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Recipes This is a collection of authentic food references and analysis with as much detail to allow preparation as possible. As you will find, the "Recipes" here are in various levels of development. The idea is to present as much information as possible in whatever form we can dig up. Your contributions of articles, recipes, fragments, are all welcome. Please contact the editor. Saddle Meat (12th century. Polovtzy) Rice Pudding (12th century. Polovtzy) Khazar Boiled Meat and Broth (7th century. Western Turk - Khazar) Khazar Fried Bread (Blinzes/ Crepes?) (7th century. Western Turk - Khazar) Plov (Rice Stew) (Universal - from Caucas through Asia) Roast Eurasian Curlew (Roast Chicken Wings) (14th century. Chinese - Persian - Mongol) - in Two Versions "Hynkali" - Boiled Meat and Broth with Noodles from the Caucas (Modern Caucas - Mountain Jews) SADDLE MEAT (12th century. Polovtzy) If this doesn't inspire research in an effort to find alternatives, I can't imagine what will! This is a little more from the description by Rabbi Petachia of Ratisbon (quoted in Adler, Jewish Travelers full cit. at fragment above - "No Bread nor Salt") "...They also put pieces of flesh under the saddle of a horse, which they ride and, urging on the animal, cause it to sweat. The flesh getting warm, they eat it. RICE PUDDING (12th century. Polovtzy) "...They eat no bread in the land of the Kedar, but rice and millet boiled in milk" (Adler, Jewish Travelers full cit. at fragment above - "No Bread nor Salt") I have never made the millet, but the rice seems to have come down, unaltered to this day. Bar none, it was my favorite grain dish as a child growing up. There is little to add to Petachia's description. The major thing to know when heating milk is -- if you let it overboil, it will explode out of the pot all over your kitchen (or campsite), and then taste burned. So pay close attention! Fill a pot with milk (obviously leaving the requisite room) and start heating it. Add raw rice. If you stop cooking right after the rice is done and just pour off the remaining milk, you'll wind up with something akin to normal water-boiled rice but with a slight richness. If, after rice has cooked, you continue on a low flame, the milk will evaporate and thicken the mix. Keep stirring so that the bottom does not burn. Vary the quantity of milk you start with to vary the flavor of the product -- the more milk, the richer and "puddingier" the result. When you pick this up at a Deli in New York today, it will likely be sprinkled with cinamon. I will leave it to others to document whether cinamon would be used by the medieval nomad. As with other such situations - when in doubt, leave it out! I have had a Persian variation where Rosewater was added to the mix. I have no information on the dating of that recipe. KHAZAR BOILED MEAT AND BROTH (7th century. Western Turk - Khazar) To reduce the above fragment from "The History of the Agvans" (Eating Habits, Vessels, Food): "...a bowl full of the meat... Before each bowl were mugs of salt water, where they dipped the meat as they ate. ...Together with these, gigantic vessels for drinking ...with which they licked up the broth..." (Artamonov, Istoria Khazar - full cit. here) Implicit in the above, seems to be that the meat was boiled (hence the broth) and then was served separately from the broth. The fact that there was a vessel of salt water, which the diners dipped their meat in, further implies that the meat was prepared without salt. I do not know if it must be assumed that no herbs were used in the preparation. To this day the common practice in Eastern Europe is to separate the meat from the soup and serve the soupmeat as a dish separate from the soup. Further, it is quite proper in Eastern Europe (or at least in Russia and Romania) for an individual to chose to drink the warm chicken or beef broth from a cup rather than to take a "proper" bowl of soup. See modern recipe with serving directions "Boiled Meat and Broth from the Caucas" below. KHAZAR FRIED BREAD (Blinzes/ Crepes?) (7th century. Western Turk - Khazar) The History of the Agvans (a 7th century source) reports that when Catolicos Viro (the spiritual leader and representative of the Agvans) came before the leader of the Khazars, bringing the Agvan surrender, he and his companions were served a meal. At first, the Khazars offered them meat, which they refused on pretext of a vow of abstinence (see fragment above for the more accurate reason). The Khazars then offered them thin breads, fried on a skillet. - after Artamonov, Istoria Khazar - full cit. here. Several possibilities come to mind in trying to figure out what is meant by this "skillet fried thin bread": The