Topic: Part 2 The Kitchen and staff
Utensils: Domed ovens
Box ovens –for bread baking
Hearth-dished pottery set in the floor
Pots- made of unglazed Nile clay
Frying Pans- wok shaped with handles
Large Stew Pans
Small Utensils:
Wooden Spoons
Spatulas
Knives
Mortar and Pestle
Spoons with holes
Colanders
Fuel used:
straw, palm leaves, dung, acacia, Tamarisk, charcoal,
wood
The Personal:
Butcher
Baker
Pastry Chef
Chef or cook.
The Chef’s Choices
Pantry: Oils, vinegars, mediums
Grains
Vegetables
Fruits
Nuts
Meat
Seafood
Poultry
Spices and herbs
The medium of Cooking
Bake
Broil
Grill
Stew
Stir Fry
General:
Initial Offering: Bread and Salt
An act of hospitality, an offering of bread sprinkled with salt seals a guest friendship and its acceptance by a visitor is a tacit promise to respect the host’s household.
The First known Gourmand:
I t may be that the conception of fine wines and gourmet Foods originated in ancient Egypt 4,500 years ago.
In the tomb of Sekem-Ka (4,340 years ago) in Mena, Egypt, is an inscription of a dinner given by him to 7 others consisting 0f seven sections. The inscription is fairly complete, it describes the setting (with some illustrations of guests and setting, including chefs preparing food), it also lists the menu and the wines served.
Menu:
The 1st course consisted of fruit (dates, figs, pomegranates, grapes, cherries (?) cheese and bread. The 2nd course was prepared duck and goose eggs. 3rd course was fish and beef. 4th course was a lamb stew and pork. 5th course was stuffed geese, duck, pigeon and desert hare. 6th course was Oryx, antelope, gazelle. 7th course is missing.
Example of a gourmet recipe from ancient Egypt
Quail roasted with cream, honey, crushed almonds and pomegranate seeds.
This list came to me author unknown but was drawn up by my husband who is an Egyptologist.
If I were to give credit it would be to Hilary Wilson and her book Egyptian Food and Drink. He got the majority of his material from this book but not all.
By Joanna Linsley-Poe
copyright 2012
The idea of a Gourmand was much older than I imagined.
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Me too! That is until I started to study about it. Thanks for the comment.
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