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A Tidbit from History

by Cordelia Toser

One might believe that people never ate salads, vegetables, stews, or roasted meats in the Middle Ages, because they were not mentioned in most medieval cookbooks. But I am of the opinion that this is a wrong assumption. In these modern times, there are hundreds of cookbooks, and many are written so the beginner can use them with ease. This was not the case in the Middle Ages.

Evidence would indicate that in those days, the few cookbooks that existed prior to 1600 were written for the experienced cook. Consider: the recipes have no precise measurements, do not indicate how long to cook the food, or over how hot to make a fire. All the dishes described are complex or unusual (at the time).

Roasted and stewed meats are not frequently described. I believe this is because such dishes were so simple that the experienced cook was expected to know how to do them without written instruction.

We as re creators have a further difficulty in duplicating the old recipes because they call for unfamiliar ingredients (such as cubebs), or for ingredients we no longer consider to be food (such as sandalwood).

Next month I will list of some of the spices and cooking terms which I have learned because of my interest in historical cooking.

 



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