Originally published: October 2, 2017 • Updated: September 19, 2025
Rose conserve — also called conserva rosarum — is a perfumed paste of fresh rose petals pounded with sugar. It sits right on the border of food and medicine: sweet enough for the banquet table, soothing enough to appear in apothecary lists. Cool, fragrant, and very old-fashioned in the best way.
Originally published: May 28, 2017 — Updated: September 19, 2025
This recipe comes from Hannah Woolley (1622–1675), one of the first Englishwomen to publish cookery and household books under her own name. Her Queen-like Closet (1675) offered not only food recipes but also remedies, preserving techniques, and domestic advice. Orange marmalade, recipe LXXXVI, is one of her standout entries, and I’ve been itching to try it for years. When I found a pile of blood oranges on clearance, that was my excuse. No pressure, right? 😊
Marmalade in England: The word “marmalade” originally meant a quince paste (marmelada) from Portugal. By the late 16th century, imported Seville oranges became the fruit of choice for marmalade. These bitter oranges, full of pectin, set well and gave a sharp tang. Woolley specifies “deepest coloured oranges,” and while she probably meant Sevilles, I used blood oranges—sweeter and ruby-red. Everyone who tasted my batch loved it, but it is sweeter than a true bitter-orange preserve would have been.
In the 16th–17th centuries, both oranges and sugar were expensive luxuries. A pound of imported oranges could cost as much as a day’s wage for a laborer, and sugar came in hard loaves that had to be chipped and clarified. Serving marmalade wasn’t just a treat — it was a visible display of wealth and refinement.
Marmalade and fruit preserves were served at the banquet course—a light, sweet table after the heavy meats. Oranges were considered cold and dry, while sugar and apples were warm and moist. Together, they made a more balanced food, thought to help digestion at the end of a feast.
| Queen-like Closet (1675) | Modernized Text |
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LXXXVI. To make the best Orange Marmalade. Take the Rinds of the deepest coloured Oranges, boil them in several Waters till they are very tender, then mince them small, and to one pound of Oranges, take a Pound of Pippins cut small, one Pound of the finest Sugar, and one Pint of Spring-water, me't your Sugar in the Water over the fire, and scum it, then put in your Pippins, and boil them till they are very clear, then put in the Orange Rind, and boil them together, til you find by cooling a little of it, that it wil jelly very well, then put in the Iuice of two Oranges, and one Limon, and boil it a little longer; and then put it up in Gally-pots. |
To make the best Orange Marmalade: Take the rinds of the deepest-colored oranges. Boil them in several changes of water until very tender, then mince them small. For each pound of orange rind, take a pound of pippins (apples), a pound of fine sugar, and a pint of spring water. Melt the sugar in the water over the fire and skim it. Add the apples and boil until clear. Add the orange rind and continue boiling until it will set like jelly when cooled. Then add the juice of two oranges and one lemon. Boil a little longer, then put into jars. |
Originally published 9/16/17. Updated 9/19/2025.
Golden peach pastes adapted from Hannah Wolley’s Queen-Like Closet (1670): jewel-bright confections, oven or dehydrator friendly, ideal for SCA feasts.
This sweet preserve comes from The Queen-Like Closet (1670), a cookbook and household guide by Hannah Wolley. While late for the SCA timeline, her preserving methods represent skills widely practiced in the 16th and 17th centuries—perfectly in line with late-period banquet fare.
Hannah Wolley (1622–c.1674) was among the first Englishwomen to make a career from writing. She was the first to publish cookery books under her own name, the first to openly market them to servants and housewives as well as the gentry, and one of the earliest women in England to claim authorship professionally. Her career began with The Ladies Directory (1661) and The Cook’s Guide (1664), before culminating in The Queen-Like Closet (1670). The latter went through multiple editions, was translated into German, and became her best-known work. She blended recipes for food, preserves, and medicines, establishing herself as the “Martha Stewart” of her day.
In 17th-century England, peaches were a luxury fruit, grown in walled gardens or imported at high cost. Period peaches were closer to older European cultivars: smaller, firmer, often slightly tart, and prized for their fragrance. They were valued in preserves where structure and color mattered as much as flavor.
CCXV. To dry Apricocks. Take your fairest Apricocks and stone them... boil them till they are clear... lay them out upon Glasses to dry in a stove, and turn them twice a day.
CCI. To dry Apricocks or Pippins to look as clear as Amber. Take Apricocks... set them into a warm Oven... every day turn them till they be quite dry. Thus you may dry any sort of Plumbs or Pears as well as the other, and they will look very clear.
