Medieval Cookery: Recipes and History

by Maggie Black

Contains over 30 recipes from medieval times - all of which can be reproduced in the modern kitchen (with the possible exception of Dressed Swan). The recipes include dishes such as Pike with Galentyne Sauce; Dried Pea Puree with Sprouts; Grape Stuffed Boiled Chicken and Date Slices with Spiced Wine. The book also describes the historical background and has information on food, cooking equipment, the serving of meals and the development of taste and etiquette. As well as looking at what people ate in Medieval England, it also explains which foods were not commonplace - there were no potatoes, tomatoes, or much of the fruit which we now take for granted. Pottage (a type of broth) was eaten by rich and poor every day and like today, bread was everyone's staple food. It is fully illustrated with full color photographs and medieval woodcuts.

Genres: Cookbooks, Food and Drink, History, Nonfiction

96 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2004

About the author

Maggie Black is the author of several publications including From Handpumps to Health: The Evolution of Water and Sanitation Programmes in Bangladesh, India and Nigeria and In the Twilight Zone: Child Workers in the Hotel, Tourism and Catering Industry. She has worked as a consultant for UNICEF, Anti-Slavery International, and WaterAid, among others, and has written for The Guardian, The Economist, and BBC World Service.

Reviews

[Erin Penn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Medieval Cookery is a small book of just shy of 30 useful recipes; the blurb says over 30 recipes, but knowing how to put gold leaf and feathers on a cooked peacock isn't very useful by today's standards.

A good introduction to historical cooking which, unlike most books of this sort, include links to the historical manuscripts so the modern recipe can be traced back to the original for research purposes; therefore, this book is not only good for the beginning reenactor but also the intermediate research chef. Also touches nicely on how both rich and poor people set up their kitchens, bought food, prepared it, and the tools involved.