immediate impulse is to assume that this is something on the lines of Pita or Lavash type flatbread, as seems to be common in the Caucas today. This assumption must be rejected as all of these types of bread are baked in some form of oven. The next thing that popped into my mind was "Fried Bread", as made by Native Americans today. This is not as far fetched as it sounds, as it is identical (down to the shape) to the Russian Ponchik (for those unfamiliar, it is substantially like the Italian Zeppoli). But this must also be rejected -- as this is deep-fried not fried on a skillet, and results in a thick, puffy pastry rather than a thin one. I was left with the Blintz/ Blin/ Nalistnik (or, to use the French - Crepe) that is to be found in Russia, Ukraine, and Poland (and seems to have made its way into France). This generally fulfils the requirements -- it is indeed prepared on a skillet and today cooks vie to make the thinnest sheet possible. Like bread, it is eaten as a complement to pretty close any other food, and used as a sort of utensil, for containing otherwise sloppy foods and sopping up sauces. Moreover, I was recently refered to a Polish recipe book "Food and Drink in Medieval Poland" by Maria Dembinska where a recipe is given for "Nalesniki Postne" -- "Lenten Blintz" or "Fast Day Blintz" - the Blintz, used as in the case of the Agvan ambasadors, as a substitute when abstaining from meat. However, I retained doubts about this theory as the Blintz is a somewhat more complex pastry than I guessed would be referenced as bread (it generaly includes milk, yeast...). The example of the Indian Chiapatis settled my doubts substantially. This is also a "Frying Pan Bread" and also includes somewhat more in the way of ingredients than simple flour and water. PLOV (Rice Stew) (Universal - from Caucas through Asia) The most common Plov is, as in the below recipe, a combination of rice with meat, onion, and carrots. However, there are a vast number of varieties to this dish which is a staple in cuisines from far Eastern Europe through all of Asia. Plov is the Russian pronounciation of the word common to all of the Caucas, Turkmenia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Iran ...Afghanistan, India (and it seems that the Spanish Paella is a descendant of this dish, brought in from Asia, through Africa by Moslem invaders). For an early date terminus, it is claimed that Alexander the Macedonian was first served Plov (of the traditional rice, lamb, carrot, onion type) when he came in triumph into Samarkand. My recipe comes from the Caucas (Daghestan) and is fairly identical to some I've seen from Uzbekistan. The Pot - Properly a Kazan (a round-bottomed, heavy cast iron pot) should be used. In America these can be hard to find. I use a big Teflon coated soup pot, it measures 10" diameter, 5" high (sorry, I have no idea what the gallon measure is - in most over the counter cooking sets, this is the largest soup pot). I've managed with a smaller pot - but it is realy tough to make small amounts of Plov. The Ingredients - As mentioned, these are the most representative set of ingredients for Caucas through Central Asia. Listed in order of placement. Onions - chopped well but not too small Vegetable Oil - This dish is supposed to be fatty. If using lamb, only enough is necessary to get the onions started. With other meats (or a vegetarian version) substantialy more will be needed. If you want a specific regional flavor and are likely to deal with discriminating palates, the type of vegetable oil will matter. For example, Turkmens seem to insist on Cottonseed oil, in Moldova nothing but sunflower oil was used (note - Plov was not a local food there but was very popular as a semi-adopted exotic - compare Chinese in the US or Curries in the UK), I use Olive oil which I suppose gives a more mediteranean flavor to my food. Meat - Lamb is generaly most appropriate - roughly one-inch chunks - maybe somewhat bigger. Full sized neck pieces with bone are just fine. Other meats may be used but there is a problem of dryness. Pick out the fattiest beef you can. Add plenty of vegetable oil to chicken and to all but the fattiest beef. Culturaly, it seems that in most cases chicken is the second choice after lamb with beef a distant third. For some cultures, in the most festive circumstances, Horse would be proper to use (this has the status of sacrifice - so a fancy feast is not sufficient occassion). Check carefuly if this would be proper for your region, culture, and religion (and your guests! - for some it would be anathema!). Carrots - idealy course grated into long strips but finely chopped is okay. I think I use four to six carrots for the above described pot. Rice - somewhere between