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.
