Bruet of Almaynne in Lente – A Medieval Almond Milk Porridge with Dates

Bruet of Almaynne in Lente – Medieval Almond Milk Porridge with Dates

Originally published November 5, 2015. Updated June 7, 2026.

Bruet of Almaynne in Lente, a Lenten almond milk bruet with dates.

Talk about comfort food! Bruet of Almaynne in Lente is one of my favorite medieval “porridge” recipes from Harleian MS. 279. It is creamy, gently sweet, rich with almond milk, and brightened with chopped dates. It comes together quickly, feels soothing, and has the kind of soft, spoonable texture that makes it easy to imagine at a cold-weather feast, a Lenten table, or even a modern camp breakfast.

That said, “porridge” is a useful modern description rather than a perfect medieval one. The manuscript calls this dish a bruet, a broth or liquid preparation thickened in some way. In this case, fine thick almond milk is lightly thickened with rice flour and sweetened with sugar and dates. The original recipe specifically tells the cook to “look that it be running,” meaning the finished dish should remain loose and pourable, not thick like a set pudding.

When I first made this recipe, mine thickened as it cooled. By the time I sat down to eat it, the texture had moved from a running bruet into something closer to a loose pudding. It was still delicious, and honestly, I immediately added it to my “must serve at a feast someday” list. But for a closer interpretation, the cook should aim for a silky almond broth or thin cream-of-rice consistency rather than a firm porridge.

Sekanjabin: Medieval Persian Mint Drink (Sweet & Sour Sharbat Recipe)

Sekanjabin: Medieval Persian Mint Drink

Originally published September 14, 2015. Updated June 7, 2026.

Sekanjabin, also spelled sikanjabin, sekanjubin, or sikandjabin, is one of those wonderfully practical historic drinks that still makes perfect sense in a modern kitchen. At its simplest, it is a sweet-and-sour syrup made from vinegar and sugar or honey, then diluted with water before serving. Add mint, and the result is sharp, refreshing, fragrant, and very welcome on a hot day.

This is a drink many people first encounter at SCA events, camping weekends, and outdoor feasts. It is inexpensive, easy to make in quantity, and simple to transport as a syrup. The concentrate can be diluted as needed, which makes it especially useful for camp cooking or feast service. Vinegar in a drink may sound surprising at first, but when balanced with sugar and water, it becomes bright and cooling rather than harsh.

The recipe below is adapted from An Anonymous Andalusian Cookbook of the 13th Century, translated by David Friedman. The historic recipe is for a simple sikanjabîn syrup, also called an oxymel, made from vinegar and sugar or honey. The mint version commonly served today is a modern adaptation inspired by this family of medieval sweetened vinegar drinks.

Medieval Spiced Pomegranate Drink (Historical Pomegranate Syrup Recipe)

Medieval Spiced Pomegranate Drink (Historical Pomegranate Syrup Recipe)

When people think of medieval beverages, the first things that often come to mind are ale, beer, mead, and wine. Those drinks certainly belonged at many medieval tables, but they were not the whole story. Medieval cooks also prepared fruit syrups, herbal drinks, spiced waters, medicinal beverages, and cooling drinks that could be diluted with water when needed. These are the drinks that fascinate me as a feast cook, because they solve so many modern event problems while remaining beautifully rooted in historical practice.

This medieval spiced pomegranate drink is one of my favorite syrups to serve at feast. It is bright, tart, lightly spiced, beautifully colored, and always well received. It gives guests a festive non-alcoholic option that feels intentional rather than like an afterthought.

Feast Cook Wisdom: I love syrups for feast because they are inexpensive to make, easy to transport, and can be added to water to taste. A small bottle can flavor a surprising amount of beverage, and guests can decide whether they want a delicate hint of fruit or a stronger, richer drink.

This recipe is based on a pomegranate syrup from An Anonymous Andalusian Cookbook of the 13th Century. The syrup is very similar in concept to grenadine, though homemade pomegranate syrup has a deeper, more complex flavor than most commercial grenadine available today. Where modern grenadine is often very sweet and brightly colored, this syrup keeps the tart edge of pomegranate and balances it with sugar and, in my version, a little warm spice.

