The Ritual Master Hello friends, and welcome to today’s slice of mediaeval delights ! You know my love of cookbooks, since every Advent Calendar I have made had a video dedicated to them. My Scandinavian vegetarian Christmas book is a pure delight, and the Downton Abbey Christmas table feels like a dream. But this year, we have some serious contenders, since the two cookbooks I have selected are remarkable.
The role of food in the construction and organisation of human life is without a doubt one of the most important factors in the development of our society. In mediaeval times, food was, much like today, both a source of sustenance and a means of expressing joy. While the upper classes enjoyed the luxury of importing ingredients from the East, the rest of the population lived by the rhythm of the seasons.In Europe we often speak of vegetables considered staples in today’s cuisine, that were not yet introduced from other continents, or of the fact that in the Middle Ages you would eat with a spoon alone since the fork wasn’t introduced until later on. Your classic peasant’s stew, which was essential in warming and filling the bellies of the whole family, wouldn’t contain any potatoes, tomatoes, peppers or corn, since they were brought back to the old continent only after the great expeditions of the Renaissance into the New World. You were left then with cereal, cabbages, root vegetables and pulses, and every once in a while venison or domestic meats. Let’s find out what you could do with all this.
Jeanne Bourin, historical novelist with a passion for the Middle Ages, has dedicated a book to the gastronomic researches she has made during her writing career, gathered in her Cuisine médiévale pour tables d’aujourd’hui or Mediaeval Cuisine for today’s tables. The author has gathered 160 recipes that have all been quantified, developed and adapted to contemporary tastes and modern life, while keeping the original old French recipe as an introduction to each item on her list. Her translation operated words and ingredients alike, with recipes containing fewer spices and the preparation times of the dishes having been reduced. It is not the cuisine of the lords that Jeanne Bourin offers us here, but that of the inhabitants of cities and villages: no sumptuous feasts therefore, but good recipes for soups, poultry, game, fish, pastries or drinks… By recreating the atmosphere of meals of the time and bringing the gastronomic habits of yesteryear to everyone’s doorstep, Medieval Cuisine for Today’s Tables breathes new life into contemporary cuisine.
On the English side, The British Museum Press have entrusted Maggie Black with the project of a mediaeval cookbook drawn from 14th and 15th century sources. Including works by Geoffrey Chaucer, and carefully adapted to suit the modern kitchen, this beautifully illustrated cookbook explores the traditions and tastes of authentic medieval cookery in English lands.
This is a mouth-watering collection of recipes inspired by Medieval manuscripts, from the fall of the Roman Empire to Henry VIII’s break with Rome in the 1530s. While considering the relationship between food and religion, and the differing diets of the rich and poor, this book provides a diverse selection of recipes that capture the essence of dining in Medieval times. Illustrated throughout with stunning scenes of food, feasting and cooking from paintings, tapestries and drawings, this is a valuable mirror of Medieval society seen from the table.
Two cookbooks to have and to cherish, to invoke whenever inspiration is needed, or simply to browse through as a quick time travel experience. See you tomorrow !
