Feasts

What, Where, When: This is a cold doughnut/fritter made of yeast dough with raisins. It is based on a recipe found in Rumpolt, a German source dated to 1581. Original Recipes and Translations: Rumpolt (translated by Sharon Palmer) Discussion: Fritters were a popular food in 15th century Germany – for instance, out of the 76 […]

What is it? These are Kuhlmaulschuh, “cow-mouth” shoes, as seen in the attached extant shoes and period imagery, sewn out of leather with a separate wool lining / inner shoe / short over-sock.        What was it used for and who used it?  This pair of shoes and inner shoes is meant to […]

What is it? This is a linen apron with honeycomb pleatwork (smocking), meant to be worn around the waist and reach approximately ankle length. It was known as a halbrock, or half-skirt apron (O’Neill).  As shown in the images, the garment seems to be a rectangle of linen, pleated to a band. At the top, […]

What, Where, When: This subtlety of turkey cooked in a rye crust is based on German sources from 1581 and 1553.  It is based on recipes from Rumpolt and Welserin. Original Recipes and Translations: Rumpolt (translated by Sharon Palmer) Discussion: Rumpolt is a German source dated to 1581 (Holloway 15), which means many of the […]

Discussion: Rumpolt is a German source dated to 1581 (Holloway 15), which means many of the techniques and certain ingredients used are Renaissance in nature rather than medieval. For instance, a number of recipes for turkey, a recipe which might be for potatoes (but probably isn’t), and recipes for flour-thickened sauces are all included. Gescharb […]

A feast for Vladimir the Great, with Rus, Byzantine and Norse influences.

What, Where, When: Pyes de Parez, a medieval meat pie recipe, is based on 3 substantially similar 15th century English recipes. With a filling of slow-braised beef and pork, studded with sweet fruit, and a free-standing lard crust, it is both succulent and substantial. Medieval Recipes Discussion The pork used is a fatty cut of […]

In 14th century Europe, spices had the ability to capture the imagination in a way few other luxury items could match.

What, Where, When: Paindemain is a wheat bread, described as being served at the highest tables of the nobility of France and England during the Hundred Years’ War. Fine and white, baked in small, round loaves, it was prized for a delicate texture, and considered indulgent enough to be forbidden during Lent in 1417 by […]

Introduction: This fruit tart bears similarities to a modern tarte tatin, with apples and pears sautéed in butter before being placed in a pastry case. A sprinkling of rosewater and some biscotti crumbs only serve to enhance the floral flavor. Discussion I was unable to find any information on what made a “Florentine” pear significant […]

How to go from medieval source to modern recipe – a rough outline.

15th century Italian feast based on Martino and Platina.

What, Where, When: A meat and greens pottage. Based on a recipe from central France, dated to approximately 1466. Original Recipe and Translation Discussion: This recipe is from Le Recuil de Riom, a source more fully discussed in the full translation.   A similar recipe is found in Le Menagier, and it informed my redaction of this […]

What, Where, When: A meat and greens pottage. Based on a recipe from central France, dated to approximately 1466. Original Recipe and Translation Discussion: This recipe is from Le Recuil de Riom, a source more fully discussed in the full translation.   This recipe fills both the “vegetable potage” and “Boiled Beef” slots in the first course […]

The St. Catherine’s Tourney offered a unique opportunity to create an entire meal from a single source, for a limited number of guests – this article describes a “miniature feast” based on Le Recuil de Riom.

What, Where, When: Rabbit stew with onions. Based on a recipe from central France, dated to approximately 1466. Original Recipe and Translation Discussion: This recipe is from Le Recuil de Riom, a source more fully discussed in the full translation.   Although on first glance this recipe is similar to the grané d’alouestez, the onions and the nutmeg and […]

What, Where, When: Small roasted birds in a liver-based, spiced sauce. Based on a recipe from central France, dated to approximately 1466. Original Recipe and Translation Discussion: This recipe is from Le Recuil de Riom, a source more fully discussed in the full translation.   The livers specified for the sauce add a creamy, rich mouthfeel. Cinnamon […]

What, Where, When: Fried fish with a creamy almond sauce. Based on a recipe from central France, dated to approximately 1466. Original Recipe and Translation Discussion: This recipe is from Le Recuil de Riom, a source more fully discussed in the full translation.   Technically, the actual procedure for making the broth is not specified by the […]

What, Where, When: Eel and cheese pie, similar to a quiche. Based on a recipe from central France, dated to approximately 1466. Original Recipe and Translation Discussion: This recipe is from Le Recuil de Riom, a source more fully discussed in the full translation.   Eel pies with cheese or custard are found in many sources in […]

What, Where, When: Roast chicken with a garlic sauce. Based on a recipe from central France, dated to approximately 1466. Original Recipe and Translation Discussion: This recipe is from Le Recuil de Riom, a source more fully discussed in the full translation.   Because the ginger-almond version of jance sauce was too similar to that served with […]

