Give it Forth: Eat Like a King: Historical cooking

Weekend Spotlight

Autumn is here, and with it comes the joy of putting up fruit for the colder months. This weekend we’re shining a light on two freshly updated recipes that show how preservation was practiced in the late medieval and early modern kitchen:

Elizabethan Orange Marmalade – Hannah Woolley’s Queen-like Closet (1675) teaches us how to turn oranges, apples, and sugar into a luxurious marmalade once reserved for the wealthy. I made mine with blood oranges, and it vanished almost immediately among taste testers!
To Dry Peaches – From The Forme of Cury (c. 1390), a simpler, earlier preservation method. Drying fruit was practical, delicious, and perfect for adding color and sweetness to a feast board.

Together they show the spectrum of fruit preservation: from everyday dried fruit to the most fashionable banquet marmalade. Both make wonderful largesse or feast-table offerings.

Olive wood honey pot – perfect for serving marmalade.

Serve marmalade in an olive wood honey pot with a matching spoon for a rustic, period-inspired touch.

Browse Recipes

Explore historical dishes by type, ingredient, use, era, country/culture, and more.

🚧 Please Excuse the Dust!
We’re currently updating and reorganizing the blog to make it easier to find recipes by dish type, ingredient, era, and culture. You may notice some categories shifting or new labels appearing (disappearing or mislabeled) as we work — thanks for your patience!

Welcome to Give it Forth — a project devoted to reviving historical recipes and making them practical, accessible, and enjoyable for the modern kitchen.

Here you'll find:

Recipes from ancient, medieval, and early modern sources — carefully translated and adapted
Step-by-step modern instructions with tested ingredients and real-world timing
Feast menus, dayboards, and classes for reenactors, educators, and curious cooks alike

Popular starting points:

Want to explore recipes by time, ingredient, or feast role? You can now browse recipes by era, dish type, feast course, ingredient, use, and dietary notes using the label system.

🍭 Explore the Feast Courses

Learn how historical feasts were structured and see example dishes for each course.

🍭 Showcase Techniques & Special Dishes

Comfits – Sugar-coated spices served as digestive aids and banquet sweets
Gilding – How to safely add gold or shimmer to historical dishes
Edible Art & Subtleties – Illusion foods, sugar sculptures, and feast theatrics
Jellies & Gelatin – Layered Renaissance gelos and molded banquet showpieces
Banquet or Final Course – Explore what came after the meal in period feasts

🔎 Browse Recipes by Labels

Looking for something specific? You can also explore recipes by feast course, dish type, ingredient, era, use, and dietary notes. Labels are being updated gradually as older posts are refreshed.

By Feast Course: Appetizers, Pottage & Soups, Main Dishes, Sides & Accompaniments, Sweets & Final Course, Beverages & Drinks
By Dish Type: Pottage, Roasted Meats, Vegetables & Sides, Confections & Dessert, Sauces & Condiments, Syrups & Cordials, and more
By Ingredient: Almonds, Beef, Fish, Fruit, Herbs, Violets, Wheat, and other key ingredients
By Era: Medieval, Tudor, Renaissance, Early Modern, Georgian, Victorian
By Use: SCA Feast Planning, Period Techniques, Foraging & Wild Foods, Apothecary & Medicinals, Classes & Basics
By Dietary Notes: Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten-Free, and more adaptable recipes

👉 Visit the full Browse Recipes by Labels page to see all categories in one place.

Appetizers Pottage & Soups Main Dishes Sweets Drinks

Planning a feast or historical-themed meal? Here's everything to get you started:

🛠️ Meal Structure & Courses

Feast Menus & Dayboards