Oddest recipe

[beadz]

During your research, did you prepare or try some of these dishes? Which would you think modern palates would find the most peculiar? The best? The worst? Are any still being made today?

[Peter Elbling]

I have to admit that I am not a great cook though I love

to eat. I did try some Renaissance dishes, but I took very

little from the books I used in my research; most of those

were designed for large gatheings and banquets and the

portions they used are quite different than what we

might use today.

However, Charles Perry, The Los Angeles Times Food

critic, allowed me to put six Renaissance recipes, which

he has adapted for today's use, into the back of the book

and I have tried several of those.

They include a mint spinach ravioli, (very good) a chard

pie, (not my favorite but then I dont like chard,) spiced

scalopinne (which I like very much,) grilled saltimbocca

(havent tried,) chicken fried with diced lemon (very

good,) cabbage stuffed with walnuts (very good,) cherry

cheesecake (very good,) Saffron French toast (havent

tried.)

[Peter Elbling]

An addendum to your question. I think we would enjoy

the basics, by that I mean, beef, lamb, vnison, certain

fish, fowl, etc., which they ejoyed too.

By process of elimination, the hedgehogs, doormice,

swans, etc., are no longer part of our menus because

they don't taste very good. Much of the 'exotic' food then

was really only for show.