that you reread my posting. Most such books were not
written as a DESCRIPTION of what the peasantry ate, but as EXAMPLES
for the peasantry. And, because many authors had a very low view
of the intelligence of said peasantry, the recipes were often kept
very simple and even dumbed down. In other cases, the authors were
so ignorant that they produced recipes that used ingredients that
were unavailable.
There are, of course, exceptions - but here is what I said:
Try and find anything written about how the poorer
people (or even somewhat richer people in poorer areas)
cooked in even 1950, for example, and it's hard.
I presume that a lot of the poorer people used thes cookery books.
Elizabeth Craig certainly didn't talk down to 'her public', and on a
quick glance through I have found two recipes which are still commonly
used in the Highlands, and no doubt I shall find more.
(Though I don't expect to find one Lewis recipe: "Boil some water and
drop salt herrings into it, then boil until herrings resemble salt, fish
leather.) Staying with an old couple on the Isle of Lewis, I soaked the
salt herrings in two changes of water and then fried them in oatmeal.
Disapprobation. Why? Because they weren't 'sgadan saillte'. If they
wanted fresh herring, they would use fresh herring.
I didn't say that such descriptions didn't exist, whereas I would
say the same for any date before (say) 1750.
Well, I would guess that the information is there somewhere, but no-one
has thought it worth searching for, collecting, collating and
publishing.
--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/
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