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Two weeks have passed since our new project kicked off. The Loretten site is situated right in the historial centre of Mechelen (B). Since the 19th century it was part of a larger complex owned by the Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy (Zusters van O.-L.-Vrouw van Barmhartigheid, in Mechelen a.k.a. the Loretten).
Overview Loretten site W-E, July 14th
The convent has been deserted for many years, but real estate developers are now planning to breath new life into it by dividing the complex into separate houses and apartements, and constructing an underground parking garage in its backyard. Before the building and renovation works can begin, the municipal archaeology service is conducting a six months archaeological dig.
No extraordinary finds at this stage. The terrain measures about 800 m². My colleagues (the Loretten research team currently consists of one archaeologist, two trainees and four field technicians) have dug their way through a first layer of 19th and 20th century rubble using a crane. They hit solid brickwork foundations at a depth of about 30 cm and are now progressing much slower. Up until now they have uncovered at least four cesspits (see also Medieval Delights), the remains of a fireplace and two red ceramic tile floors, the one on top of the other.
Overview Loretten site E-W, July 14th
Meanwhile, the local media (newspapers, television…) show great interest in our project. In order to keep the public informed of what we’re doing, I’ve hung a few banners on the fencing surrounding the dig site. Later this summer we hope to show our most important finds at the Erfgoedcentrum Lamot™ (heritage centre).
Banners at entrance of Loretten site
To be continued…
I’m currently working on a public access policy for the Mechelen archaeology service: sharing information about what we do, why we do it, where you can find us… and where we all come from.
I guess you could say, why bother? Does archaeology really need a public? Shouldn’t we just focus on our scientific duties. Every minute spent dealing with them visitors -be it nose picking kids on a school trip or know-it-all seniors with too much time on their hands- is a minute lost. Or isn’t it?
When archaeological research is financed with public money, it’s no surprise that archaeologists are franticly looking for public support to justify their work. This certainly would explain why exhibitions are held showing the latest finds, why archaeological sites are open to the public and why once in a while we all dress up as cave dwellers, Roman legionaries or medieval monks.
But now in Flanders, the northern (Dutch-speaking) part of Belgium where Mechelen is situated, an increasing part of the archaeological research is being financed by private partners, as a result of the principles of the Valletta Convention slowly seeping into the Flemish heritage policy. These guys in suits aren’t paying us because they’re interested in the protection of our heritage. No, they pay us because the government says so. Their only concern is to sell as much as possible of whatever they’re selling: shoes, cars, vacuum cleaners… anything. They just had the misfortune of planning their new factory or distribution centre on top of an archaeological site nobody even knew about… except for them pain-in-the-*ss archaeologists.
So, I repeat the question. Why bother? Well… in my opinion archaeological research, heritage policy and public access are all interconnected, inseparable, even in the case of privately funded research. In fact, the one is fueling the other. Public access provides the necessary broad basis for a heritage policy. In its turn, this policy -when put into effect by the government- creates a steady stream of new research opportunities. And at the end of the line (and the beginning of a new one) the results of this research are eagerly absorbed by an ever growing crowd of archaeology aficionados. And who knows, among them may even be some guys in suits.
Presenting my mum and dad’s specialty! They own a butcher’s shop and produce a wide range of traditional meat products, one of them being the famous blood sausage. It’s known all over the world, especially in Europe: in France they call it boudin noir, in Germany it’s Blutwurst, in the U.K. and Ireland you can have black pudding for breakfast… Its origins lie in traditional slaughter, utilizing every single part of the animal and certainly not wasting its very nutritious (lots of proteins, minerals and vitamins) but perishable blood.
What’s really astonishing is the vast variety of recipes for making blood sausage. It seems every country, every little region has its own traditional recipe. The basic recipe for blood sausage uses only blood, seasoning and a filler. Most often pig’s blood is used. Bread, barley, rice, oatmeal, buckwheat or even sweet potato can serve as a filler. In Western Europe the seasoning is rather limited, but in both Southern and Eastern Europe some very typical spices are used, e.g. in Hungary I once tasted a delicious little sausage made with blood, rice and lots of sweet paprika powder. Sometimes even ingredients like raisins, onions or pine nuts are added.
My dad’s recipe is fairly simple. The recipe was passed on by his grandparents, so it really has been in the family for quite some time now. It contains fresh pig’s blood, cooked pork and rind, stale bread and some spices. The cooked meat is minced and then mixed with the other ingredients into a dough. The natural sausage casings (outer lining of the pigs intestines) are stuffed with this dough and finally the sausages are slowly cooked at low heat.
In Belgium and France, the traditional way of eating blood sausages is gently browned in butter and served with applesauce. Instead of using applesauce, my mum serves them with baked apples. She cores the apples and cuts them in half, bakes them in a pan with some lard and finally adds a few tablespoons of brown sugar and a cup of coffee, creating a sweet caramel sauce. It’s the balance between the mineral flavour of the sausage (because of the blood’s high iron content) and the sweet and sour taste of the apples that makes this dish so great.
Although by many regarded as a rather dull and old fashion product, the blood sausage is making its comeback in Belgian cuisine, e.g. I ate it once in a Michelin star restaurant where it accompanied a fillet of rabbit and a well seasoned pumpkin mash. Heavenly! The sweet and sour of the pumpkin worked perfectly with the sausage and the blood sausage in its turn gave the rabbit a little taste of the wild. A part of our culinary heritage restored! Bon appétit to you all!
