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MEDIEVAL FOODS

I have talked often about the Forme of Cury, the very old compilation of recipes from the cooks to King Richard II in 1390. Last month's recipes for A Gode Broth and Funges were from Forme of Cury, as well as some others I have had in KTimes in the past. If you go to this website, http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/foc/ you can view images of all of the actual pages of the book. The images are a bit faint and fuzzy, but clear enough that you can read the Middle English. You can even download the whole book as a PDF file. Then, if you really want to get into this, and aren't up on your Middle English, go to the University of Michigan Press and use their Middle English Compendium at http://www.press.umich.edu/webhome/mec/individual.html for a reference while you're translating the recipes.

If you'd rather cook than translate, here's a little fritter recipe from Forme of Cury that sounds pretty good.

FRYTOUR

Forme of Cury p. 68/A28

(translation from the Middle English) Take of curds and press out the whey. Do thereto sugar, white of eyroun. Fry them. Do thereto and lay on sugur and mess forth.

(modern redaction)

1 c dry curd cottage cheese
3 T sugar
4 egg whites
more sugar to sprinkle over them

Mix together cottage cheese, sugar and egg whites. Drop by tablespoonfuls into hot oil, fry about 1 minute on each side (light to dark brown). Drain on paper towels, sprinkle with sugar, serve. Should make about 40 fritters.

This topic draws a word portrait of one of the characters from the Kildonan Chronicles. I not only describe the character, but tell how I created the character, and what influences helped shape it.

JERRMIT

Jerrmit is a mage scholar, and a major supporting character in the Clovenstone Chronicles. He is in his early 40s when we meet him, a loner, totally involved in his research into ancient magics. He is usually clothed in the woad blue cowled robe of his commune, Trelawney, and carries a staff of "pale, twisted, wood." He is tall, thin, and has dark brown hair and beard streaked with grey.

Jerrmit's approach to magic is scholarly, and he searches for ancient writings, spells, and magickcal instruments purely as historical evidence of the past. His interest in magic has led, though, to his having some skill in the art. He can cast spells of minor kinds, and is a pretty good conjurer in an entertaining way. He can conjure balls and ribbons from air, for instance.

The communes are one of the two constants (the other is the mead halls) in the unstable warring patchwork of Kildonan kingdoms and manor holds. A member of a community does his/her share of the work that supports the community, including the everyday menial work of sustanence like cooking meals and tilling fields. Jerrmit lives in Trelawney Community, a commune that encourages creativity. In contrast to the gray, fortress-like buildings of most communes, Trelawney's buildings are colorful, painted, and decorated in sculptures. It is an oasis in a plodding Dark Ages culture. My inspiration for the communes came, as you can guess, from the monasteries of the Middle Ages, where knowledge was preserved.

Despite his scholarly, even monkish, bent, Jerrmit is witty, agressive, and a fair swordsman. He suffers a long cut down the side of his face in an early battle in Clovenstone that marks him for the rest of his life. His even temper and constancy anchors the emotions and temperaments of the other Nonesuch Players.

OODWOSE

Callum, Troon, and others of their kind with equally nasty personalities cause problems for our heroes and heroines in the books of Clovenstone Chronicles. I called these creatures of the forest woodwose.

"You're cursed stupid as one, smashing out of the woods like that. Scaring them horses could of cost us the raid. Then you let the merchant get away. If I'd got my hands on him, he's a-knowed he met a woodwose."

Woodwose! Oh, my Erthe-Gods! Fiona tightened her grip on her longknife. Clovenstone Chapter 1

No, I didn't make up that name. I just adapted the creature's looks and personality to my tale. It's an obsolete, Old English name. Here's the story.

When I was in England in 1997, a friend, Sydney Rutland, took us to some old churches. A descriptive brochure said there was a woodwose on the sculptured stone base of a font in one of the churches, The sculpture was much worn, and the most I could make out was a sort of gnome-like shape. What was a woodwose? The brochure didn't elaborate. That set me off on an almost year-long hunt for woodwose. No one seemed to know. I hunted mythological encyclopedias, historical websites, asked everyone I could. No woodwose. Then I thought to look in the Oxford English Dictionary, and there it was - with about 15 variations in the spelling of the name.

definition: A wild man of the woods; a savage; a satyr, a faun; a person dressed to represent such a being in a pageant.

It went on to give quotes from the fourteenth through nineteenth centuries. Here's one example, from the 1555 Diary by Machem, "Men lyke wodys alle in grene" and in the 1836 Nichols Complete Ironmongers, "The engravings represent ivy-men, or woodwards, characters introduced in the pageants of that period "(around 1513.)

