To all the 15th cent. cooks out there:

If you had to pick 2 cookbooks for medieval recipes, which ones would you get and why?

I ask because I just started to get a slightly positive attitude towards getting my girlfriend interested in my "medieval stuff" by mentionning cooking...

If I could get her a couple books to spark the interest, I may be able to get her onboard full swing!

Please note that she is not a newbie cook, only a newbie medievalist.

Thanks for the help in this oh! so important quest!

Hugo, dying for homemade fritters...

Being a fan of 15th C cooking myself, particularily food from the burgundian / french regions. I would recomend: the Medieval Kitchen, Recipes from France and Italy. Odile Redon, Francoise Sabban and Silvano Serventi, translated by Edward Schneider. ISBN 0-226-70684-2

It has a nice introduction to medieval cooking and lots of good recipes.

The other book I would recomend with a more English flavour is: Pleyn Delit, Medieval Cookery for Modern Cooks (2nd Edition), Constance B. Hieatt, Brenda Hosington and Sharon Butler. ISBN 0-8020-0678-7

Good Luck.

Cheers
Joram

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I would add a third.
Take a 1000 Eggs or more [Volume 2]. By Cindy Renfrow.
(This was printed in 1991 and 1993 and is currently out of print.) This volume is the one historically researched and based on 2 manuscripts republished in the book "Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery Books" edited by Thomas Austin (1888 by Oxford University Press for Early English Text) republished (1964 by Vivian Ridler). Original Series #91. Recently reprinted in mid 1980's by Kraus Reprint & Periodicals.

The three I use most are, and keep in mind this is more "high table fair":

Medieval Kitchen, Recipes from France and Italy. Odile Redon, Francoise Sabban and Silvano Serventi, translated by Edward Schneider. *****

The above book is my all time FAVE. Just ask anybody, Friedrich knows, he's seen it drawn like a gun.

Pleyn Delit, Medieval Cookery for Modern Cooks (2nd Edition), Constance B. Hieatt, Brenda Hosington and Sharon Butler. ISBN 0-8020-0678-7

Early French Cookery: Sources, History, Original Recipes and Modern Adaptations by D. Eleanor Scully, Terence Scully, J. David Scully (Illustrator), Eleanor Scully

I am a cookbook fiend, from Southern Old-fashioned, to Professional Pastry and cooking. Now if they can teach me to cook successfully over an open fire in a high wind...

Jenn

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quote:

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Originally posted by Fire Stryker:
Now if they can teach me to cook successfully over an open fire in a high wind...

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Been there done that, oh and in the rain as well... I was cooking a 2 platter (10 dishes total) upper class diner for 20 people, it worked but it was not fun.

I have been looking for... Take a 1000 Eggs or more [Volume 2]. By Cindy Renfrow.
(This was printed in 1991 and 1993 and is currently out of print.)... for a while, so if anyone knows where I can get a second hand copy I would be in their dept.

Anyway since Jenn is adding some more books I will also add to the list again

If you want to try some food from different time periods in Europe then; the Medieval Cookbook. Maggie Black. ISBN 0-500-01548-1
is a nice book.

Fabulous Feasts, Medieval Cookery and Ceremony. Madeleine Pelner Cosman ISBN 0-8076-0898-X. Its a little to generic at times, but generally has a fairly good coverage of the whole etiquette surounding food in the 14th and 15th centuries. The selection of recipies is small, and most of them can be found in the Medieval Kitchen and Pleyn Delit.

Food and Cooking in Mediaval Britain History and Recipes. Maggie Black. ISBN 1-85074-535-8 This is a very small book published by English Heritage, its only a couple of dollars, so worth the money if you can get it.

Medieval Feasts and Menus 1380-1450 . Robert Morris. Basically a list of menus taken from English accounts between the dates in the title. A usefull book for any upper class english feast, as you can try and match your menu to such illusreous people as, the purviance made for Kinge Richard, beinge with ye Duc of Lancastre at the Bishoppes place of Durham at londone, the xxiii day of September, the year of the kinge forsaid xij (1387)

however given that the ingredient list starts with 14 salt oxen, and just gets worse, it maybe out of your scope to do it justice, I know its still out of mine, unfortunately.

of course once you have gotten the cooking bug, you wil also want to learn more of the etiquette that goes with it, so: Medieval Conduct, texts, theories, practces. Kathleen Ashley, Robert L. A. Clark Editors ISBN 0-8166-3575-7, it is a collection of academic papers, so not light reading, but very informative.

Also: the Medieval Health Handbook, Tacuinum Sanitatis. Luisa Cogliati Arano. These health handbooks were very popular in the late 14th early 15th century, and give much interesting information over the uses of plants and other aspects related to human health as percieved during the above said time span.