🌸 Suger Plate - Medieval Sugar Candy with Flowers

Originally published 5/10/2015 - Updated 5/27/2026

Sugar plate looks simple at first glance: sugar, rosewater, a little water, and flowers. In practice, it is a small master class in medieval sugarwork. It asks the cook to understand heat, texture, timing, humidity, and the mysterious moment when syrup becomes candy.

When I first made this recipe, I worked from the version in Pleyn Delit. I originally associated it with Harleian MS. 279, but while revisiting the recipe for this update I traced the attribution more carefully. In the second edition of Pleyn Delit, the recipe is identified as GK13, which points to Goud Kokery, recipe 13, preserved in Harleian MS. 2378 and printed in Curye on Inglysch.

That discovery changed the way I read the recipe. The original Middle English text does not describe a modern hard candy in thermometer language. Instead, it tells the cook to test the sugar between the fingers, remove it from the fire, stir it, work it, and make the “plate.” That suggests a softer, worked confection may be closer to the historical method, though the hard-crack version is still beautiful for feast display.

Violet petals preserved in sugar plate. The clearer amber candy was cooked to hard crack; the paler version was cooked lower and beaten.

What Is Sugar Plate?

Sugar plate is a medieval confection made by cooking clarified sugar, flavoring it, and forming it into a sheet or slab. The word “plate” here does not mean a dinner plate. It means a flat piece, layer, or formed sheet of sugar.

This is different from sugar paste. Sugar paste is usually a kneadable mixture used for molded or sculpted sugarwork, often involving a binder such as gum tragacanth. Sugar plate, by contrast, begins as cooked sugar and is poured or worked into a flat confection.

In a medieval feast setting, sugar plate belonged to the same elegant world as comfits, preserved fruits, marchpane, wafers, and subtlety work. It was sweet, scented, decorative, and expensive enough to make a statement. A small dish of rose-scented sugar with flowers would have been both dessert and table ornament.

The Source Trail: From Pleyn Delit Back to Goud Kokery

This recipe began for me with Pleyn Delit, but the revised edition gives the source as GK13. That abbreviation refers to Goud Kokery, one of the Middle English recipe collections included in Curye on Inglysch. The printed source identifies the recipe as Suger plate, from Harleian MS. 2378.

Finding the original mattered because it changed how I interpreted the cooking process. The modern recipe gives a practical adaptation, but the Middle English instructions are more revealing about texture and technique.

Original source: Suger plate, GK13, from Goud Kokery in Curye on Inglysch, Harleian MS. 2378.

Modern interpretation: The Pleyn Delit version used for my original kitchen testing.

You can explore the digitized source here: Curye on Inglysch, page 152, “Suger Plate” .

What the Original Recipe Tells Us

The original recipe gives several clues that are important for a modern cook:

• It begins with clarified sugar.
• The sugar is tested between the fingers, not with a thermometer.
• The cook is told to avoid letting it become too stiff.
• The sugar is removed from the fire and stirred.
• Rosewater is added after cooking.
• The sugar is worked or formed into a “plate.”

This makes me think the historical preparation was probably not a clear, glassy hard-crack candy in the modern lollipop sense. It seems more likely to have been a worked sugar confection, cooked to a stage where it could still be stirred, handled, flavored, and formed.

That does not make the hard-crack version wrong as a modern feast interpretation. It is beautiful, dramatic, and useful for display. But if I were choosing the version that feels closest to the manuscript process, I would choose the softer worked sugar plate.

Medieval Sugar Stages for Modern Cooks

Modern candy recipes usually give temperatures. Medieval recipes usually do not. Instead, cooks judged sugar by appearance, texture, behavior, and touch. That is why older confectionery language includes terms such as thread, pearl, feather, ball, and crack.

The exact temperatures below are modern approximations. They are useful for home cooks, but historical cooks would have relied on experience and physical tests.

