October 08, 2005

Spinach Mother of Christ

In his comment to my earlier post, Steve Bodio mentioned the Virgin Mary's love of spinach.

This is as well a known fact in Nazareth today as it was 19 centuries ago. Her favorite music was that of the crude bagpipes of the time, and this also a well-known fact. . . . .On the eve of Christ's birth in the cave that was called a stable, Her only meal was spinach.

Thus speaks George Leonard Herter. That Dan Brown did not mention "Spinach Mother of Christ" in The Da Vinci Code is reason enough to suspect his scholarship. Maybe it will be in the movie.

Essentially, fresh or frozen cooked spinach is mixed with garlic cloves that have been sauteed in butter, and then the spinach mixture is pureed.

Today in Belgium and Germany a little nutmeg is sprinkled over the top of the puree. This, however, was not in the original recipe..

—From Bull Cook and Authentic Historical Recipes and Practices, eleventh edition, 1967.

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