Dried fruits and fruit pastes were served as part of the banquet course—the sweets and subtlety table that followed the main meal. They also travel well, making them practical for camping feasts today.
According to humoral theory, peaches were considered cold & moist. Drying them and cooking them with sugar shifted them toward balance, making them more wholesome. Serving them with warming spices like cinnamon or ginger further balanced their nature.
What it is, why it matters, and how to cook with it today—plus links to historical quince recipes!
In 2014, we explored quince for the first time on this blog. The Kitchen Adventures - Working with Quince, was one of the first articles I published. Now, with years of experimentation behind us and a growing archive of recipes, we're returning to this fragrant fruit to dig deeper into its history, flavor, and role in historical cuisine.
Quince is a fruit both ancient and enigmatic—celebrated in antiquity, prized in the medieval kitchen, and curiously underused today. Its transformation through cooking is nothing short of alchemy: from rock-hard and mouth-puckering to melting, fragrant, and complex. This article revives quince in all its golden glory—offering techniques, tips, and historical insight to make it relevant for your table again.
Quince (Cydonia oblonga) is a member of the Rosaceae family, which includes apples, pears, and roses. Though too astringent to eat raw, quince undergoes a remarkable transformation when cooked—its firm flesh softens, its pale color deepens into a rosy amber, and its aroma fills the kitchen with a delicate perfume. Often considered the forgotten cousin of the apple, quince is nuanced, elegant, and quietly captivating.
Quince has charmed cultures for centuries. Dioscorides praised it in the first century, and it appeared frequently in medieval and Renaissance manuscripts in various forms: poached in honey, preserved with vinegar and spices, or simmered into thick, rich pastes. Known to the Greeks as the "Cydonian apple," quince was later featured in English recipes as chardequynce or quynade—early iterations of modern fruit jellies and marmalades.
Quinces were praised by herbalists and physicians across antiquity and the Middle Ages. Dioscorides recommended placing peeled quinces in a jar filled with honey, where they would soften into a medicinal treat over the course of a year—this method, called melomeli, was said to settle the stomach.
The Greeks called them kythoni, and Roman authors like Galen categorized quinces as cold and dry in nature. In medieval herbals like Henry Lyte’s 1578 translation of A Nievve Herball, quinces were described in detail: they could "stop the laske," soothe dysentery, prevent headaches from "vapors," and even ensure wise children if eaten during pregnancy.
Dodoens noted two varieties—apple and pear quinces—with the pear-shaped being larger. He described the scent as so fragrant that once the downy skin was removed, they appeared “as yellow as gold.”
Long before the term “marmalade” came to mean citrus jam, preserved quince was the original treat. Various names and techniques survive in recipes from the 1st to 16th centuries:
Chardequynce was once served alongside cheese, meats, or at the close of a feast. It's made from cooked quince purée, honey, and warming spices—sometimes including eringo root (sea holly), considered an aphrodisiac in humoral medicine.
Teaser recipe: Simmer peeled, quartered quince until soft. Mash, strain, and cook with honey until thick enough to hold a furrow when stirred. Add ground ginger and (optionally) eringo. Spread into pans to dry. For full instructions, see: Of Quince, Its Nature and Virtues.
Yield: 1 tray of sliced quince paste (stores indefinitely)
Ingredients:
Instructions:
Note: If you can't find eringo root, substitute with an additional teaspoon of fresh ginger or a few teaspoons of chopped candied angelica or fennel for a similar effect. Or simply omit—it will still taste delicious.
Historical Note: Based on 16th c. English and earlier Greek/Byzantine quince paste traditions. Traditionally stored in wooden boxes or wrapped in oiled paper.
Quince is a fragrant, complex fruit that transforms dramatically when cooked. Though it's traditionally used in jams and pastes, quince can shine in a wide variety of savory and sweet applications—when treated with the proper techniques.
Want to make your own?
You can download and print our free recipe card for Chardequynce—a spiced quince paste from the 16th century. Made with honey, ginger, and (optionally) eringo root, it keeps beautifully and pairs with cheese or roasted meats.