Stage	Approx. Temp.	What It Does	Modern Use
Thread	223–235°F	Forms thin threads from spoon or fingers	Syrups, preserves
Pearl / Blow	230–240°F	Thick syrup, bubbles, stronger strands	Candied fruits, soft sugarwork
Soft Ball	235–240°F	Forms a soft ball in cold water	Fondant, fudge-like candies
Firm Ball	245–250°F	Forms a firmer but pliable ball	Caramels, chewy candies
Hard Ball	250–265°F	Holds shape but remains chewy	Nougat, divinity-style candies
Soft Crack	270–290°F	Forms flexible brittle threads	Taffy, butterscotch
Hard Crack	300–310°F	Sets hard and glass-like	Lollipops, brittle, clear candy
Caramel	320°F and above	Sugar browns and develops caramel flavor	Caramelized sugar

For this recipe, the manuscript clues point most strongly toward the thread, pearl, or soft-ball range rather than hard crack. In testing, about 230°F produced a softer, paler sugar plate that could be beaten and worked before setting.

Humoral Notes: Sugar, Rosewater, and Flowers

Medieval sweets often lived at the border between food and medicine. Sugar was valued not only for sweetness, but also for its usefulness in medicinal preparations, preserves, and digestive confections.

Rosewater adds another layer. Roses were associated with cooling and comforting properties, especially for the heart and stomach. Violets were also often understood as cooling and soothing. A rose-scented sugar confection served at the end of a meal therefore made sense as both pleasure and digestive finish.

For a modern cook, this helps explain why such a small sweet could matter. Sugar plate was not meant to be eaten by the handful. It was a fragrant, elegant closing bite: sweet, floral, and showy enough to belong on a banquet table.

Modern Recipe: Sugar Plate with Edible Flowers

I am including two modern approaches below. The softer worked version is the one I now think is closest to the manuscript process. The hard-crack version is a useful feast-table adaptation when you want clear, dramatic candy with flowers suspended inside.

Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar
• Enough water to thoroughly wet the sugar
• 2 tablespoons rosewater
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice, optional, to help reduce crystallization
• Edible flowers or petals, such as violets, roses, pinks, calendula, borage, or lavender
• Confectioner’s sugar, rice flour, or lightly oiled parchment for preventing sticking

Equipment

• Heavy-bottomed saucepan
• Reliable candy thermometer, preferably digital
• Heat-safe spatula
• Parchment paper or a marble slab
• Rimmed baking sheet or shallow candy molds

Safety note: Hot sugar syrup is dangerous. It sticks to skin and burns deeply. Keep children and pets away from the stove, use care while pouring, and do not taste until fully cooled.

Version 1: Softer Worked Sugar Plate

This is the version I now favor as the more historically plausible interpretation. It produces a pale, opaque, rose-scented sugar confection rather than a clear hard candy.

Method

1. Prepare your work surface. Line a baking sheet with parchment, or prepare a clean marble slab. Dust very lightly with rice flour or confectioner’s sugar if needed.
2. Prepare the flowers. Use only edible, unsprayed flowers. Remove stems and green parts. Petals are easier to use than whole blossoms.
3. Dissolve the sugar. Place the sugar in a heavy saucepan with just enough water to wet it thoroughly. Add lemon juice if using. Heat gently, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
4. Cook the syrup. Increase the heat and cook to about 230°F. This is in the thread to soft-ball neighborhood, not hard crack.
5. Remove from heat. Let the syrup cool slightly, then stir in the rosewater carefully. It may steam or bubble.
6. Beat and work the sugar. Stir with a heat-safe spatula as it cools. The sugar will begin to thicken and turn paler.
7. Add flowers. When the sugar is no longer violently hot but still workable, fold in the petals.
8. Form the plate. Pour or spread the sugar onto the prepared surface before it becomes too stiff.
9. Cool and serve. Let set fully, then cut or break into small pieces.

The result is softer and more delicate than modern hard candy. It is also more sensitive to humidity, so store it carefully between layers of parchment in an airtight container.

Version 2: Clear Hard-Crack Sugar Plate

This version is less likely to be the exact historical method for GK13, but it is beautiful and practical if you want a dramatic display candy. Flowers suspended in clear amber sugar look like tiny stained-glass windows.

Method

1. Line a rimmed baking sheet with lightly oiled parchment.
2. Scatter edible petals across the parchment, or have them ready to add just before pouring.
3. Cook the sugar syrup to 300°F.
4. Do not stir once the sugar has dissolved, as stirring can encourage crystallization.
5. Pour quickly over the petals or into molds.
6. Let cool completely before breaking into pieces.

