De la insaleggiata di cipolle – Renaissance Onion Salad with Spices

De la insaleggiata di cipolle – Renaissance Onion Salad (Redon, 1998)

“The Feast in the House of Levi” (detail), Paolo Veronese. Used here as period context for Renaissance spiced vegetable dishes such as onion salad.

Context: De la insaleggiata di cipolle is a medieval-to-Renaissance Italian onion “salad.” Onions are roasted in embers or a hot oven until sweet and soft, then sliced and dressed with wine vinegar, oil, and spezie forti (strong spices). These sharp, spiced starters were common on Italian banquet tables as appetite-whetting openers or vegetable accompaniments in the early courses.

Original Recipe (Libro della cucina, 14th c.)

Italian (Zambrini ed., 1863):
“Togli cipolle; cuocile sotto la bragia, e poi le monda, e tagliale per traverso longhette e sottili: mettili alquanto d’aceto, sale, oglio e spezie, e dà a mangiare.”

English (faithful translation):
“Take onions; cook them under the embers; then peel them, and cut them across into long, thin slices; put on a little vinegar, salt, oil, and spices, and serve.”

Redon paraphrase (1998)

“Roast onions in the fire until blackened. Peel, slice finely, and season with salt, vinegar, oil, and spices.”

This dish reaches us in three layers: the terse 14th-century text, Redon’s Renaissance-informed paraphrase, and the modern tested adaptation below.

Comparison: Medieval → Redon → Modern

Source	Text / Notes
Libro della cucina (14th c.)	“Cook under embers; peel; slice long and thin; dress with a little vinegar, salt, oil, and spices; serve.”
Redon (1998)	“Roast in the fire until blackened; peel; slice finely; season with salt, vinegar, oil, and spices.”
Modern (tested)	Gives exact quantities, 500°F oven option, spice blend measure, substitutions, and serving notes.

Modern Recipe (Redon-inspired; tested)

• 2 lb sweet onions (Vidalia/Walla Walla; yellow or red acceptable; cipollini/shallots also work)
• Olive oil
• White wine vinegar (red wine vinegar or verjuice optional)
• Scant 1/2 tsp spice blend
• Salt and black pepper, to taste

Method:
Wrap whole onions in foil and roast at 500°F (260°C) for about 1 hour (or roast directly in clean embers until the skins blacken and the cores are soft). When cool enough to handle, slip off skins, then slice long and thin. Season with salt and pepper; add a pinch of spice blend. Dress to taste with olive oil and white wine vinegar. Toss gently and serve warm or at room temperature.

Spice Blend

• 2 tbsp each: freshly ground black pepper, cinnamon, and ginger
• 1 1/2 tbsp saffron, crushed
• 3/4 tsp cloves

Use only a pinch in this salad. The blend is a period-style spezie forti—pungent and warming, used sparingly for aroma, color, and “heat.”

🌿 Spice Spotlight – Spezie Forti

A luxury blend prized in Italian kitchens:

• Black pepper – pungent, hot, digestive
• Cinnamon – warming, sweet aromatic
• Ginger – sharp fire balancing onion’s sweetness
• Saffron – golden color, subtle bitterness, costly
• Cloves – strong, resinous warmth

Used in pinches: enough to signal refinement without overpowering.

🍇 Vinegar in Period Italian Cooking

Default: Wine vinegar (aceto di vino), red or white; white often preferred for refinement. Also used: Agresto (verjuice from unripe grapes), fruit vinegars (apple/pear, more rustic), and herbal/spiced medicinal vinegars.

Humoral view: Vinegar (“cold & dry”) tempers onion’s heat; ideal for an opener. Verjuice offers a highly authentic, sharp alternative.

Modern tip: Use white wine vinegar for balance; try verjuice for demos/feasts to showcase period souring.

🧅 Onions in Medieval & Renaissance Italy

Types: White, red, and yellow-brown bulb onions; green onions; leeks; small cipollini. White were prized as gentler; red (e.g., Tropea) appear in Renaissance sources.

Reputation: Peasant staple raw with bread/cheese; at elite tables, roasted/braised and dressed with vinegar, sugar, and luxury spices. Humoral writers call onions “hot & dry,” best tempered by cooking.

Modern substitutes: Sweet onions for gentleness; yellow for availability (roasting softens pungency); red for color/authenticity; cipollini/shallots for rustic elegance.

Dietary Notes 🥕

• Vegetarian · Vegan · Gluten-Free (check cross-contamination)
• Fasting (Lent/Quaresima): Suitable with oil & vinegar dressing
• Low FODMAP: substitute roasted fennel or leeks
• No-allium feasts: try roasted turnips, parsnips, or salsify dressed the same way
• Budget saffron: turmeric + pinch paprika for color
• Sweet-sour variant: drizzle a little honey (cf. Scappi onion dishes)
• SCA/Camping: roast onions in embers; peel and dress tableside

📖 Why Appetizer Course?

• Form & texture: Served cool, sliced, and sharply dressed—built to awaken appetite.
• Period placement: Renaissance openings often featured vinegar-sharp, spice-rich insalate (not only greens but cooked/dressed vegetables like onions, beans, or roots).
• Humoral balance: Roasting tempers onion’s heat; vinegar (“cold & dry”) and warming spices balance the dish for a safe, stimulating first course.
• Menu contrast: Sharp openers set up richer pottages and roasts to feel more satisfying.
• Comparisons: French and Italian sources (e.g., Platina) note similar vinegar-based starters across Europe.

Historical & Culinary Notes

• Spices: A classic spezie forti profile—pepper, cinnamon, ginger, saffron, cloves—used sparingly to signal luxury.
• Onions in context: A humble staple elevated by technique (embers roasting) and costly seasonings.
• Vinegar & verjuice: Wine vinegar was the default; verjuice is an authentic alternate souring agent.
• Humoral view: From raw “hot & dry” to roasted and balanced—ideal as an appetite-whetting opener.
• Presentation: Thin golden slices lightly saffron-tinted make a striking platter on a feast table.
• Feast placement: Most natural in the appetizer course; also works alongside vegetables/pottages as a bright counterpoint to roasts.

See Also

• Torta di agli – Garlic Torte
• De lasanis – Renaissance Cheese Pasta
• Fava fresche con brodo de carne – Fresh Fava Beans with Broth

Sources

• Zambrini, Francesco (ed.). Libro della cucina del secolo XIV. Bologna: Romagnoli, 1863. (Public domain digital edition).
• Redon, Odile; Sabban, Françoise; Serventi, Silvano. The Medieval Kitchen: Recipes from France and Italy. University of Chicago Press, 1998.

Labels: Vegetables & Sides, Appetizer, Onion, Spices, SCA Feast Planning, Period Techniques, Medieval, Renaissance, Italian

📖 This recipe is part of the Ceilidh 2001 – Fourteenth-Century Italian Feast .
Explore all dishes from this reconstructed 14th-century Italian banquet.