Cooking

This is a must as far as meeting topics go. More cooks should be encouraged in the SCA.

Materials Required

Meeting Outline

There are many ways to tackle this topic, but one I prefer is to get a period recipe, preferably an English one in the original text, write out the directions on the board and see if anyone can guess what it is. It is important you select you recipe carefully here for full effect, and if possible have the item already made so people can see the end result. This will lead naturally on to a discussion about the difficulties of translations, as well as the problems of modern redactions.

Another topic that can be pursued is the availability of materials (which foods were taken back from the new world, the scarcity of salt and sugar and how chocolate didn't exist in the form we know it today). Recipes can be used to illustrate these points as well as to highlight the types of herbs used. Other little tidbits (such as the fact that the Italians didn't start cooking with tomatoes until way after Columbus, or that carrots used to be purple) can also help maintain people's interest.

If you like, talk about cooking in the SCA. What is involved in planning a feast, what to look for in a kitchen, any local guilds etc. Talk about the sorts of things that can go wrong at a feast and how to avoid them. Talk about what people might bring to a pot-luck event (other than roast chicken).

While this is going on it may be an idea to pass around a few cookbooks, especially those with pretty pictures.

Possible Problems

Vegetarians are everywhere. Be aware of their needs.

Other Options

If you have the right sort of room I highly recommend doing some sort of cooking during the meeting. Remember to make it as interactive as possible. Even if it's just you cooking try to stay talking about it it (and fielding questions) the whole time. Ideally get others in the room to translate a recipe and help make it.

Resources and References

The number of books on Mediaeval and Renaissance cooking are too numerous to mention here, but out of a feeling that I should mention some here are a few titles to look out for:
"Take a thousand eggs or more", "From Taillevant to Escoffier, the great cooks and their recipes", "The mediteranean cook book"...and lots more to be added on when I get back to this.

On the internet, the following links may prove handy:

Webbed by Conrad Leviston. Please mail any suggestions/corrections/comments