This version sets rapidly. Work quickly, and do not try to handle the sugar while it is hot.

Kitchen Testing Notes

My first two attempts at hard-crack sugar plate were unsuccessful. I tested using the cold-water method, but both batches resulted in a soft, gummy candy. After that, I bought a digital thermometer, and the third attempt finally produced the clear amber candy I had been trying to make.

The lesson was immediate: sugarwork rewards accuracy. Humidity, pan size, water amount, heat level, and thermometer reliability all affect the finished candy. Medieval cooks would have learned these stages by experience. Modern cooks can absolutely learn the same skills, but a thermometer makes the learning curve less sticky.

I also tested the lower-temperature version because the manuscript wording seemed to suggest a pourable but not overly stiff candy. That batch was cooked to about 230°F and beaten as it cooled. I added petals of violets and pinks after the sugar began to turn pale.

Both versions were beautiful, and both were approved by my team of test teenagers. I had dim hope there would be leftovers based on the amount consumed by the test subjects. There were not many leftovers. This is, in my opinion, a successful sign.

Which Version Should You Make?

If you are making sugar plate for the first time, I recommend starting with the softer worked version. It is closer to the manuscript clues and gives you a better sense of how medieval sugar cookery worked by texture.

If you are making this for a feast display, a dessert board, or a dramatic final-course sweet, the hard-crack version is lovely. It may be less historically exact, but it creates a beautiful edible decoration.

Version	Temperature	Result	Best Use
Worked sugar plate	About 230°F	Pale, softer, opaque	Historical reconstruction, small sweets
Hard-crack flower candy	300°F	Clear, amber, brittle	Feast display, decorative shards

Flowers for Sugar Plate

Edible flowers turn sugar plate from simple candy into feast art. Use only flowers that are safe to eat and have not been sprayed with pesticides or florist preservatives.

Good Choices

• Violets
• Rose petals
• Pinks or dianthus petals
• Calendula petals
• Borage flowers
• Lavender blossoms, used sparingly

Delicate petals may discolor in very hot sugar, so add them late. For the hard-candy version, scattering petals onto parchment and pouring the syrup over them may preserve their shape better than stirring them into the pot.

For SCA Feasts, Classes, and Historical Demonstrations

Sugar plate is a useful recipe for teaching historical cooking because it shows how much older recipes depend on observation. The original does not give a thermometer reading. It gives behavior: test the sugar, watch the texture, stir it, and do not let it become too stiff.

• For a class: Make both versions and let people compare texture.
• For feast service: Serve small pieces with wafers, comfits, preserved fruit, or marchpane.
• For display: Use the hard-crack version for dramatic translucent shards.
• For historical discussion: Use the softer version to talk about sugar stages before thermometers.
• For transport: Pack pieces between parchment and keep dry.
• For humid weather: Store airtight and avoid leaving the candy uncovered for long periods.

Dietary Notes 🥕

• Vegetarian: Yes
• Vegan: Yes, assuming vegan sugar is used
• Gluten-Free: Yes
• Dairy-Free: Yes
• Egg-Free: Yes
• Common Allergens: None inherent, but confirm flower safety and possible cross-contact

Serving Suggestions

• Serve as part of a banquet or final course with comfits, wafers, marchpane, and preserved fruits.
• Break hard-crack sugar plate into irregular shards and arrange them on a small plate.
• Cut or mold the softer worked version into small pieces once it has set.
• Use rose petals for a romantic final-course sweet, or violets for a spring feast.
• Package small pieces in paper twists or tiny dishes for an event treat.

...

Sources

• Hieatt, Constance B. Pleyn Delit: Medieval Cookery for Modern Cooks. 2nd ed. University of Toronto Press, 1996. See “Sugar Plate,” p. 175, attributed to GK13.
• Hieatt, Constance B., and Sharon Butler, eds. Curye on Inglysch. Early English Text Society, 1985. “Suger Plate,” GK13, from Goud Kokery, Harleian MS. 2378.
• Internet Archive record for Curye on Inglysch

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.

