Preparing For The Potluck At Yule

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Greetings good gentles, and glad tidings to all!

Tri-Baronial Yule Feast is a mere 2 weeks away, and preparations are happening all around.  This is about the time I tell myself I am going to plan my potluck contribution, and I get all excited.  What usually happens to me is that I come up with fun ideas, but somewhere between life and sleep I lose traction and end up throwing something together at the last minute in a frantic mess (translation: my lovely wife takes pity on me and helps me throw something together last minute).  This year I am hoping to fix that and maybe help some of you do the same.

I know that some are relatively new and may have never been to an SCA feast before.  Maybe you have been to many feasts, but with the presence of An Tir’s Crown, as well as their Heirs, you want to step it up a little?  Have no fear!  While I cannot help everyone of you by working with you in your kitchen, I can help with some tips and research that I have been working on.

First let’s take a look at what questions pop into my mind when thinking of a feast:

  1. What category of food am I requested to bring?
  2. What do I need to think of when choosing a dish?
  3. What facilities are available to the citizens (non-staff) that will help me and what do I need to bring?
  4. Does it need to be period?

All of these questions bring up a myriad of additional questions that I usually get mired in, to the point that I drop thinking about it and then 2 days before the event…well you get the idea.  Did I mention my beautiful and patient wife?  I will endeavor to answer some of these questions and even provide some (hopefully) useful links below to help with your research.

Question #1: What category of food do I need to bring?

The feast steward or event steward is usually the one that determines this list.  For Tri-Baronial Yule this year, the information can current be found here: https://www.facebook.com/events/2031089010515107/ , and in the description is says:

“As is custom, the Baronies welcome you as our guests. As such, we will be more than happy to provide the protein to our feast, and there will be no required site fee. We do ask, however, that you bring a dish that serves 10 to share with the populace according to the following break out based on your persona:

Time immemorial to 799 CE Drinks*
800 CE – 1099 CE: Vegetable/Side dish
1100 CE – 1399 CE: Bread item
1400 CE – 1650 CE: Desserts”

This seems pretty easy – drinks, vegetable or side dish, bread item and desserts.  If you don’t have a persona time period, feel free to select one that you feel comfortable bringing.  Since a myriad of protein dishes are being provided by the Baronies and Canton, everyone else coming to the event will handle the rest.  There is a caveat in the steward’s instructions which leads to the next question.

Question #2: What do I need to think of when choosing a dish?

First is how much do I bring?  The steward says you need to bring a dish that serves 10 people.  How much is that really?  I mean, I have a teenager that eats like a horse, and some of us eat very small amounts.  Believe me when I say that it will all even out.  The popular dishes will always disappear faster, leaving those lucky enough to partake of said dish to spread the word fame to others who will just have to wait for the next event that the chef will bring out that particular culinary delight.  Some of the links I have listed at the end of this article talk about “how much”, but what I try and do is use the serving size of a recipe (if you have one) and reduce it by 25%-50%, and consider that reduction the number of servings. My idea of a the potluck feast is for everyone to get a small amount of many different things, so the serving size should be a little smaller. For example, if the dish says it is for 4 adults, reducing it by 25-50% makes it for 5-6 people.  Your mileage may vary, and unless you have the space, time and in some cases money to comfortably do more, then all the better.  Remember 200 other people will be contributing as well.

Second, as a matter of courtesy I like to make sure that as a family, we try and bring the amount requested by the steward to include each adult in my family unit that is coming.  For me, that means there are two adults and two youth.  I have figured that to mean we need to bring 3 adults worth of food (or 30 servings).  Again, this comes down to what you are comfortable to contribute and your ability to bring more.

Third issue is allergies and food sensitivities.  In the last few years, mostly because of my health issues and those of close friends, Erika and I have become even more sensitive to those with food allergies, blood sugar concerns, and gluten issues.  If you have someone in your family or household that has one of these issues, feel free to make just one dish that considers those with these dietary needs.  You don’t have to make one sugar free and one a sugar coma in progress, but if you do make one that considers these needs MARK IT UP!  Make people know that it’s for folks with a specific need so we can be considerate.  Some of you won’t believe in the number of An Tirans that have told me that they don’t do feasts anymore because they can’t trust the food, or there isn’t even an attempt to provide food for those with these issues.

Fourth issue relates to these food sensitivities: BRING A MENU CARD!  In the next week I will design one that you can print out, but you don’t have to rely on this.  You should always have at least a 3×5″ note card legibly printed with your name, what the dish name is, any period information (possibly even a book reference in case they want to try their hand at it), and every ingredient you used no matter how small.  One final touch would be to note any possible cross-contamination in your kitchen, for example “almonds were prepared in the same workspace while this dish was prepared”.  It may sound like going too far, but I assure you that it is not.  We do have friends in our Baronies that even preparing a dish on the same surface as their known allergen can be cause for an emergency room visit.  Best to be kind and include more information than not enough, please. NOTE: Stefan’s Florilegium and one other site has links to articles below on allergens at feast which might prove helpful.

Question #3: Available facilities and utensils

The site for Tri-Baronial Yule does not have a full kitchen per se.  It is going to be a tight squeeze for the kitchen staff and no one will be able to use the space who isn’t event staff.  That being said here are some things to consider when bringing your dish to a feast:

  • Does it need to stay hot or cold?
    • If it needs to stay hot, see what the rules about a warming plate or a crock pot.  If you do bring something electrical, make sure that you bring a power strip and short extension cord just in case.
    • If it needs to stay cold, bring it in a cooler.  Don’t forget to bring some ice, because setting the dish into a larger dish that has ice in it will keep it cool during service.  If you aren’t sure how to do this, ask someone on one of your local social media channels who has worked food service before to show you how.
  • Serving utensils!
    • Whether your food is finger food or soup, you always need to bring serving utensils.  While mistakes happen, please do not expect the feast steward to find serving utensils for your contribution.

Question#4: Does it need to be period?

Of course not!  If you don’t know any period dishes, there is no need to stress.  This is supposed to be a fun contribution and if you aren’t in a place to research a dish, you absolutely don’t have to.  And if you are like some of my family members who burn water and make the cat wonder how hard boiled eggs ended up on the ceiling, finding something prepared at the store is perfectly acceptable (minding the ingredients card above).  But might I suggest that this could be a good opportunity to get with some friends in the days before Yule and learn something new together?

The holiday season is a time for joyous celebration, and the Tri-Baronial Yule should be no excuse.  Don’t fret too much, find something you like to eat and share, and have fun with it.  Just in case you are looking for a little research, here are some links I found in searching online for SCA Feasts.  Some may not apply to what you are doing, some may even be more of an investment than you are willing to make.  But on a cursory inspection of these sites, I think there is plenty of useful information to help someone learn more about feasting in the SCA.

And if you have any questions that I might help with, please feel free to contact me.  I am glad to help where I can, or connect you with someone with more knowledge of what you need.

Joyeuses fêtes (happy holidays)

Baron Sebastiaen

Links For Research: