bread trencher class?

[ppfuf]

For the West/AnTir cooks' symposium next spring, I'm going to co-teach a class on bread with gormflaith. She's covering the practical bread-making parts, and I'm doing an overview of the use of bread trenchers and portpains in the medieval feast hall. I might include the instructions for cutting bread at the table c. 1480's England.

If you were going to take such a class, what questions would you like to have answered?

Comments

[madbaker.livejournal.com]

"Why did I lose my passion for baking? I should be co-teaching this class with you both."
You didn't say it had to be an answerable question.

[thread-walker.livejournal.com]

do you eat the trencher?

[klwilliams.livejournal.com]

I'd want to know how they were used. For example, what was put on them? Dry food, runny food, didn't matter?

Were they shared? Who with? Did class matter? (Did the baron get his own?)

Were they eaten as part of the meal, or given to the dogs and beggars at the end of the meal?

Were they used at feasts, normal meals, every meal? Only in certain seasons?

If I think of any more questions I'll let you know. :-) Thanks.

[thread-walker.livejournal.com]

will you have examples for people to handle? Via the PPF, I know trenchers are not the same as Wonder sandwich bread. But I wouldn't have known that if I hadn't seen them with my own eyes.

How long do they keep? Do you make them fresh daily?

Did everyone use them? i.e. upper class, merchant and crafts? in home? in convent? were there different types for different occasion?

Enquiring minds want to know.

[cvirtue.livejournal.com]

Shape of trenchers? Did the wooden ones echo standard bread shapes? How thick were they? (Did the sauces mark up the table linens?)

[dame-cordelia.livejournal.com]

I guess it's the cook in me.
What kind of flour went into a trencher? Did that depend on wealth and/or clsss?

I remember the Tudor Tailor ladies talked about linen washing happening as infrequently as once a month if you were wealthy enough. I wonder if trencher baking was similarly scheduled. Bread in general would surely be more often, maybe weekly.