two and four cups for above-described pot. Again, if you want to get a specific regional look and feel, the type of rice will matter. For a Persian/Indian style Basmati rice will be apropriate. Basic long grained rice seems to be prefered in the Caucas but that Uzbeks use a "mid grain" rice. I tend to use the supermarket "Carolina" brand rice but my Daghestani-American friend prefers the more treated Uncle Bens (she considers the very neat, separate grains of fundamental importance) while in the Uzbeki restaurant I like they use what seems to be Sushi rice. REMEMBER, if you're going with something other than the treated supermarket brands, it is crucial to wash the rice!! (you're getting rid of access starch) Spices - Salt & Pepper - These are the most basic. Garlic - Full head or at least a few complete sections. Most versions will have this. Bay Leaves The above are all the spices I use. Other commonly used spices are cumin and dill. There are also more regionaly specific ones and some places in the FSU sell "Plov spice" mixes (you may be able to find these in New York as well and there may be comparable Israeli products). Raisins - The most common variation on the Plov theme - adds a pleasant, natural sweetness to the stew. WARNING - Raisins suck up the moisture something awful! This is much harder to get just right. The Process - Pour a bit of oil on the bottom of the pan. Throw in enough onions to well cover the bottom. Cook them to carmelise a bit. Go slow so they don't char. Add the lamb, a bit of salt and the pepper and cook until color goes to white - and then starts to "tan". Cover with grated carrots in a solid layer hiding the meat below. Pour rice on top of the carrots. Cover with cold water. Add some salt to the water. Take the garlic in its peel. Cut off some of the wide tip (the sides with the "hairs"). Cut off just enough to reveal the "meat" of the garlic. Insert the garlic into the middle of the rice until its buried. Add three or four bay leaves. Cover with tight fitting lid and cook until the rice is done and the water has gone. Check every so often but this will take a while so don't go nuts. The way I was taught this recipe it is specificaly not stirred but kept in layers (so especialy important to go slow to prevent burning the bottom and when you need to check, do it in a minimaly invasive manner), but others are on the contrary careful to stir everything. To Serve - In the ideal situation, turn the whole thing over onto a huge platter so that the rice is on the bottom and the meat on top. In the more common case, spoon out to plates - it seems to mix itsef eventualy. ROAST EURASIAN CURLEW (Roast Chicken Wings) (14th century. Chinese - Persian - Mongol) Developed by K.B. - Bojei Temur From Anderson, Buell A Soup For The Qan (full cit. above) Why Chicken: K.B. - "Curlews are listed in the ingredients section with poultry and the translators make a note that this is wild game. Squab or quail are probably good alternatives to use in the USA but my grocery store only carries chickens." The recipe comes from a Chinese-Mongol cookbook of the 14th century. K.B. stated that the recipe is more Persian than Chinese as follows: "The cookbook is 14th century from the court in China. The recipes are heavily influenced by The Ilkhanid - Persian - Mongol aspects. The Chinese influences are limited to certain seasonings such as ginger, sesame (the chinese version), 'sauce', and apricot kernel paste. These recipes are extremely different from those in a contemporary chinese cookbook from along the coast (even though they were written about 50 years from each other.)" I am providing two versions of the recipe (both from K.B.). The first is one she did from memory after reading the source but before really structuring it. The second is the detailed redaction from the original. I chose to keep the first version on a principle that it is a plausible alternative (see Cariadoc's articles above "Cooking from Primary Sources" and "Creative Medieval Cooking") I have prepared the first version several times with great success. When I served the results on a bed of Basmati Rice at a family affair, my father (who had lived in Samarkand as a boy) swore that he was transported back to Samarkand. Though the food of modern Uzbekistan is certainly not determinative for Medieval practice, this may, nevertheless provide some backing to K.B.'s assertion of a Persian-Mongol rather than a Chinese basis for the recipe Unredacted Original "Eurasian curlews (10; pluck; clean), finely ground coriander (one liang), onions (ten stalks), spices (five ch’ien). Apply [coriander, onions and spices] uniformly [to]] ingredients and roast. One may dress the curlews in a thick flour and steam-roast until