The woodwose is not unlike the Green Man, who came somewhat later. They are both wild men of the woods, often represented as being covered with leaves. I see sculptures of the Green Man in garden shops all the time. He's that head for your garden wall of a fellow with leaves for beard and hair. He's quite popular. Next time you see one, reflect on his long history.

HERBS

In my discussions of herbs in all the issues of Kildonan Times, I present only general information. It is not intended to be a guide for the use of the herbs. If you wish to use any of the herbs described in Kildonan Times, consult an herbalist or a definitive guide book to using herbs.

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buckthorn: There are two kinds of buckthorns, one with spines and one without. Both are dense shrubby trees that can grow over twelve feet high. They are often used in hedges. Some of the names for them are alder buckthorn, black buckthorn, common buckthorn, and waythorn. Both varieties have very dark, almost black berries when ripe.

Though buckthorn is a common and traditional herb, it should be used with care. The raw fresh bark can make you ill. Bark, which is a medicinal part of the plant, should be stored for a year or heated above 212 degrees F to be made safe. It is commonly made into tinctures and teas, which are safe, as they are boiled. The best bark, though, is that which has been stored for a year before using, and from that a cold extract can be made.

The dried berries are an excellent purgative. They are gentle when used for constipation or for hemhorroids. There is evidence that the berries were used for this purpose as far back as the 9th century A.D. The berries can be eaten dried, or boiled into a syrup. They should be treated as a medicine, and used in small doses as needed. Buckthorn berries are not a food, and too many of them can be poisonous. Pregnant women should not use buckthorn at all.

Buckthorn berries have been historically and are nowadays used by craftsmen for dye. The dry unripe berries are called Sappe berries. When they are steeped in alum water they make a yellow dye used by painters, bookbinders to color the edges of books, and leather craftsmen.

If picked when they are black, they make a green dye. Bruise the berries and put them in a copper kettle with alum, and heat the mix a little.

The third color is purple. It is made from berries ripened on the vine until they are ready to drop off, usually about the end of November.

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My basic herb references for the herbs I use either for food or medicine in this feature are: The Herb Book by John Lust (Bantam Books), Brother Cadfael's Herb Garden by Robin Whitman (Bullfinch Press) and Herbs by Lesley Bremness (DK Publishing), plus several websites.

A FEW THOUGHTS FROM THE EDITOR (me, Ruth)

I just came back from a Red Hat Society do. It was tea and scones at the Manor, followed by a fashion show. Sounds pretty uppity, huh?

Did you say, "What is the Red Hat Society?"

Well you should ask. Some years back, a lady named Jenny Joseph wrote a poem, named "Warning." It became quite popular, and I have seen it painted and stitched on gift shop items over the years. A section of it follows:

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn't go and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick the flowers in other people's gardens . . .

As a result of the poem, a few friends got together in CA a few years ago and called themselves the Red Hat Society. The idea spread, and has now taken areas of the U.S. by storm, particularly Florida - where there are lots of "mature" women. Groups of over-55 friends form themselves a club, doll up in purple dresses and red hats, and go out to lunch - or play golf -or go to the theatre. I do mean "doll up." Red hatters array themselves in huge hats with feathers and flowers and streamers, toss long scarves and feather boas over their shoulders, and wear red satin gloves. Red Hat Clubs are the antithesis and a parody of the traditional women's clubs. They have no officers, do no good works, abhor parliamentary procedure. They just have fun.

So what's the commentary on all this? I suppose one could say that it's just a bunch of old ladies that have gone over the edge (11,000 of them at last count). One could say the hedonism is a reaction to the pressures of constant world unrest and social problems that are poured over us every day from the media. Or one could say, psychologically, that it's an expression of a hidden desire to return to carefree youth. I suspect to all this, Andy Rooney would say, "balderdash." Do we have to have a reason to have fun? Just go do it.

Have you had someoff-hand, kind of crazy fun lately? Maybe you should.

Oh, and "The Manor" is just the name for a clubhouse at a senior resort community in Florida. The tea was hot, and the scones were fresh. What more could you want?

And, as always, tell your aunts, uncles, cousins and friends about the novels of Clovenstone Chronicles. Give them an adventure!

Good Fate Be Yours —
Ruth

p.s. I get a newsletter from King Arthur Flour in Vermont. In this May's news and recipes, the author included a link to a picture of her yard and the first crocuses of spring pushing up. I thought this was neat, so I added a page about my flower and herb gardens to my personal website. If you'd like to take a look at them, go to: Home Place

All art work and text © copyrighted by Ruth McIntyre-Williams.

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