Medieval Food

The following cookbooks focus on medieval recipes primarily from England, Scotland, and Wales, and with the history of food in Britain.

Buy Books about Medieval Food History and Cooking
Get More Info	Seven Centuries of English Cooking: A Collection of Recipes by Maxime De La Falaise Wow! Hundreds of Anglo-Saxon recipes are grouped chronologically, beginning with medieval times, moving to Rennaissance, and so on up to modern times. Each section has an historical introduction discussing the changes in diet and food habits applicable to that period. The oldest recipes are presented both in the original wording and in modern language, and measurements have been modernized so you can actually recreate all the recipes in your kitchen. A fabulous culinary and historical work.
Get More Info	The Medieval Kitchen : Recipes from France and Italy by Odile Redon, Francoise Sabban, Silvano Serventi, Edward Schneider (Translator) The Medieval Kitchen is a delightful work in which historians Odile Redon, Françoise Sabban, and Silvano Serventi rescue from dark obscurity the glorious cuisine of the Middle Ages. Medieval gastronomy turns out to have been superb--a wonderful mélange of flavor, aroma, and color. Expertly reconstructed from fourteenth- and fifteenth-century sources and carefully adapted to suit the modern kitchen (European measurements, we would imagine, since this is French book), these recipes present a veritable feast. The Medieval Kitchen vividly depicts the context and tradition of authentic medieval cookery.
Get More Info	The Medieval Cookbook by Maggie Black Black does a great job here of selecting tasty medieval recipes, modernizing the instructions and providing help on hard-to-find ingredients. Well-illustrated. She provides both the original recipe and her modernization, as well as historical information. A good resource.
Get More Info	Medieval Celebrations: How to Plan for Holidays, Weddings, and Reenactments With Recipes, Customs, Costumes, Decorations, Songs, Dances, and Games by Daniel Diehl and Mark Donnelly Has everything you need for medieval celebrations, but the emphasis would be on those involved in Renaissance Faires and feast reenactments, rather than small family gatherings.
Get More Info	Food & Drink in Britain: From the Stone Age to the 19th Century by C. Anne Wilson Not a cookbook at all, but we couldn't resist adding it to the list. Food and Drink in Britain is a fascinating "social history" of the tastes and habits of the British peoples over time. For each "food category", Wilson traces its uses from earliest times until just before today. Includes the history of brewing as well. Extensive bibliography and notes. Scholarly, yet entertaining and accessible to anyone interested in the history of food.
Get More Info	Shakespeare's Kitchen : Renaissance Recipes for the Contemporary Cook by Francine Segan Francine Segan introduces contemporary cooks to the foods of William Shakespeare’s world with recipes updated from classic sixteenth- and seventeenth-century cookbooks. Her easy-to-prepare adaptations shatter the myth that the Bard’s primary fare was boiled mutton. In fact, Shakespeare and his contemporaries dined on salads of fresh herbs and vegetables; fish, fowl, and meats of all kinds; and delicate broths. Dried Plums with Wine and Ginger-Zest Crostini, Winter Salad with Raisin and Caper Vinaigrette, and Lobster with Pistachio Stuffing and Seville Orange Butter are just a few of the delicious, aromatic, and gorgeous dishes that will surprise and delight. Segan’s delicate and careful renditions of these recipes have been thoroughly tested to ensure no-fail, standout results.
Get More Info	The Haggis: A Little History by Clarissa Dickson Wright Wright has written many terrific Scottish cookbooks, and was one of the "Two Fat Ladies" - which was Scotland's most popular cooking show. Here she takes a tremendously witty look at the history of Scotland's most famous (and to some most disgusting) national treat - the haggis. Less a cookbook than a hilarious romp through Scotland's history, this book is sure to delight anyone with an interest in Scotland's culinary traditions.
Get More Info	Traditional Food from Wales by Bobbie Freeman An extremely comprehensive and entertaining look at food customs and traditions in Wales from the 12th century to the present day. Over 260 traditional Welsh recipes, as well as histories of the development and use of basic Welsh foodstuffs and Welsh cooking - this is a tremendous cookbook, recently revised and updated. Highly recommended.
Get More Info	Spice: The History of a Temptation by Jack Turner Spice: The History of a Temptation is a history of the spice trade told not in the conventional narrative of politics and economics, nor of conquest and colonization, but through the intimate human impulses that inspired and drove it. Here is an exploration of the centuries-old desire for spice in food, in medicine, in magic, in religion, and in sex—and of the allure of forbidden fruit lingering in the scents of cinnamon, pepper, ginger, nutmeg, mace, and clove. Through examining the temptations of spice we follow in the trails of the spice seekers leading from the deserts of ancient Syria to thrill-seekers on the Internet. We discover how spice became one of the first and most enduring links between Asia and Europe. We see in the pepper we use so casually the relic of a tradition linking us to the appetites of Rome, Elizabethan England, and the pharaohs. And we capture the pleasure of spice not only at the table but in every part of life.