Carrots and Turnips and Leeks, Oh My.
We are getting ready for our annual Twelfth Night celebration, a medieval feast in our home with many of our closest friends who recreate the Middle Ages. There is much table hauling, turkey plucking (okay, turkey thawing), silver polishing, and recipe reviewing. We do this every year. We’ve done this every year for as long as…well, almost as long as we’ve been married. Why then, do we go through the same pains every year, in trying to decide what vegetables to cook. My lovely Lady wife only wants Medieval vegetables, nothing that would have come from the new world. Potatoes? New world. Corn? New world. Sweet potatoes, squash, eggplant? New world, new world, new world. Ok, that leaves peas and beans, carrots and turnips, onions and leeks. Last year we had peas and beans, carrots and turnips, onions and leeks. The year before it was the same. I imagine, now that we have spent days looking at medieval recipe books and fretting over what we could possibly have, that we will end up with peas and beans, carrots and turnips and maybe, just maybe, some onions and leeks. Oh my.
January 4th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
We are, of course, worried about making sure there is enough food. We will bring an extra ham.
January 4th, 2008 at 6:58 pm
We are already baking bread.
January 4th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
A few points:
You left out the whole cabbage family, which is old world.
Turkey is new world. Goose is the Old world big bird.
And be careful with beans, a lot of them are new world..
Have a good feast of Epiphany.
January 4th, 2008 at 9:28 pm
Michael,
It is not without reason that we left out the whole cabbage family…were we ruling now it would likely not even be considered a vegetable…
As to turkey being new world, you are absolutely correct, but my lady minds not the new world meat…just the vegetables.
And aye, one can never be too careful with beans.
January 5th, 2008 at 2:59 am
I’d say check out the Middle Eastern diet for some ideas (are cucumbers new world?) Also what kind of fanciful “New World” foods may have started making it into the mix by say, about 1520-1550? Anything?
More to the point, how can I be feeling so indecisive about what I should wear when I only have one really complete outfit? Weird, eh?
January 5th, 2008 at 9:22 am
There are a lot of wonderful Middle Eastern foods in period…feel free to bring some. My lady tells me that cucumbers are old world…but I know not. Perhaps Lord Michael can shed some light.
As to being indecisive about what to wear when you only have one thing…do I look stupid? Were I foolish, I would make some comment about gender related idiosyncrasies. Instead, let me just say, and I’m sure the other gentlemen of the household will agree, that you will look lovely no matter what you wear. “OK!”
January 5th, 2008 at 9:26 am
[...] previously mentioned, my husband and I are baking bread for 25 people for a friend’s Twelfth Night feast. Last night we made doughs from the ‘Artisan bread in 5 minutes a day’ book for a plain [...]
January 5th, 2008 at 11:08 am
Cucumbers are old world.
Zucchini are old world, however not period The are mutants!
Okra is African/Middle Eastern and was eaten in Spain in period
Asparagus is old world
Alfalfa is old world (think sprouts )
Celery is old world
Kale and collard greens, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, broccoli and Kohlrabi, are old world, but however are the cabbage family and thus not a vegetable, at least according to his Excellency… Others may find otherwise.
Rhubarb is old world.
Beets are old world.
Parsley and parsley root are old world.
Parsnip are old world.
Chicory/endive/radicchio are old world, not however that endive is not period.
Lettuce is old world. Iceberg lettuce is not period.
Spinach is old world.
Watercress is old world.
And now I’m hungry.
Have a good 12th night y’all.
January 6th, 2008 at 8:53 pm
Michael,
Thank you for the research. Rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb….we could have had rhubarb. Instead we had beef and barley, goose (turkey), ham, stuffing, carrots and turnips, sweet potatoes, salads, eight breads, nine cheeses, multiple fruits, beans, no peas and no cabbage…I’m sure I left something out.
January 6th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
Just for what it’s worth, rhubarb seems to be of Mongolian origin. Might make for an odd feast some time, as they didn’t have easy access to sugar, which, trust me, is needed if you want to make any thing remotely editable by moderns out of the stuff.
Side note: Any one who has gout should avoid it like the plague.
And you made me hungry again.
January 6th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
s/editable/edible/ above
January 23rd, 2008 at 8:34 pm
What’s wrong with leeks? Surely you don’t have something against the Welsh.
January 23rd, 2008 at 10:36 pm
We love the Welsh! We have friends who are Welsh. We even had a Welshman at our Twelfth Night feast, though there were no leeks this year…