Explore more historical recipes and culinary lore under these tags:
Fruit |
Confections and Dessert |
Jellies and Gelatin
Gello Among the Roasts: A Sweet Surprise at 12th Night By Yonnie Travis, Culinary Historian and Historical Food Blogger at Give It Forth
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As a culinary historian specializing in medieval and Renaissance foodways, I bring historical jelly dessert recipes from manuscripts to modern tables. At the 12th Night 2024 feast, one such showpiece made its dramatic return—a shimmering, layered jelly known in the kitchen as "gello." This dish paid tribute to a Renaissance feast jelly dish found in Scappi's Opera and Romoli's banquet menus. This post examines the 16th-century gelatin preparation and its cultural significance. It offers a modern version of Scappi's gelatin recipe for you to try at home.
To understand why jelly appeared mid-feast, we must look at the structure of Renaissance menus—particularly those outlined in Romoli's La Singolare Dottrina. His January banquet is a masterclass in culinary pacing: it opens with bread and sugared pastries, flows into savory pasta, braised vegetables, and roasted meats, and interlaces confections and jellies throughout. Each phase of the meal is carefully balanced—sweet beside salty, cold beside hot—often with overlapping sensory contrasts on the same plate.
Romoli organized his menus into over ten structured services, including antipasti, allesso (boiled meats), arrosto sottile (delicate roasts), arrosto grosso (larger roasts), torte, and frutte stufate (stewed fruits). Each course reflected a deliberate visual, humoral, and seasonal logic. Rather than isolating dishes by flavor profile, he arranged them to follow a rhythm of richness and relief. This approach created striking moments—such as serving jelly alongside roast game or poultry—not as a dessert but as a cooling, spiced counterpoint. English and French feasts of the same era also adopted this multi-layered service style.
The preparation of Renaissance jellies involved tools and techniques that differ significantly from modern convenience methods. Cooks relied on collagen extracted by slow-boiling the feet of calves, wethers, or lambs. This process took hours and required precise timing. They clarified the resulting broth with egg whites and filtered it repeatedly through spice bags made from muslin or linen. Specialized copper or ceramic pots helped regulate temperature, while ornate molds or even hollowed eggshells shaped the final presentation. This method demanded not just labor but culinary judgment, as no pre-measured gelatin powder ensured success.
In Renaissance cuisine, jelly wasn't an afterthought—it was an edible spectacle. Found amidst roast courses, molded jellies represented Renaissance edible art and embodied the culinary hierarchy of the time. They required rare ingredients (such as spices, wine, and sugar), gelatin-rich bones, and hours of labor-intensive clarification. These elaborate creations symbolized refinement and control over nature, appearing in both Italian and English feast menus as palate cleansers and visual centerpieces.
The growing accessibility of ingredients like sugar and spices during the 16th century helped elevate jelly dishes from medicinal curiosities to prestigious banquet fare. As European trade with Asia, the Middle East, and the New World expanded, elite kitchens gained increased access to cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and pepper—ingredients that enhanced the flavor, aroma, and perceived sophistication of jellies. Sugar, in particular, shifted from a rare pharmaceutical ingredient to a hallmark of wealth. Dishes like jelly allowed hosts to signal economic power and global reach through taste and spectacle.
Bartolomeo Scappi articulates this concept in his Opera (1570), where he presents detailed instructions for constructing layered jellies composed of alternating colors, spices, and almond milk dividers. Likewise, Domenico Romoli, in La Singolare Dottrina (1560), integrates jelly into the arrosto course by pairing it with roasted wild boar cheeks, thereby demonstrating the culinary rationale for employing sweet jellies to moderate the heat and richness of roasted meats.
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| Scappi’s Cap. CCXLI – “Per fare gelo in bocconi di più colori” |
Piglia piedi di castrato, & di vitella, & se fora del mese d’Aprile, o di Maggio, in loco de quelli di castrato pigliar quelli d’agnello, nettandoli del pelo, & d’ungnie, & cavandone l’osso; lavisi in più acque, & mettanosi a bollire in un pignattone di rame con tanto vino bianco, & acqua che gli stia sopra; schiumi spesso, & facciasi bollire tanto, quanto sarà giusto, acciocché il decotto che se n’hà da formare faccia buona gelatina. Se vogliono accrescergli di bontà, & arte faccian bollire con detti piedi colli di castrato, o vitella, o d’agnello ben netti. Quando detto decotto fia cotto al giusto, cavinsi detti piedi, cavandone la midolla, & passisi per stamegna. Levandone ogni grasso, mettasi in una pignatta con tre ottavi di aceto forte ben chiaro, due libre di zucchero, sei albumi d’ova fresche battute. Facciasi bollire. Quando sarà prossimo a levarsi da fuoco, mettasi in una sacca di panno lino con pepe grosso, cannella, noce moscata, zenzevero, & altri aromati, se piace, & così colisi più volte, acciò sia ben chiaro. Quando detto gelo sarà colato, & schiarito, pongasi in vasi di vetro, o di terra, o in scorze d’ova, facendo li colori a parte. Se si vuole mettere un colore sopra l’altro, aspettisi che l’uno raffreddi, & rassodi prima di mettervi l’altro sopra. Fra uno, & l’altro colore si può mettere gelatina bianca fatta con latte di mandorle. Si può ancora fare con detti colori alcuni modi di frutti in forma, & piante, & animali in forme di cera, o stagno. Pongansi in luogo fresco, & si manterranno.
