Compost – Medieval Pickled Vegetables (The Forme of Cury, c. 1390)
Original adaptation courtesy of Daniel Myers at Medieval Cookery.
Originally published 10/21/2017. Updated 9/19/2025.
Compost is a vibrant “composition” of roots, cabbage, and pear, dressed with vinegar, wine, honey, and spices. Although the modern ear hears “garden compost,” in medieval cookery compost meant a mixture (from Latin componere—“to put together”). The recipe appears in The Forme of Cury (c. 1390), a royal English cookbook compiled by the cooks of King Richard II.
Historical & Cookbook Context
The Forme of Cury is among the earliest English culinary collections, written in Middle English for a professional court kitchen. Richard II’s table favored spice, color, and spectacle—dishes like Compost fit that world perfectly: bright, sweet-tart, and meant to awaken the appetite at the start of a course.
- Etymology: Compost = “mixture/compote,” not soil. Cognates appear across Europe (composte in Italian/French) for sweet-sour preserves.
- Preservation: Vinegar + honey + wine weren’t just flavors; they extended shelf life before refrigeration—ideal for travel, fasting days, and feasts.
🍽️ Menu Placement
Compost works beautifully in the first course with other cold dishes: sallets, pottages, and small bites. It’s a make-ahead dish that holds safely, scales easily, and offers welcome acidity between richer foods. Serve in shallow bowls with a draining spoon so guests can take vegetables without over-brine.
Humoral Theory (Balance & Digestion)
Medieval diners aimed to balance foods’ hot/cold and dry/moist qualities. Sharp pickling and mustard were considered “warming” and digestive; honey and currants added moist sweetness, while pear cooled and softened the heat of spice.
| Ingredient | Humoral Tendency (period belief) | Balancing Note |
|---|---|---|
| Vinegar | Hot & dry | Stimulates appetite/digestion |
| Mustard | Hot & dry | Warming; use sparingly for choleric temperaments |
| Honey & currants | Warm & moist | Round out sharpness; “comforting” |
| Pear | Cool & moist | Tempers heat of spices and vinegar |
Ingredient Notes & Modern Substitutions
- Parsley root: Traditional but scarce in U.S. markets—sub parsnip or celery root.
- Greek wine: The text specifies “wyne greke,” likely sweet. Good subs: Muscat, Marsala, or a sweet white. Dry white works in a pinch.
- Powder douce: A mild sweet spice blend (often sugar + cinnamon + ginger). Use your house blend to match other Curia dishes.
- Lombard (Lumbarde) mustard: Strong, sweetened mustard with spice—modern “sweet–hot” or honey mustard is close; add a pinch of ginger for warmth.
- Currants: Zante currants (dried Corinth grapes), not fresh currants. Small raisins are a last-resort sub.
- Saffron: Optional but period-correct for color and aroma. For budget or camping: a tiny pinch of turmeric for color only.
🥕 Dietary Notes
- Vegetarian ✅
- Vegan ✅ (swap honey for date syrup or agave)
- Gluten-free ✅
- Allergens: Mustard is common; omit or reduce, or sub a small pinch of prepared horseradish.
- Camping/Feast friendly: Make 1–2 days ahead; keeps well chilled. Transport brine separately and dress on site for best texture.
Original Text — The Forme of Cury (c. 1390)
Take rote of parsel. pasternak of rasenns. scrape hem waisthe hem clene. take rapes & caboches ypared and icorne. take an erthen panne with clene water & set it on the fire. cast all þise þerinne. whan þey buth boiled cast þerto peeres & parboile hem wel. take þise thynges up & lat it kele on a fair cloth, do þerto salt whan it is colde in a vessel take vineger & powdour & safroun & do þerto. & lat alle þise thinges lye þerin al nyzt oþer al day, take wyne greke and hony clarified togider lumbarde mustard & raisouns corance al hool. & grynde powdour of canel powdour douce. & aneys hole. & fenell seed. take alle þise thynges & cast togyder in a pot of erthe. and take þerof whan þou wilt & serue forth.
Modern Recipe — Compost (Pickled Vegetables)
Adapted from Daniel Myers, Medieval Cookery; quantities and flow clarified for feast scaling.
- 3 parsley roots (or additional parsnips)
- 3 parsnips
- 3 carrots
- 10 radishes
- 2 turnips
- 1 small cabbage
- 1 firm pear
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup wine or cider vinegar
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- Pinch saffron (optional)
- 1 cup sweet wine (Greek/Muscat/Marsala; dry white ok)
- 1/2 cup honey (or vegan syrup)
- 1 Tbsp sweet–hot mustard
- 1/2 cup Zante currants
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp powder douce (see notes)
- 1 tsp anise seed
- 1 tsp fennel seed
- Parboil: Peel/chop vegetables into bite-size pieces. Parboil in salted water until just tender; add the pear halfway so it stays intact. Drain on towels; sprinkle with a little salt. Cool completely.
- Quick pickle: Combine vinegar, pepper, and saffron. Pour over cooled vegetables; cover and chill several hours or overnight.
- Spiced syrup: Gently heat wine and honey; simmer 2–3 minutes and skim. Cool to lukewarm; stir in mustard, currants, cinnamon, powder douce, anise, and fennel.
- Finish & serve: Drain excess vinegar (reserve a few tablespoons). Toss vegetables with the spiced wine–honey mixture; add a splash of reserved vinegar to taste. Serve well-chilled.
Feast scaling: This makes ~1 large bowl (10–12 tasting portions). For 50, multiply by 4–5; keep vegetables crisp by parboiling in batches and chilling quickly.
🔎 More Period-Faithful Variant
Want to stay even closer to the 14th-century text? Try this approach alongside the modern version:
- Vegetables: Omit carrots. Stick to parsley root, parsnip, radish, turnip, cabbage, and pear.
- Clarify the honey-wine: Boil together, skim off any foam, and cool before adding to the mix.
- Powder douce: Use a period-style blend (cinnamon + ginger + sugar) rather than a generic spice mix.
- Marinating: Instead of refrigeration, let vegetables steep several hours at cool room temperature (safe for short-term serving, not storage).
- Assembly: Vinegar-soaked vegetables can be dressed with the honey-wine syrup just before serving for a two-step presentation.
This version isn’t as practical for modern storage, but it captures the feel of the medieval kitchen more closely.
💡 Did You Know?
Medieval cooks layered sweet (honey, currants) and sharp (vinegar, mustard) not only for taste but to help foods keep longer—especially useful for feast prep and travel. Many “pickled” dishes were served in the first course to “open” the appetite.
🛒 Make Your Own Powder Douce
Powder douce was a sweet spice mix used throughout medieval Europe. Blends varied, but most included cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, sugar, and sometimes rarer spices like galangal or grains of paradise. You can easily mix your own at home — here are affiliate links to quality ingredients:
- Ceylon Cinnamon
- Ground Ginger
- Whole Nutmeg
- Whole Cloves
- Raw Cane Sugar
- Galangal Root Powder (optional, period-authentic)
- Grains of Paradise (optional, rare medieval spice)
Simple blend: 2 parts cinnamon, 1 part ginger, 1 part sugar, ½ part nutmeg, ½ part cloves. Add a pinch of galangal or grains of paradise for an extra period touch.
Sources
- The Forme of Cury, c. 1390. Online transcription and resources via Lindahl / PBM.
- Daniel Myers, Medieval Cookery — Compost.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment on this blog. Please note blatant advertisements will be marked as spam and deleted during the review.
Anonymous posting is discouraged.
Happy Cooking!
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.