Happy Memorial Day, dear listeners! Since HBO decided to give Game of Thrones a little break this week, we will have a very special food-oriented episode of Cast of Thrones from the vaults! If you’re a book reader, you know how George R. R. Martin (aka Jar Jar) likes to talk about food, and it just so happens that we do too! So come on down and listen to Jennifer and her friend Alison Rinehardt Mauldin, creator of the blog Food in General, talk Game of Thrones food and cook books! If you want to read about Alison’s experiences with creating a Game of Thrones menu for a dinner party, go to her website: http://www.foodingeneral.com/.
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The coHosts- Nick Bristow, Michael ‘Thrifty Nerd’ DiMauro, Tim Lanning, Jennifer Cheek
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Neeps appear to be swedes (rutabaga?). The term “neep” is Scottish and is probably from turnip (“-nip” = “neep”), the things we call turnips are sometimes called “new turnips” in Scotland. Swede has a more subtle flavour than turnips and so will probably work better, particularly when well seasoned. “Neeps ‘n’ tatties” eaten with haggis is mashed swede and potato.
Talking of potatoes (also chocolate and tobacco) these are from the New World and were only introduced to Europe in the Elizabethan Age. Sir Walter Raliegh is commonly regarded as introducing tobacco and potatoes. It appears that Westerous mirrors this by not having potatoes. Sourleaf seems to approximate to chewing tobacco.
In addition to honey, there is sugar beet, but again it was not cultivated as a source for sugar until the Elizabethan Age. However, sweet vegetables could be used to sweeten puddings (carrot cake is a rare survival of this into the modern age).
A woman knows the answers.. 🙂
As Eibon says, potatoes came to the UK in the 16th century, when the new world was discovered, so not available in medieval Britian, on which ASOIAF is based.
Neeps are turnips, parsnips, etc – see that ‘nip’ bit at the end? – there are many kinds of neeps. These days, different parts of the UK use the word neeps to mean different things, but all part of this family. So what a Scotsman calls neeps are not necessarily the same thing as what a Cornishman calls neeps (and in fact a ‘swede’ in Cornwall is a different vegetable from a ‘swede’ in England).
While I’m here, the wedding ceremony is a real thing – they really used to do that in medieval times, among the nobility. The guests at a wedding had an official role – they were witnesses to the wedding. And part of their duty was to make sure the marriage was consumated. Therfore, they put the bride and groom to bed, to make sure this was done. A priest was generally there to bless the bed, too.
I don’t believe they stripped the couple the way that they do in ASOIAF – my understanding is that the women took the bride away to prepare her, and then men brought the groom in. But, that said, in the 16th century brides wore ribbons pinned to them, and the guests each tore a ribbon off her. And it was considered very lucky to get the bride’s garter (which is not at all what we think of as garters, but just a piece of ribbon or tape which was tied under the knee to keep your hose (stockings) up. So perhaps that is a remnant of some old undressing custom.
Creepily, every man considered it his right to claim a kiss from the bride. Poor girls.
Also, in medieval times, they used to display the bedsheet in the hall the next morning, to show the bloodstain, so everyone could be sure that a) the marriage had been consummated and b) the bride had been a virgin. I believe this custom came from the Romans, originally.
Great episode! Guess I’ll have to get on the dark web to get that coveted honeyed unborn puppy recipe though. 🙁