Beatrice Hopkinson wrote:

> I would think that the fat would go rancid after a time, depending on
> outside temperature, and affect the product below.
> Once exposed to air, the food itself would of course be affected.
>

Yes, it would, though a hard fat such as lard would last a long time in
cool conditions. The topping would probably be discarded anyway. This is
really a method of preservation that works long enough to get food to
market where transport is slow. Another, which avoids having to use a dish,
is to cook the food in a large pie made of hard flour-and-water 'huff
paste', which again would be discarded or thrown to the dogs. For example,
the lampreys that were an expensive delicacy in medieval England (and of
which King Henry I died of a surfeit), and which are highly perishable,
were transported inland in pies.

RH

########################################################################

To unsubscribe from the ANCIENT-FOOD-TECH list, click the following link:
https://listserv.dartmouth.edu/scripts/wa.exe?SUBED1=ANCIENT-FOOD-TECH