To make jelly in bites of many colors. Chapter CCXLI.
Take the feet of a wether and a calf; if it is not the month of April or May, substitute lamb’s feet for the wether’s. Clean them of hair and hooves, remove the bones, and wash in several waters. Boil them in a large copper pot with enough white wine and water to cover them. Skim frequently, and boil until the broth reduces to the appropriate level, forming a good jelly. For added flavor and refinement, you may boil clean necks of wether, calf, or lamb along with the feet.
When the broth is ready, remove the feet and extract the marrow. Strain the liquid through a cloth (stamegna), removing all the fat. Place it in a pot with three-quarters of strong clear vinegar, two pounds of sugar, and six beaten egg whites. Bring it to a boil.
When it is almost ready to remove from heat, pour it through a linen bag containing whole pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and any other desired aromatics. Strain it several times until very clear.
Once filtered and clarified, pour the jelly into glass or earthenware containers—or into eggshells. Make each color separately. If you want to stack one color atop another, allow the previous layer to cool and set before adding the next. Between colored layers, you may add white jelly made with almond milk.
You may also shape colored jellies into forms of fruits, plants, or animals using wax or tin molds. Store in a cool place and they will keep well.
Early modern cooks employed this historical jelly recipe to layer color, spice, and visual complexity into a refined banquet offering. By gelatinizing richly seasoned broths, they transformed a functional preservation method into a performative culinary art. Within the framework of Renaissance banquet culture, such jellies signaled wealth, aesthetic discernment, and mastery of technique. Their cooling properties, often accentuated by ingredients like almond milk or vinegar, also reflected humoral principles—tempering the heat and dryness of roasted meats to restore bodily balance.
Prep Time: 20 minutes active, 4–6 hours chilling time
Yields: One 9" mold or several smaller servings
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6 cups clear stock (vegetable for vegetarian)
2 cups white wine (or lemon juice)
Juice of 1 lemon (or vinegar)
1/2 tsp ground mace
1/2 fresh ginger root, sliced
1 lb granulated sugar
1 tbsp rosewater
4 tbsp powdered gelatin (or agar for vegan)
Yellow Variation: Add a pinch of saffron
Red Variation: Use red wine instead of white; infuse with two whole nutmegs and two cinnamon sticks
Simmer base: Combine stock, wine, sugar, and spices in a pot. Simmer until flavors meld.
Dissolve the gelatin: Stir it in after removing the pan from the heat and continue stirring until it has fully dissolved.
Strain: Use cheesecloth or fine sieve for clarity.
Layer 1 – Red: Pour the mixture into the mold and chill until it has set completely.
Layer 2 – White: Mix almond milk with gelatin and rose water; pour over the red layer and chill.
Layer 3 – Yellow: Infuse base with saffron; pour and chill.
Unmold: Dip in warm water briefly to release jelly.
While modern cooks lack access to veal feet and 16th-century spice routes, they can still evoke the elegance and complexity of Renaissance jellies. Infusing broths or white wine with whole spices like cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg replicates the warming and aromatic profiles found in Scappi's recipes. Clarifying with egg whites, a technique still used in consommé preparation, offers both historical fidelity and visual clarity. Almond milk layers provide a subtle nod to humoral theory, while soft floral notes, such as rosewater, enhance historical authenticity. These adaptations prioritize flavor harmony and visual drama—just as the originals did.
To make a Renaissance banquet jelly recipe vegetarian or vegan, substitute clear vegetable stock for the meat broth. Use agar-agar (1 tsp per cup liquid); boil to activate. For the white layers, blend almond milk with agar and rose water. Agar creates a firmer set than gelatin; reduce the amount slightly for a softer texture that mimics historical gelatin.
