Excellent historic food blog: Food History Jottings

[mme_hardy]

The (sadly) typical historical food blog runs something like "Here's a picture and transcription of an authentic recipe.  Now here's my version, which substitutes baking powder for hartshorn, cinnamon for grains of paradise, and halves the sugar to suit modern tastes!"

Ivan Day is not that blogger.  He uses period techniques, ingredients, and tools to reproduce the historical recipes as accurately is possible.  One of his specialties is perfect reproductions of the elaborate set pieces of sugar, dough, and jelly that were part of upper-class European cuisine from the medieval period forward.

• Muscadine (elderflower, not the American grape) ice
• A history of English swan-eating, with asides on how swan bills were marked and magnetic butter swans
  
• Molded cucumber ice creams
• Christmas drinks, including the very tasty-looking "bishop"
  
• A selection of spectacular formed dishes
  

Enjoy!  I have ordered his Cooking in Europe:1650-1850 and am eagerly anticipating it.

Edit: DO take the time to watch the video of a flummery in motion.

Comments

[athenais]

The cucumber ice cream and Christmas drinks were very interesting and I would certainly partake of them! Actually, although it kind of grossed me out, so was the information about swans, but I would probably skip eating them.

[mme_hardy]

I'm not lining up to eat swan, no.

[sovay]

A history of English swan-eating, with asides on how swan bills were marked and magnetic butter swans

That is excellent; thank you.

[nineweaving]

Love this site, which first swam across my horizon (swan-like) with Elizabeth Rainbow's Skirret Pie .

Nine

[mme_hardy]

Isn't "skirret" a satisfying word to say/think?

[nineweaving]

Highly satisfying. I put it in Moonwise: "skirrets, runch, and mandragora."

Nine

[ironed_orchid]

Thank you! I am having a Hogswatch party on the 24th and the Christmas drinks are inspiring.

[movingfinger]

The true pro footmen get the towers to twirl in opposite directions (while keeping a straight face).

[mme_hardy]

Oh, dear. I had actually not made that association until you said it.

[nineweaving]

I am happily reminded of Sylvia Townsend Warner's recollections of stately desserts, circa 1900. There was an elaborate pyramid of red and green gooseberries, spiralling to a peak, which the footman bore in with his breath held, "so as not to topple the erection."

Nine

[mme_hardy]

Heee!

Flummery actually sounds very good; I didn't realize it was almond-based.

[nineweaving]

Ah, now this is the wobbliest jelly in the universe. It shimmieth like unto my sister Kate.

See under Spanish Paps and Steeple Creams.

Nine

[loligo]

Well, that was one exceedingly long rabbit hole I just fell down…

(Besides the fascinating food info, I enjoyed all the grumps about "Why did TV show X pay me for my expertise if they were just going to ignore my advice?!")