Capponi Sopramentati – Renaissance Spiced Capon Served Cold

Capons Salpamentati / Sopramentati in a Renaissance Carnivale First Service

Originally published: September 28, 2021, 12:19 PM
Updated: May 22, 2026

Capponi sopramentati, adapted as sliced chicken pinwheels with prosciutto, herbs, cheese, lemon, and Renaissance spices.

This is one of those recipes that keeps returning to my table.

I first prepared this dish during the COVID years, when SCA feasts had largely gone quiet in our area. We had not yet returned to the normal rhythm of events and feast halls, but I still wanted to cook period food for people I loved. So I made a small historical picnic lunch for close friends. That earlier lunch can be found here: Crown Tournament Chez Beauvisage Picnic Lunch.

The dish was a hit then, and it was a hit again when it appeared in my Renaissance Carnivale feast. I was delighted to find this preparation, or something very close to it, listed in a period banquet menu. There is a particular joy in being able to point to a historical menu and say, “Here it is. This belongs here.”

This version is not a strict reconstruction of Scappi’s whole stuffed capon. Instead, it is a practical feast-cook adaptation: chicken breast, prosciutto, herbs, cheese, spices, and lemon, served cold in neat slices. It is economical, elegant, make-ahead friendly, and especially useful in a meat-forward service where a little richly flavored poultry can go a long way.

The Carnivale Menu Context

This dish appeared in the Primo servitio posto in tavola, the first service placed on the table, in a Carnivale banquet menu:

Insalata di cicoria bianca, insalata di carote, prosciutto sfilato, testa di ruffolatto fredda, fette di cedro condite con aceto rosato, zuccaro & cannella, grue arrosta fredda, capperini, capponi salpamentati & salsiccioni bolognesi.

In English, this service included white chicory salad, carrot salad, shredded prosciutto, cold testa, citron slices dressed with rose vinegar, sugar, and cinnamon, cold roast crane, capers, seasoned capons, and Bolognese sausages.

That first service is rich, bright, acidic, salty, and deeply meat-forward. The cold capon belongs beautifully in that company. It offers a composed, spiced poultry dish that can be prepared ahead and served sliced among other cold meats, salads, preserved flavors, and sharp garnishes. The lemons, capers, rose vinegar, and citron are not decorative afterthoughts. They help balance the richness of the meats and keep the opening service from feeling heavy.

Testa di ruffolatto in gelatina served beside sliced caponi sopramenti pinwheels during the Carnivale first service. The pairing shows how cold prepared meats, spice, acid, and texture worked together on the Renaissance table.

A Note on Salpamentati vs. Sopramentati

The Carnivale menu lists capponi salpamentati. In the digitized period text, the word can be easy to misread as falpamentati, because early printed books often use the long s, which resembles an f to modern eyes. Read as modern type, the word is best understood as salpamentati.

Bartolomeo Scappi’s related recipe, however, is titled cappon sopramentato. Are these precisely the same term? I cannot say that with absolute certainty. Historical spelling and culinary vocabulary are often flexible, and menus may use terms differently than recipe headings. What I can say is that the culinary context is very close: a capon preparation, heavily seasoned, suitable for cold service, and appropriate to a formal first service.

For this reconstruction, I chose Scappi’s detailed recipe for cappon sopramentato as the closest surviving practical guide to the capponi salpamentati named in the Carnivale menu.

Source Text: Scappi’s Capon Recipes

The following recipes are from Bartolomeo Scappi’s Opera dell’arte del cucinare (1570), translated by Terence Scully in The Opera of Bartolomeo Scappi (1570): The Art and Craft of a Master Cook, p. 198.

122. To boil a boneless capon

When the capon has been prepared in either of the above ways (skinned and deboned), get the flesh from the breast of another uncooked capon, and a pound of prosciutto and pork fat together, and beat those finely with knives, adding in half an ounce of common spices, a handful of finely chopped herbs, two egg yolks and two ounces of grated cheese. Stuff the capon with that mixture, pushing it into the wings and thighs; sew it up so the stuffing cannot come out, with its wings and thighs trussed, put the capon into an ample earthenware or copper pot with cold water and put that on the fire.

123. To boil and prepare the capon “sopramentato”

When the capon is plucked and drawn, whether stuffed or empty, boil it in a meat broth or else in water with a piece of prosciutto and crushed pepper. When it is done, take it out of the broth and let it drain. Then make several slashes across the thighs, body, and breast. Sprinkle it all over, especially in the slashes, with a mixture of sugar, pepper, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and fennel flour. Let it cool. When you wish to serve it, do so with it cold, with cut-up lemons over it. Before sprinkling it, you can also splash it with rose vinegar.

Authentic Recipe vs. Modern Feast Adaptation

The period recipe calls for a whole capon, optionally stuffed with another capon breast, prosciutto, pork fat, herbs, egg yolks, cheese, and common spices. That is a luxurious preparation, and exactly the sort of thing one expects from a high-status Renaissance kitchen.

My modern feast version is more modest and practical. Rather than stuffing a whole bird, I butterfly chicken breast, season it, add prosciutto and a cheese-herb mixture, roll it into pinwheels, and poach or bake it. For the Carnivale feast, I used a single butterflied chicken breast and a single slice of prosciutto to feed several diners because the rest of the service was already very meat-forward.

This is not a perfect one-to-one reconstruction. It is an interpretation. But it preserves the heart of the dish: seasoned poultry, prosciutto, aromatic spices, herbs, cheese, lemon, and cold service. More importantly, it is delicious and has become a favorite among those who have eaten it.

Common Sauce Spices

First, you will need to put together your common spices. This is delicious, and I use it quite a bit in my cooking. I have sometimes substituted cubebs and long pepper for the pepper and ginger to create a spicier blend.

