Historical food

[jackal10]

Oops The attribution got left out. Yes, its from the Forme of Cury, about 1390.

My copy is a 1975 reprint.

Edited July 28, 2004 by jackal10 (log)

[Mabelline]

Adam, I'll bet you'd have received high honor, presenting something like that back thereabout. It just looks elegant, and I could go crazy on the sidedish, as well. I love my food history books. At times I go nuts in translating, but then I still only speak passable American.There is a book just recently in our library which I read, that I'll have to look up to name, but it was marvellous. It was a lot of the content of the Parisian merchant's "Goodwife's Instructions" of the Middle Ages.Bravo!!

[Adam Balic]

Adam, I'll bet you'd have received high honor, presenting something like that back thereabout. It just looks elegant, and I could go crazy on the sidedish, as well. I love my food history books. At times I go nuts in translating, but then I still only speak passable American.There is a book just recently in our library which I read, that I'll have to look up to name, but it was marvellous. It was a lot of the content of the Parisian merchant's "Goodwife's Instructions" of the Middle Ages.Bravo!!

Thank you for your kind comment, I think that they liked the dish well enough.

"Le Menagier de Paris" (Goodman of Paris) is an interesting book because it one of the few of its time that goes into a lot of detail over amounts of ingredients (was written for a very young wife of an older man, the wife as an orphan is thought not to have much idea about running a household, hence the book). Some translations are not very good though as they don't go accurately translate the older measurements into modern volumes (eg. A 'quartre de Paris' is nearly two US quarts, best to know these things when follwing the recipes).

[ladybugseattle]

I tried experimenting with aspic luncheon dishes recently. Less Perfection Salad and aiming for more Epicurean. I tried hightening flavors more wine more vinegar more cayenne, but none of my guinea... er associates could get past the texture, although "pretty" came up often enough. the basic assembly was a poached egg on ham garnished with asparagus, variations included a lamb prosciutto subst. for the basic ham. Beyond texture, the running cold yolk was a problem for most palates. Has aspic slid permanently into history?

[Jinmyo]

It tasted very fine thank you. Because of the format I doubt anybody would have picked it as being Ye Olde Cooking without being told.

Adam, veddy veddy nice.

And indeed the plating is such that it might give rise to a new movement: Ye Olde Nouveau.

[fifi]

I just remembered a book that I picked up while in England several years ago: A Taste of History, 10,000 Years of Food in Britain. It is a compilation of five contributors and was published by the British Museum Press. Maggie Black, one of the contributors, is listed as author. It appears to be available from Amazon in paperback. If you want recipes, this one is stuffed with them. The best thing about the recipes is that the format is generally in the original language with a modern interpretation.

If you plan to purchase, please click on the eGullet friendly Amazon logo below.

[mongo_jones]

Sauce Madame:

Take sage, parsley, hyssop and savoury, quinces and pears, garlic and grapes, and fill the goose and sew the hole that no grease come out and roast him well, and keep the grease that comes out. When the goose is roasted enough, take him and smite him in pieces, and when this is done put the pieces in a pot with wine and cook until reduced. Add powder of galingale, powder-douce [sweet spices], and salt, and boil the sauce and dress the gees in dishes and lay the sauce on.

adam,

i like that even in your "translation" the cook still gets to "smite" the goose.

mongo

[Adam Balic]

I tried experimenting with aspic luncheon dishes recently. Less Perfection Salad and aiming for more Epicurean. I tried hightening flavors more wine more vinegar more cayenne, but none of my guinea... er associates could get past the texture, although "pretty" came up often enough. the basic assembly was a poached egg on ham garnished with asparagus, variations included a lamb prosciutto subst. for the basic ham. Beyond texture, the running cold yolk was a problem for most palates. Has aspic slid permanently into history?

Mostly died out I think or re-invented itself as post-post-post modern "Gelee". The highest concentration of aspic dishs I have seen of late is in Paris. Lots of very 19th century looking boned and stuffed quail coated in aspic and cones of aspic filles with seafood and greenery to look like mini-aquarium.

[Mabelline]

Does that mean I am proscribed by loving tomato aspic (the real thing, not tomato jello or some other aberration)?

[Adam Balic]

Sauce Madame:

Take sage, parsley, hyssop and savoury, quinces and pears, garlic and grapes, and fill the goose and sew the hole that no grease come out and roast him well, and keep the grease that comes out. When the goose is roasted enough, take him and smite him in pieces, and when this is done put the pieces in a pot with wine and cook until reduced. Add powder of galingale, powder-douce [sweet spices], and salt, and boil the sauce and dress the gees in dishes and lay the sauce on.

adam,

i like that even in your "translation" the cook still gets to "smite" the goose.

mongo

Eh yes, I'm afraid I have this terrible defect where I find words like "smite", "thy" and "maiden" terribly attractive and tend to use them if given a chance.