Was jelly served with meat in the Renaissance? Yes. Scappi and Romoli describe serving jelly in roast courses, where it balances hot, rich meats with cool, spiced elegance.
What made jelly a prestige dish? It required costly ingredients—such as sugar, wine, and exotic spices—as well as time, skill, and precise presentation. It signified wealth and artistry.
How long did 16th-century gelatin preparation take? Up to 24 hours. Boiling bones, reducing broth, clarifying, and then molding took a full day or more—often split among kitchen staff.
What is the easiest way to try a Scappi jelly today? Follow the modern adaptation above using stock, wine, gelatin (or agar), and layering in molds. It's a faithful tribute to Scappi's gelo.
Romoli, Domenico. La Singolare Dottrina. Venice, 1560. Google Books
Scappi, Bartolomeo. Opera dell'arte del cucinare. Venice, 1570.
Scully, Terence. The Opera of Bartolomeo Scappi (1570). University of Toronto Press, 2008.
May, Robert. The Accomplisht Cook. London, 1660.
To assist the writing process, I used these Grammarly AI prompts: Prompts created by Grammarly
- "Identify any gaps"
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The Singular Doctrine of M. Domenico is a 16th-century Italian culinary text that presents elaborate monthly menus, daily meal plans for morning and evening, a listing of common foods of the time, and instructions on the best ways to prepare them. However, while the text includes detailed menu listings, many of the actual recipes are absent. One such example is Mele Cotogne, Stufate Pignoli con Acqua Rosa, & Zuccaro, which appears in numerous menus but is never explicitly written out. The omission of these instructions suggests that certain preparations were considered basic knowledge among cooks of the period. This absence hints that stewed quince was a well-established culinary staple, so familiar that formal documentation of its preparation was deemed unnecessary.
To bring this dish back to life, I turned to a similar medieval recipe—Chiquart's Spiced Apples and Pears from On Cookery (1420). Chiquart was a 15th-century master cook who served at the court of Amadeus VIII, Duke of Savoy. He is best known for his work Du fait de cuisine (On Cookery), written in 1420, which provides one of the most detailed accounts of medieval European culinary practices. His text includes elaborate feast preparations, ingredient lists, and cooking techniques, offering insight into the refined and sometimes extravagant cuisine of noble households. His emphasis on spice blends, slow-cooked fruits, and carefully balanced flavors makes his work a valuable resource for understanding medieval gastronomy. His approach is an exemplary foundation for reviving Mele Cotogne, Stufate Pignoli con Acqua Rosa e Zuccaro.
2 tbsp. butter
4 tart green apples / or quinces
4 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. pine nuts
2 tsp. raisins
1/4 cup quince preserves
1 tsp. Duke's Powder, or Apple or Pumpking Pie spices
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a baking dish that is large enough to hold your apples (or quinces). Cut your quinces or apples in half, and remove the core. The opening should be approximately 1 inch wide.
2. Mix pine nuts with the spices. Spoon sugar, pine nuts and raisins into each hole filling the apple or quince, and top with a bit more butter. Pour water or wine into the bottom of the baking dish. Sprinkle around any additional sugar, spices around the fruit. If using apples, supplement with a generous helping of the quince preserves.
3. Bake the fruit until the fruit is easily pierced by a knife approximately 45 minutes. Sprinkle with rosewater.
Please Note: This dish can be served warm or room temperature. If made ahead, it will need to be heated enough to melt the butter. Also note, pine nuts can be toasted before being mixed with the spices, but I chose not to do this.
Results:
I made this dish using apples because I was unable to locate quinces at the time. You could also substitute pears, or a mix of apples and pears. This dish is magical! Fragrant of roses, apples, quince, the warm spices, sweet from the sugar, and crunchy from the pine nuts. Using quince jelly when no quince are available enhances the apples natural tartness, while incorporating the period flavor that the original recipe calls for. If you wish to, use a sweet Italian dessert wine instead of water to further enhance the dish.
Sources:
Friedman, David D., translator. Du fait de cuisine. 15th century. The David D. Friedman Medieval and Renaissance Cookbook Collection, www.daviddfriedman.com/Medieval/Cookbooks/Du_Fait_de_Cuisine/Du_fait_de_Cuisine.html. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
Romo, Domenico. La Singolare Dottrina Di M. Domenico Romano: Trattato di cucina del '500. 1st ed., 2002. Google Books, books.google.com/books/about/La_Singolare_Dottrina_Di_M_Domenico_Romo.html?hl=it&id=FGFWAAAAcAAJ. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