Rupert de Nola’s Libre del Coch (about 1529) gives instructions for Common Sauce Spices. Roughly translated, the instructions are:

Cinnamon three parts; cloves two parts; one piece ginger; pepper a part; some dry coriander well ground; a little saffron. Be all well ground and sifted.

Common Sauce Spices, Amended

• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons cloves
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dry coriander, ground
• Pinch of saffron

Modern Recipe: Capon Sopramentato Pinwheels

Serves: 4 to 8 as part of a first service or cold feast board

Ingredients

• 2 to 2 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, or less if serving as part of a large meat-forward service
• 1 pound prosciutto, or 1 slice per chicken breast for a lighter feast adaptation
• 1 tablespoon common spices
• 1 1/2 teaspoons thyme
• 3 tablespoons sage
• 2 tablespoons parsley
• 1 tablespoon ground fennel seed
• 3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 ounces grated cheese
• Chicken broth, for poaching
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced
• Optional: rose vinegar

Additional Spice Mixture for Sopramentato Finish

• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon powdered clove
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground fennel

Method: Poached Version

1. Slice the chicken breasts horizontally and pound them thin.
2. Sprinkle the chicken with common spices.
3. Add a slice of prosciutto to each piece of chicken.
4. Beat the egg yolks with the cheese and herbs. I have used a mixture of ricotta, fontina, and Parmesan cheeses.
5. Spread a thin layer of the cheese and herb mixture over the chicken.
6. Roll the chicken into pinwheels and tie securely with kitchen string.
7. Bring chicken broth to a gentle boil with a couple of lemon slices and a pinch of common spices.
8. Ease the chicken rolls into the hot broth and poach gently until cooked through.
9. Remove from the broth and allow to cool completely.
10. Before serving, sprinkle lightly with the sopramentato spice mixture. If desired, splash with a little rose vinegar before seasoning.
11. Slice into rounds and serve cold with thinly sliced lemon.

Method: Baked Version

1. Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C.
2. Slice and pound the chicken breasts thin.
3. Season with common spices, add prosciutto, and spread with the cheese and herb mixture.
4. Roll tightly and secure with twine or toothpicks.
5. Place on a baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes, or until fully cooked.
6. Cool completely.
7. Slice into pinwheels and garnish with lemon slices.

Note: This dish may be served warm, but it is especially effective served cold, as Scappi directs. The cold version slices neatly, travels well, and works beautifully on a picnic table, feast board, or first service platter.

Feast Experience Notes

This dish has now appeared at my table more than once, and each time it has been well received. It first became a favorite during a small period picnic lunch prepared for friends during the COVID years, when larger SCA feasts were not happening in our area. It later returned as part of my Renaissance Carnivale feast, where it fit beautifully among the other cold first-service dishes.

For the Carnivale feast, I intentionally scaled the dish down. The service already included pork, sausage, testa, prosciutto, and other rich dishes, so a whole stuffed chicken or capon would have been excessive. A single butterflied breast with one slice of prosciutto produced enough elegant slices for the table without overwhelming the rest of the menu.

The result is economical, attractive, and genuinely delicious. I would not be surprised if this recipe appears again in a future menu.

Historical and Humoral Notes

Cold prepared meats were not merely leftovers in Renaissance dining. They could be intentional, elegant dishes suited to early services, especially when garnished with citrus, capers, vinegar, and spices. In this menu, the capon sits among other cold or room-temperature dishes that provide contrast in flavor, texture, color, and temperature.

From a humoral perspective, chicken and capon were generally considered nourishing and moderate. The warming spices, including cinnamon, clove, pepper, nutmeg, and fennel, add heat and dryness, while lemon and rose vinegar provide sharpness and balance. This makes the dish feel rich without becoming dull or heavy.

🥕 Dietary Notes

• Contains: poultry, pork, dairy, and egg.
• Gluten-free: This recipe is naturally gluten-free if all prepared ingredients, especially prosciutto and broth, are confirmed gluten-free.
• Low-carb friendly: The modern adaptation is low in carbohydrates.
• Not vegetarian or vegan: This dish is meat-based and relies on poultry, prosciutto, cheese, and egg.
• Feast planning note: This is an excellent make-ahead dish for cold service, picnic service, or the opening course of a larger historical meal.

Continue the Primo Servitio

This dish is part of the Primo servitio posto in tavola, the first service from Domenico Romoli’s 1560 Carnivale feast. Explore the rest of the table:

• Recreating a Renaissance Banquet from Domenico Romoli (1560) – the full feast overview
• Insalata di Cicoria Bianca – bitter chicory salad
• Insalata di Carote – roasted Renaissance carrot salad
• Fette di Cedro Condite – citron dressed with rosewater, sugar, and spice
• Testa di Ruffolatto Fredda – cold pressed pork in aspic
• Capponi Sopramentati – cold capon served with rich flavorings
• Cold Roasted Crane – adapted with chicken
• Bolognese Sausages – the surprise favorite of the table

Sources

• Bartolomeo Scappi, Opera dell’arte del cucinare, 1570.
• Terence Scully, trans., The Opera of Bartolomeo Scappi (1570): The Art and Craft of a Master Cook, p. 198.
• Rupert de Nola, Libre del Coch, about 1529. Available online here.
• Crown Tournament Chez Beauvisage Picnic Lunch.

AI Assistance Disclosure

AI Assistance Disclosure: Historical transcription, formatting, and redaction support were provided with the help of AI tools for research and editing. Some images were created or edited with AI tools. All historical interpretation and final text are curated and verified by the editor of Give It Forth.