Richard Wright wrote:
> On Tue, 23 Sep 2008 13:02:46 -0400, "Jean B." > wrote:
>
>> Martin S wrote:
>>> On wikipedia it is suggested that "Fool" recipes date back to the 15th
>>> century. Does anyone know a source for such a recipe? I had a brief look
>>> in "A Forme of Curry" (which is a bit old being late 14th century) and
>>> couldn't find it there. Any suggestions on an internet available source?
>>> The oldest I have is 1658 which is quite a gap.
>>>
>>> Martin S
>> The only relevant gleanings from Alan Davidson's Oxford Companion
>> to Food a
>>
>> 1. The name "is thought to have been derived from the French
>> _fouler_ (to mash)".
>>
>> 2. "[O]ne of the earliest fools Norfolk fool, popular during the
>> 17th century, contained no fruit." I mention this because of the
>> name plus the date, although that would not seem to be any sort of
>> precedent. You might also look at white pot/whitepot/whitpot, if
>> you are looking for fools regardless of whether they contain fruit
>> or not. Fools with fruit were being made at the same time,
>> according to the same source.
>
> Yes, Davidson does give that origin. However the OED dismisses the
> etymology thus: "Mahn's derivation from F[rench]. fouler to crush, is
> not only baseless, but inconsistent with the early use of the word
> [fool]."
>
> By this the OED author means that it was only in the 18th century that
> crushed, stewed fruit appears in the description of a fool. Before
> that a fool was described as a sort of clotted cream or custard.
>
> Here are the citations:
>
> 1598 Florio, Mantiglia, a kinde of clouted creame called a foole or a
> trifle in English.
> c.1600 Day Begg. Bednall Gr. v. (Bullen) 114 My Mother ... could have
> taught thee how to a made ... fritters, pancakes, I and the rarest
> fools.
> 1637 B. Jonson Sad Sheph. i. vi, Your cheese-cakes, curdes, and
> clowted creame, Your fooles, your flaunes.
> 1688 R. Holme Armoury iii. iii. 82 Foole is a kind of Custard, but
> more crudelly; being made of Cream, Yolks of Eggs, Cinamon, Mace
> boiled: and served on Sippets with sliced Dates, Sugar, and white and
> red Comfits, strawed thereon.
>
> The first citation for fool as we know it today is from 1747:
>
> 1747 H. Glasse Art of Cookery ix. 79 A Gooseberry-Fool.
>
> The etymology the OED prefers is a play on the words fool/trifle.
>
> Richard

Yup. I was just giving what Davidson said to add to the
conversation.

--
Jean B.