I love discovering the meanings behind the names given to medieval dishes. Call me scholar, call me nerd, I just can’t help myself. Many of the recipe titles in Richard II’s official cookery book, Forme of Cury (c. 1390), have bamboozled antiquarians and academics for centuries, so I get a kick out of working outContinue reading “Language of cookery 4: meat ‘purses’”
Author Archives: Christopher Monk
Fit for a king?
This week I take a look at the problem of visual aesthetics when reconstructing two of Richard II’s recipes During the last two weeks I finally got back into some recipe development. It’s easy to become preoccupied with writing about the recipes of Richard II’s cookery book and not actually cooking them. Don’t get meContinue reading “Fit for a king?”
Language of Cookery 3: 14th-century English Pappardelle?
Exploring the linguistic influences on medieval English cuisine Medieval English recipe names are frequently odd. And sometimes, as a translator, I’m led down a dodgy etymological path by a name that looks like a mangled concoction of Middle English and Old French or Anglo-Norman, only for it to turn out to be something quite different.Continue reading “Language of Cookery 3: 14th-century English Pappardelle?”
Language of Cookery 2: Ground beans?
In the second of my short language notes I take a look at a culinary essential of Richard II’s cookery book For to make grounden benes. Take benes & drye hem in an ovene & hulle hem wel and wyndowe out the hulkes & waysche hem clene & do hem to seeþ in god brothContinue reading “Language of Cookery 2: Ground beans?”
Answers to: Ten things about me (one is a lie)
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)”
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 ifContinue reading “Ten things about me (one is a lie)”
Experiment: Spiced caudel
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 sugurContinue reading “Experiment: Spiced caudel”
Language of cookery 1: shifting meanings
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”
Herbs in early England
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, RichardContinue reading “Herbs in early England”
Experiment: Pynnonade
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. PineContinue reading “Experiment: Pynnonade”