What, Where, When: A piquant sauce served on simply roasted pork. Based on a recipe from central France, dated to approximately 1466. Original Recipe and Translation Discussion: This recipe is from Le Recuil de Riom, a source more fully discussed in the full translation.   Yellow pepper sauce is an extremely common sauce, found in several contemporary […]

What, Where, When: Chicken in a cinnamon sauce thickened with breadcrumbs. Based on a recipe from central France, dated to approximately 1466. Original Recipe and Translation Discussion: This recipe is from Le Recuil de Riom, a source more fully discussed in the full translation.   The subtleties of the word “brouet” are outside the scope of this […]

This is a recipe inspired by medieval food preparation but with significant deviations, and was served as part of the feast at Ymir 2008. Preserved fish were important to the Norse, and I really wanted to make them a part of this feast.  The most common form of preservation was salting and drying, however, I had […]

This is a recipe inspired by a Roman recipe, and was served as part of the feast at Ymir 2008. Instead of moving forward in time for this recipe, I chose to look backwards to Rome for these sausages.  I have cooked these two ways, one as a milder “feast” version, the other with unusual ingredients […]

A conjecturally-documented Viking Feast, served as a sideboard.

This is a recipe inspired by a medieval recipe but with significant deviations, and was served as part of the feast at Ymir 2008. Venison was part of the Norse diet, though how important a part varied based on what part of Scandinavia is discussed – the farther north, the more game was eaten, and […]

This is a recipe based on archaeological lists of food eaten rather than documented techniques, and was served as part of the feast at Ymir 2008. Seafood was a huge part of the Norse diet, including shellfish. Evidence at the Norse settlement in Dublin indicates that oysters, cockles, mussels, winkles, smelt, eels, salmon, and scallops […]

This is a recipe based on period descriptions of food rather than documented techniques, and was served as part of the feast at Ymir 2008. “Ferry me over the sound; | I will feed thee therefor in the morning;A basket I have on my back, | and food therein, none better;At leisure I ate, | […]

This is a modern recipe, and was served as part of the feast at Ymir 2008. Skyr is a fresh cheese still eaten in Iceland today – while I have no evidence this precise recipe was used by the Vikings, dairy products including cheese were a key part of their diet.  The recipe used for the […]

This is a modern recipe, and was served as part of the feast at Ymir 2008. Breads like these are still eaten in Scandinavia today, and are prepared similar to modern pie dough.  I started with a modern recipe and chose to omit the sugar called for, as sugar would not have been available and I felt […]

This is a recipe inspired by medieval food preparation but with significant deviations, and was served as part of the feast at Ymir 2008. As mentioned previously, flat breads have been found in grave finds.  I chose to make a sweet version for a “dessert” of sorts, using honey (which could be found in wild hives) […]

This is a recipe inspired by medieval food preparation but with significant deviations, and was served as part of the feast at Ymir 2008. Preserved fish were important to the Norse, and I really wanted to make them a part of this feast.  The most common form of preservation was salting and drying, however, I had […]

A boneless whole chicken, glazed in gold… this entremet is based on two recipes from Le Viandier du Taillevent, and is an elegant and convenient way to serve a “whole chicken” without the hassle of carving.

Introduction Cameline sauce – a sauce including cinnamon, other spices, bread, and an acidic ingredient – is common throughout the 14th and 15th century corpus. They were found in every French cookbook of the time, and could even be purchased from a saucemaker by those who did not care to make their own. However, while […]

What, Where, When: Lamb simmered in a slightly sour green sauce. Based on a recipe from central France, dated to approximately 1466. Original Recipe and Translation Discussion: This recipe is from Le Recuil de Riom, a source more fully discussed in the full translation.  It is a basic brouet of stewed lamb, with onions and a slightly sour green […]

An English translation of a French cooking manuscript from around 1466.

What, Where, When: Le Recuil de Riom was copied in 1466 by an anonymous scribe in Riom, France, as part of a household manual. This folio is very similar to the original document. Materials: Paper: The original manuscript was on paper, and measured 137x190mm. Lambert does not specify the fiber content of the paper; according to […]

14th century German and 15th century Italian.

What, Where, When: What, Where and When: My interpretation of a bread tart is a dish somewhere between custard and bread pudding, baked in a pie shell. The original recipe is by Sabina Welserin, who wrote her cookbook in 1553, in what is now Germany. Original Recipes from Sabina Welserin: Discussion: I chose this particular […]

What, Where and When: Miscelin Bread is a a mixed bread of barley, rye and wheat. Bread such as this was eaten throughout period. Most of my research, however, has focused on 14th/15th century France. This is a bread that might have been eaten by servants or the middle class in 15th century Europe. This […]

A free-standing beef pie with gilded knot work decoration.

Arabic and Spanish feast.

First documented feast, with subtleties for each course.

First feast, with life-size papermaché boar subtlety.