Full Description
The great advantage for students of medieval English cookery is that there is an identifiable corpus of evidence in the manuscripts that have survived to the present day. Although there may be some new discoveries, in general terms the corpus is relatively stable. The beauty of this book is that it addresses the corpus as a whole and abstracts from it paradigm recipes for every medieval dish that we know about. With this book therefore a student can ask 'How did they cook rabbit stew?' and find a definitive answer, in modern English, with full references. This is a great step forward and the book will stand as a monument to the untiring efforts of the late Constance Hieatt to understand and interpret English cookery of the middle ages. The book is organised by category of dish (Pottage; Meat Dishes; Poultry and Game Birds; Fish; Eggs and Dairy Dishes; Sauces and Condiments, and Baked Dishes). For each dish the editor has chosen what is in her view the most typical example and, citing the source, translates the original text.
Contents
Introduction. Bibliography. THE RECIPES. I. Preliminaries: Basic Preparations and Procedures. II. Pottages. A: Standard, Meatless. 1. (a) Almond-Milk Based; (b) Based on Nuts and Flowers; (c) Egg-based; (d) Other Meatless Pottages. 2. (a) Based on Grains; (b) Based on Vegetables; (c) Based on Fruits. B: Standard, Meat- or Fish-based. C: Special Types: 1. Brewets; 2. Sliced Food; 3. Gruels and Sops; 4. Jellied Dishes; 5. Pasta. III. Main Courses. A. Meats, Other than those Cooked and Served as Pottages. B. Poultry and Game Birds, Other than those Cooked and Served as Pottages. C. Fish, Other than those Cooked and Served as Pottages. D. Eggs and Dairy Dishes. IV. Special Dishes. A. Sauces and Condiments. B. Baked Dishes. C. Fritters and Other Fried Specialties. D. Subtleties, Drinks, Wafers, and Confections. Index of Recipes.
