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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Oh, thank you. Does this mean I get two presents?
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Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 508
addict
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addict
Joined: Mar 2001
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Thank you, Bingley. I forwarded the site to my two sons 
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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There's a legend that a man called Simon and his wife Nell argued over whether the cake for Mothering Sunday should be baked or boiled. My first thought was, "Ew, how could you boil a cake?"; then I remembered that bain-Marie thing, so I guess that's prolly how. I don't think I'd consider it really a cake, though.
The name Simnel probably comes from the Latin word "simila" which means a fine wheat flour usually used for baking a cake. See, from Gurunet:
sem·o·li·na (sĕm'ə-lç'nə)
n.
The gritty coarse particles of wheat left after the finer flour has passed through a bolting machine, used for pasta.
[Alteration of Italian semolino, diminutive of semola, bran, from Latin simila, fine flour, ultimately of Semitic origin.]
The name of the cake makes me think of the word seminal, which I think fits, in one sense at least.
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Joined: Jun 2002
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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semolinainterestingly enough, I guess, is that a Burmese exchange student brought some little treats to church today, made with semolina and coconut milk. very good!
formerly known as etaoin...
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Joined: Mar 2000
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old hand
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old hand
Joined: Mar 2000
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I'll just add a bit of (I believe not apocryphal) cultural history.
The observance of Mothering Sunday had appparently fallen into disuse in the UK by the early twentieth century. However, during the second world war, the Yank GIs stationed here were often looked after by local families and, to show their appreciation for their adopted 'mothers', revived the custom of Mothering Sunday. Being rich and all (and tall, strong, handsome, cleancut young well-fed men), they began to lavish presents upon the 'mothers during those few years. The mothers, I presume, discovered they were on to a good thing, and no doubt used all the guilt tactics they could to ensure that their real children kept this up.
So the mothers in the UK have the Americans to thank for Mothering Sunday. (At least, that's what I've heard.)
cheer
the sunshine warrior
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Carpal Tunnel
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Actually Jackie, you are nearly right about the bain-marie concept.
I once saw a boiled caked on a show called La Cuisine des Mousquetaires (The Muskateer's Cuisine). The two hosts prepared food exactly how it had been during the time of the muskateers.
The cake batter is poured into a deep pot, which is put inside a wider pot of nearly the same height. Water is poured into the the bigger pot and the water is boiled until the cake is done.
The cake batter has to include much less liquids than a regular cake batter since there is a lot of humidity created by the boiling.
It was the only way that people could get a cake when they cooked over fire pits.
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Joined: Mar 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Merci, m'amie. I imagine the finished product is denser and considerably more moist than an oven-baked cake. The Boy Scouts make cake in Dutch ovens over fire pits, but I wouldn't call what comes out a traditional cake, either.
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