[Paddlewise] Who really invented Paunch Stew?

WHO INVENTED PAUNCH STEW?  

Lets give credit for paunch stew where it is due.  Herodotus,
writing of the customs of the Sythians in his coverage of Darius'
invasions circa 500 B.C., provides the details of Sythian Paunch
Stew, made from ox, and by the ingenious method of using nothing
but the ox itself for food, fuel and cooking utensil.  (See The
Histories, Book IV).  Add spices to taste.

"As Scythia, however, is utterly barren of firewood, a plan has
had
 to be contrived for boiling the flesh, which is the following.
After flaying the beasts, they take out all the bones, and (if
they possess such gear) put the flesh into boilers made in the
country, which are very like the cauldrons of the Lesbians,
except that they are of a much larger size; then placing the
bones of the animals beneath the cauldron, they set them alight,
and so boil the meat. If they do not happen to possess a
cauldron, they make the animal's paunch hold the flesh, and
pouring in at the same time a little water, lay the bones under
and light them. The bones burn beautifully; and the paunch easily
contains all the flesh when it is stripped from the bones, so
that by this plan your ox is made to boil himself." 

-- 
Richard G. Mitchell, Jr.
Department of Sociology
Oregon State University
Corvallis, OR 97331
U.S.A.
(541) 752-1323 phone/fax
mitchelr_at_ucs.orst.edu
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