Cheers
Joram

[ 01-16-2004: Message edited by: Joram van Essen ]
to correct some spelling errors, I appologise for those I still missed.

[ 01-16-2004: Message edited by: Joram van Essen ]

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and I'll raise you one Mediterranean Cuisine: Medieval recipes for today Barbara Santich, Chicago Review Press, 1995. ISBN:1-55652-272-X.

Fabulous feasts? Really???? We tried that one years ago and I thought I'd never get the taste of cinnamon and seafood out of my mouth. Or maybe it was the lentel soup. Whatever it was... we've never opened the book since.

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The reason why I was asking for two is that I am looking for one that would explain the basics of medieval cooking (open fire, tools needed, basic ingredients, etc.) and another have more elaborate recipes and/or a more specific timeframe and region. You seem to cover pretty weel the second part.

I have not come across any books explaining how to cook on an open fire, most of that comes from experience. Try cooking some of the recipies in your kitchen and watch how it behaves at different temperatures and how long it takes to cook etc, with a bit of observation and experience you will find its not too difficult to transfer to the open fire.
The closest writen source I would recomend is a copy of the late 14th century manuscript known as Le Managier de Paris, the section on cooking which has been reproduced in the original french and translated into English can be found on the internet. It has a lot of useful hints from the period about cooking over a fire, such as stiring the pot right down to the bottom, and if it starts to burn at the bottom, transfer the rest into another pot.

Cheers
Joram

[ 01-17-2004: Message edited by: Joram van Essen ]

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One is the "Old Sturbridge Village" cookbook. What I like about the book is that it teaches you how to cook. A blend of utensil/tool techniques combined with recipes and techniques to bring out flavour and spices.

Send a message to Bob Hurly. He is THE open fire guy - cookingwise - in our circle. He may have some suggestions for you regarding setting up a fire in the field and which "areas" of the fire pit are good for which manner of cooking based on the temperatures.

Also, as Friedich and Joram pointed out, you can do trial in the kitchen via observation, trial (and error in the field - this can get expensive depending on what you are doing) or you can get modern cooking books on how to cook on an open fire and go from there.

So far for cookbooks:

The Medieval Kitchen seems to be the #1 abook from responses thus far. All of them explain various things you need to know.

Early French Cookery goes over some kitchen basics, but not to the level I think you are looking for. They were examining how "period" cooks would time things out or flavors to avoid such as smoke contamination for delicately flavored foods. Very brief mention of the heat produced by different types of wood.

Not sure it helps.

Jenn

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The main "trick" to cooking over a fire is the fire itself. You can't do a good job over open flame, it burns food, soots things up, and is completely unpredictable as to heat. If you're using soldered tinware, it will quickly disassemble it for you.

Dig a fire pit or clear an area twice as large as you think you'll need - I prefer a pit about twice as long as wide. Place some unsplit pieces of 6-10" dia. along the long sides to help keep in the heat. In the downwind half, build a fire starting with quick hot woods like pine and cedar, and adding hardwood when they'll catch. Build it about twice as high (woodwise) as you want, because it will burn down. You want the glowing coals that are left as soon as the flames stop. Rake whatever of them you need into the upwind half, and cook there. Keep adding fresh wood to the downwind half as needed, so you have a constant supply of hot coals. Don't let anyone mess with the fire unless they understand the game plan.

I would go for "Take A Thousand Eggs" by Cindy Renfrow. The recipes of the 1st volume have all been translated into modern english and have a redaction as well, it helps a lot if you're new to reading medieval recipes. When you get a few dishes under your belt you can advance to the 2nd volume with the original text only.
It's available from Poison Pen Press, $27 for both volumes.
According to the author's web page the 2nd edition is now available in paperback and hardback, not just wire bound. They're available from Royal Fireworks Press.

My second choice would be The Vivendier by Terence Scully. ISBN 0907325815. It contains 66 recipes from 15th century France.
I can't quite pinpoint why I like it so much. I just hope it's not because I read From Saint Hildegards Kitchen: Foods of Health, Foods of Joy by Jany Fournier-Rousset, ISBN 0764804863, prior to it. FSHK is absolutely horrible, stay as far away from it as possible.

/Håkan

[ 03-22-2004: Message edited by: Håkan ]

I'll second his recomendation regarding a rectangular pit and using only coals to do the cooking. I also like to line the pit with bricks to make it easier to work around, and retain heat. I have had luck adding a narrow side slit trench (making an "L" shaped pit) to let air in, cook smaller items, and use as a cleanout.

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