Comments on: Medieval Hard Times: The Society for Creative Anachronism finds things aren’t what they used to be

By: Daniel Myers

Daniel Myers — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 13:26:32 +0000

“as when a cook who was a little too eager to adhere to medieval methods of food preparation allowed mutton to go rancid before serving it up from a bubbling cauldron to hundreds of SCA members.”

This sort of bad and unsafe cooking by a modern cook has nothing to do with medieval or historic cooking practices. Even the smallest effort at research shows the common belief that medieval people ate rotten food to be a complete myth.

The case above was not one of a cook striving for historical accuracy, but the act of someone who likely has no clue about either medieval cooking or modern food safety.

By: De Givens

De Givens — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 02:52:33 +0000

When and where did this alledged rancid mutton incident happen.
If this really did happen it probably was someone who was not experienced or knowledgable of medieval or Renaissance cuisine. Or perhaps this happened yeeeeaaars ago and keeps being told over and over and over again.
The eating of rancid meat in the middle ages and renaissance is a myth. The use of abundant spices to cover the taste of rancid meat is a myth.

De Givens

By: Philip Troy

Philip Troy — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:49:46 +0000

The reference to “period Nazis” is utter nonsense. It is an unfortunate reality of life that human nature prompts some people to attempt to aggressively sway others on how they should live their lives, what they should believe, politically, religiously, in their support for a sports franchise, or anything else. In this case, it is a strong belief that there is only one correct way to play a game. What should be remembered is that such people are simply rude and overbearing, and there is exactly the same percentage of such people in the SCA as there is outside of the SCA — if not fewer.

By: Einhart C.

Einhart C. — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 19:56:00 +0000

The bit about “rancid meat stew” is urban legend. The Medievals were very familiar with preserving meat, and a person passionately interested in history would have cured the mutton by salting and smoking it, not by boiling it rancid. Yick.

By: Laura Minnick

Laura Minnick — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 19:42:01 +0000

Was said:

“Their intense enthusiasm occasionally manifests itself in less than pleasant ways, as when a cook who was a little too eager to adhere to medieval methods of food preparation allowed mutton to go rancid before serving it up from a bubbling cauldron to hundreds of SCA members. Widespread bowel pain constituted that night’s party favor.”

Besides my rancor at the term “Period Nazis”, which will make hackles rise in many if not most SCA circles, I have to take exception to this remark about period cooking and SCA cooking in particular.

We have no evidence that rotten meat was served for meals in the Middle Ages. Quite the contrary in fact, as there are instructions in many of the cookbooks from the period (and yes, there are many extant cookbooks) about care and preservation of meats to keep this from happening! Also, why would we imagine that people then would not be sickened by rotten meat? Why would they eat it then?

There are many, many accomplished cooks in the SCA (including many in the Middle Kingdom) who work exclusively from period cookbooks, and turn out wonderful meals where no one gets sick. Why your correspondent would choose to report on what was surely one bad incident from one ignorant cook when there are surely hundreds of examples of excellent cookery is beyond me. My only explanation is that the writer wanted to reinforce their own conceptions of the time period, facts be damned.

By: Heather Ruiter

Heather Ruiter — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 19:11:26 +0000

And here I was hoping that the complete falicy that they ever served rotten meat at feasts was finally going away…

“These “period Nazis” insist on the utmost historical accuracy in all details, from dress and etiquette to fighting style. Their intense enthusiasm occasionally manifests itself in less than pleasant ways, as when a cook who was a little too eager to adhere to medieval methods of food preparation allowed mutton to go rancid before serving it up from a bubbling cauldron to hundreds of SCA members. Widespread bowel pain constituted that night’s party favor. ”

Not. Helping. They never did this. Rotten meat makes people sick, they were intelligent enough to know this, and know how to preserve meat, or know enough to keep the animal alive until the meat was needed.

Spices were by far more expensive than meat, and would not have been used in excess to cover up the flavor of tainted meat. There were laws in place that punished people for even selling day old pies, much less rotten foodstuffs.