done in a cage; this is also possible. One may dress the curlews with liquid butter combined with flour, and brazier cook in a brazier; this is also possible.” pg 312 ... “Eurasian Curlew [Meat]] is sweetish in flavor, neutral, and lacks poison. It supplements the center and augments ch’i. It is beneficial eaten broiled. It is very tasty.” pg 551 Version I 3 lbs of chicken wings and then cut them up into the drummette style. (I saved the tips for stock.) Toss the chicken to coat in a mixture of about 2 1/2 TBS of coriander seeds (finely ground) and 1 1/2 tsp. of 5 spice powder, and 3 to 4 scallions -- finely chopped and roast. I put them on a wire rack on a cookie sheet and cooked them at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes." Version II 3 lbs of chicken wings cut into pieces (with tips reserved for stock), 6 ½ tsp. of whole coriander seeds, 3 ¼ tsp of Chinese 5 spice powder, and 10 green onions. Thinly slice the green onions. Grind the coriander seeds and place in a bag with the 5 spice powders. Mix. Add chicken and toss to coat. Add green onions and toss to coat. Place them on a rack on a cookie sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven until done (approximately 25 minutes.) "HYNKALI" - BOILED MEAT AND BROTH WITH NOODLES FROM THE CAUCAS (Modern Caucas - Mountain Jews) The name "Hynkali" refers to the Pasta used. Prepared and described by Nina Nisanova. I have tried to use her words (albeit translated to English in my own idiom) with comments from me in describing the dish. Compare with "Khazar Boiled Meat and Broth" above. "We make lamb like this as well as chicken." In the particular case, a single Lamb shank was used. The amount of meat will determine the amount of the rest of the ingredients. A 10" diameter, 5" high cooking pot was used (sorry, I have no idea what the gallon measure is - in most over the counter cooking sets, this is the largest soup pot). Water - this is soup, fill the pot accordingly. Salt - "When I get meat fresh from the butcher, the salt that was used to Kasher it is sufficient. Since this one was frozen and I had to wash and clean it, I added a little salt." The end result tasted like it "needed salt". Use a very minimal amount (just enough to get things cooking right) because you will be adding sauces at eating time to "compensate" (see "to Serve and Eat" below). Explanatory note - "Kashering" is a process after butchering of extracting blood from meat (Jewish dietary law forbids the ingestion of blood). In relevant part, generous amounts of large-grained salt are sprinkled on the meat to draw out fluid from inside. All that is then soaked and washed off. Cook the meat until nice and soft. "I can't give cooking time -- Different meat will take different times. Fresh baby lamb will cook very quickly, this frozen leg took a long time..." Tomato - NOTE: Tomato is a post-Columbian food and presumably reached the Caucas far later than other parts of Europe. It can not be acceptable for a medieval representation. If an experienced cook will prepare this, taste the result, and then theorise about medieval alternatives, I will be more than happy to add them here. One large beef tomato was used, presumably a medium one would have been apropriate. "This tomato was too big for this amount of soup." (the soup had a bit more acid taste then ideal). The tomato is cooked in the broth until it is soft enough to peel. It is then peeled and cored, then broken into pieces and thrown back in. Remove the meat. Pasta - Called "Hynkali" in the Caucas, these are Egg noodle squares roughly 3/4" to an inch on a side prior to cooking. "I have tried different noodles as a substitute, but the result didn't taste right. It's odd, but the shape realy affects the taste." In New York, I found the required as - "Kemach" brand "Heimishe Egg Noodles" "large flakes" (they have several varieties - the normal long, flat noodles, "small flakes" roughly 1/4" on a side, and these). Cook the Hynkali in the broth (after the meat is removed). To Serve and Eat Two side sauces (described below) are served with the dish. The bowl of soup (with the noodles and tomato inside) is served separately from a plate of meat. Vinegar and Garlic - In a bowl, minced fresh garlic is mixed with wine vinegar (Italian Balsamic Vinegar was found to be a good aproximation of the authentic stuff). This is served at the side and added to the soup by each individual as they eat (to taste). Pomegranate Concentrate - This is ready made bottled stuff. "The Turkish one is too thick though it will do in a pinch, you should use the Armenian one." This is also served at the side. Just as the vinegar, some is added to the soup. For the most part, it is used as a dipping sauce with the meat.