Monk's Modern Medieval Cuisine
Medieval food for modern food lovers
I hope you all have had a lovely time over the Christmas holidays. If not, or if Christmas is a tough time for you, all I can say is well done for getting through it. Of course, the one big thing on everyone’s mind over this holiday has been the answer to my last post, … Continue reading Answers to: Ten things about me (one is a lie)
Seasons greetings everyone! Here’s something light and jolly for the Christmas holidays — perhaps best reserved for when you’re completely bored out of your mind! (You can only eat so many mince pies.) I’ve listed ten food and drink related facts about me; but one of them is a bit of a fib. See if … Continue reading Ten things about me (one is a lie)
Caudel ferry Tak flour of payndemayn and gode wyne & drawe it togyder; do þerto a grete quantite of sugur cypre or hony clarified, & do per to safroun; boyle hit & whan it is yboyled alye it up with ȝolkes of ayroun & do þerto salt & messe hit forth, and lay þeron sugur … Continue reading Experiment: Spiced caudel
As I work my way through translating the recipes of Forme of Cury, Richard II’s official cookery book, I sometimes come across words that have shifted in meaning from how they were originally used. In this first of a series of ‘Language of cookery’ notes, I take a look at one of these words: smiten. … Continue reading Language of cookery 1: shifting meanings
Hello everyone! This is just to let you know I’ve written a new blog post on my mother website, The Medieval Monk, about the use of herbs in early England before the Norman Conquest (1066). I take as the basis for the piece Erbolate, a recipe using eleven herbs found in Forme of Cury, Richard … Continue reading Herbs in early England
Pynnonade. Tak almaundes yblaunched & drawe hem up sumdel thykke wiþ gode broth oþer with water & set on þe fyre & seeþ it, cast þerto ȝolkes of ayroun ydrawe, tak pynes fryed in oyle oþer in grece & do þerto white poudour douce, suger & salt, & colour it with alkenet a litull. Pine … Continue reading Experiment: Pynnonade
Hello everyone! Just wanted to share an update on my health. It’s good news: I’m starting to feel significantly better, and I am working right now on a new recipe experiment which, all being well, will be posted about in the next few days. I was diagnosed with an autoimmune blood disorder known as pernicious … Continue reading Health update: getting better!
Hello everyone. Just a short note to apologise for the lack of new material on my website in the last few weeks. Unfortunately, I have been unwell. I’ve just been diagnosed with vitamin B12 deficiency which has left me exhausted (and somewhat impaired cognitively!). I hope to be back to experimenting with medieval food as … Continue reading Apology
Hello medievalists and food lovers! Back in March, I took the recipe sauge yfarced — literally, ‘stuffed sage’— from Forme of Cury (King Richard II’s 14th-century cookery book) and brought it to the development stage. The result was pretty scrumptious. In essence this is my version of a medieval snack: spicy pork balls coated in fresh sage … Continue reading What is powder fort?
Hello medieval-minded food lovers. Today, I’m talking about a lovely, light poached chicken dish I made recently, and particularly about the spicy magic that lifts the dish: powder douce. Powder douce (poudre douce, powdour douce) is a spice mix that was used in many of the recipes of King Richard II’s household. ‘Cast thereon powder … Continue reading Sprinkle on a little spicy magic
