Give it Forth: Adventures in Medieval Cookery

When recreating an event at a site that is dry what do you drink? I prefer drink syrups which can be diluted to taste with water.  They are easy to make, easily transportable, and do not require special storage. I have two that I use regularly at events; Sekanjabin (oxmel) and Syrup of Pomegranites.  I have also recently discovered two new favorites which are destined to become regular syrups to bring with me camping or at events;  Syrup to Cool the Stomach and Allay Chollor and Apple Syrup, a syrup based off of "An Apple Drink with Sugar or Honey".  I hope you try these out and respond back with your own opinions of them. Syrup of Simple Sekanjabin (Oxymel) - Persian Mint Drink  -  " An Anonymous Andalusian cookbook of the 13th Century" as translated by David Friedman. Sekanjabin refers to the "family" of drinks made with vinegar, sugar and water (Meade, 2002). I prefer to use red wine vinegar as the base of my drink. I have also used flavored vine

Apples belong to the Rosaceae family along with pears, quince, loquat, medlars and yes, roses. It is believed that there has been over 10,000 different apple cultivars that have been developed, many of which are now lost.It is generally believed that domesticated apples has their origins in Central Asia. Apples are documented as early as 6500 B.C. in Jericho and the Jordan Valley. Theophrastes records in 323 B.C the process of budding, grafting and general tree care of six different varieties of apples that were known at the time. Here I present five recipes featuring apples; A candy made of apples simmered in sugar syrup and allowed to dry, Apple Muse, and apple and rice milk sauce or pudding, Apple Moyle, a similar recipe to Apple Muse resulting in a sweet apple porridge, Applade Ryalle-three different versions of apple soup, creamy and delicious an unusal starter for any meal, and lastly A Potage of Roysons, apples and raisins are offset by spicy ginger in this simple porridge of ri

Winged Hills Collegium  And South Oaken Arts and Sciences Faire March 10 A.S. LII (2018) Abiding Christ Lutheran Church 326 E Dayton Yellow Springs Rd. Fairborn, OH 45324 On table Brawn with Mustard, pickled grapes, red and yellow wine jellies, red beets and jagged oranges A Grand Sallet - Lettuce, Olives, Capers, Pickled Mushrooms, Raisins (or currents), Almonds, Figs, Peas, Aparagus and Artichoke Hearts drizzled with a dressing of olive oil & vinegar First Course A Hash of Beef, Otherways A Savory Oatmeal Pudding A made dish of chicken, sausages, cabbages, turnips, cauliflower and chestnuts. Second Course A Made dish of Curds To make a Peasecod Dish in puff Paste, two ways. Gingerbread, White Gingerbread Comfits and other sweetmeats - Manus Christi, Rock Candy, Anise, Caraway and Fennel in comfit, Candied Ginger, Orange and Lemon Peels VegetarianAlternatives On Table Salmon Marinated to be eaten cold, garnished

Some of my earliest adventures in attempting to interpret recipes from "Two fifteenth-century cookery-books. Harleian ms. 279 (ab. 1430), & Harl. ms. 4016 (ab. 1450), with extracts from Ashmole ms. 1429, Laud ms. 553, & Douce ms. 55" by Thomas Austin were one of my favorite childhood treats, custards. Today I present to you a selection of my favorite interpretations.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. xxix Milke Rostys- Roasted Milk -- Hard custards are a thing of the past, but this recipe has returned them to my life. Custard is set like cheese, sliced and fried in grease (roste it on a Greddelle). This was my very first interpreted recipe, and is a favorite, served cold, room temperature or hot off the griddle.  . xxix. Lyode Soppes- an early bread pudding   -    literally a sop of bread floating in a pool of beautifully thick and sweet custard, this dish is one of the earliest recipes for "bread pudding." It lacks many of the

Looking to add a late Medieval flare to your breakfast?  These five hearty recipes will do just that.  Just click on the link and you will be taken to the post.  I hope you enjoy.     A Fryed Meate (Pancakes) in Haste for the Second Course (The Whole Body of Cookery Dissected, 1682) - cottage cheese and apples combined with warm and sweet spices create a delicate pancake. Traditionally served in the second course, this dish would make a lovely camp breakfast. A bit late for Medieval, yes, delicious and to be tried all the same.  Gammon of Bacon (A Book of Cookrye, 1591) - This is a delicious savory tidbit that creates a lovely hand pie which tastes like a holiday in a pie crust. Gammon, like ham, comes from the hind leg of a pig. Unlike ham, gammon is cured like bacon and sold raw. For this recipe I used a heritage cured ham, seasoned with pepper, cloves and mace, cut into thin slices and stuffed with parsley, sage and hardboiled egg yolks, cut to fit into the pie cr

Today I thought I would bring to you a selection of dishes that would be appropriate for Lent.   I hope you try them and let me know how you liked them. Prior to the 15th century, the church had declared Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays as 'fysshe" days. During Lent and Advent all animal products such as eggs, butter, cheese and meat were forbidden. With fish days, fasting, advent and lent, fully one third or 140-160 days of the year, fish was the only meat you were allowed to eat. Simply click the link to be taken to the page to find the recipe. Please leave me a message and let me know if you would like to see more posts like this. Thank you! .xxxviij. Storion in brothe. Sturgeon in Broth -    Sturgeon was one of the favored fishes and in England was reserved for the King. You can eat like a king on this simply divine soup of fish, cooked in a delicate broth seasoned pepper, mace, cinnamon and ginger, sharpened with vinegar and scented with saffron.

Positive responses continue to pour in on these kinds of posts. Today I thought I would bring to your attention five very different vegetable dishes that were enjoyed in the late Medieval period.   I hope you try them and let me know how you liked them. Simply click the link to be taken to the page to find the recipe. Please leave me a message and let me know if you would like to see more posts like this. Thank you! .xxx. Soupes dorroy.  (Harleian MS. 279 (ab 1430)) Soup Dorroy - A delicious twist on "creamed" onion soup. The onions when cooked with the wine take on a very fruity flavor, and the almond milk adds creaminess in the background that tempers the sweet fruity taste of the onions. A budget friendly, easy to cook, tasty dish that would not be amiss at a luncheon, tavern, feast or camp meal.   .v. Whyte wortes .  (Harleian MS. 279 (ab 1430) - Creamed Wortes -  A true comfort dish from Harleian MS 279 (~1430) -- Tender cabbage and kale, or othe