Medieval Lemon & Ginger Syrups for Feasts and Summer Drinks

Medieval Lemon and Ginger Syrups for Feasts and Event Drinks

Originally published: May 16, 2022
Updated: May 13, 2026

Lemons illustrated in the Tacuinum Sanitatis, a medieval health and horticultural manuscript tradition rooted in Arabic medical writing.

Drink syrups are one of my favorite practical ways to bring flavor to a feast, camping event, or outdoor gathering. They are easy to transport, take up very little room, and can be diluted “to taste” with plain water. They also solve one of the ongoing feast-planning problems: how to offer something more interesting than water without hauling gallons of finished beverage.

These syrups are especially useful at events because refrigeration is not absolutely necessary for short-term use. The high sugar content helps preserve the syrup, and the syrup is carried as a concentrate rather than as a ready-to-drink beverage. I still refrigerate mine when I am storing them at home, but for day events, camping weekends, and feast tables, they are wonderfully portable. They are, in practical terms, little bottles of sunshine and spice.

The lemon syrup below comes from the drink section of Cariadoc’s Miscellany, where it is identified as a recipe from a 13th-century Andalusian cookbook. The original recipe is beautifully simple: lemon juice and sugar cooked together until syrupy. The ginger syrup included here is one I have used at events for many years, though I am still uncertain of its original source. If anyone recognizes the attribution, please let me know so I can credit it properly.

If you are interested in other drink syrups that have been served at past events, please visit: What to Drink? Four Drink Syrups for Recreation Feasts.

How to Make Violet Syrup — Medieval to Modern Color-Changing Spring Cordial

Green, Magenta and Lavender Violet Syrup
Originally published 5/15/2015. Updated 11/15/2025.

Violet syrup is one of the oldest and loveliest floral syrups found in European, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern culinary traditions. Used historically to ease coughs, cool fevers, soothe sore throats, and delight the eye, violet syrup has remained surprisingly unchanged across the centuries.

To make the best syrup, choose the deepest-colored sweet violets you can find. The infusion pulls its color directly from the petals—so the darker the bloom, the more vivid your syrup will be. Most North American violets lack fragrance, and that’s perfectly fine; the flavor comes from the infusion itself.

And yes—it really does change color! Add lemon juice and it turns a brilliant magenta. Add rosewater or another alkaline ingredient and it becomes green. Historically, violets were even used as a natural pH test long before litmus paper was invented.

Gelo in bocconcini di piu colori piatti - Jelly in small bites, of many colors - Scappi

Gello Among the Roasts: A Sweet Surprise at 12th Night By Yonnie Travis, Culinary Historian and Historical Food Blogger at Give It Forth 

Yule log with a golden egg that when cracked open poured out a wealth of golden coins with gryphons on them.

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.

Historical Context: Jelly as Prestige in Renaissance Banquets

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.

The Arrosto Course on the 12th Night of 2024 - Areinterpretation of Romoli's January menu included:

• Carré di costolette di manzo – Spit-roasted rack of beef ribs (we substituted brisket)
• Cipolle brasate in quaresima – Braised whole onions, Lent-style
• Salsa di noci e aglio – Walnut and garlic sauce
• Salsa di mostardo amabile – Sweet mustard sauce
• Minestre di zucche Turchesche – Turkish squash
• Tortelletti d’herba alla Lombarda – Lombard-style herb tortellini
• Gelo in bocconcini di più colori – Jelly in small bites, of many colors (the centerpiece!)

Original Italian (Scappi, Opera, 1570)

Scappi’s Cap. CCXLI – “Per fare gelo in bocconi di più colori”

Per fare gelo in bocconi di più colori. Cap. CCXLI.

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.

English Translation:

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.

🦚 Curious about the full feast?
Explore the complete menu from the Flaming Gryphon 12th Night Feast 2024 to see all the dishes and historical inspirations behind this event.

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.

Scappi Gelatin Recipe Modern Version 

Prep Time: 20 minutes active, 4–6 hours chilling time

Yields: One 9" mold or several smaller servings

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Ingredients 

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

Step-by-Step Instructions: How to Make Renaissance Jelly

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.

Vegetarian or Vegan Adaptation

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.

FAQ: Medieval Jelly Food History

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.

Sources & References

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"