Ancient Cookery, From a Collection of the Ordinances and Requisitions for the government of the Royal Household made in Divers Reigns from King Edward III to King William and Queen Mary. Arundel MS 344. Ed. John Nichols, Society of London Antiquaries. In Cariadoc Vol. I., 1425

Du fait de cuysine, On Cookery, by Maître Chiquart, 1420

Liber cure cocorum, (The Book of Cookery), ca. 1430

Two Fifteenth-century Cookery-books
1. Harleian MS. 279 (ab. 1430 A.D.): A Boke of Kokery
2. Harleian MS. 4016 (1450), w/ extracts from
    Ashmole MS. 1439 (ab 1430 A.D)
    Laud MS. 553
    Douce MS. 55

The Boke of Nurture, John Russell, ab 1450

Wagstaff Miscellany (Beinecke MS 163), ab 1460

Libro de arte coquinaria by Maestro Martino de Como, c. 1465

The Nobel Boke off Cookry, 1467

De honesta voluptate et valetudine, Platina (Bartolomeo Sacchi), Itallian, 1475

John Crophill's Commonplace Book (Harley MS 1735), before 1485

Kuchenmeysterey, German, 1485

MS Harley 5401 w/ commentary, Thomas Awkbarow's Recipes (15th c.)

- w/ translations

Gentyll manly Cokere (MS Pepys 1047), James L. Matterer (trans.), (15th c.)

The Neapolitan Recipe Collection: Cuoco Napoletano (Italian), late 15th c.

14th Century

The Enseignements, French, c. 1306

Libre de Sent Sovi, Catalan, 1324

Two Anglo-Norman Culinary Collections

- British Library Additional 32085 - collection of 29 recipes

- British Library Royal 12.C.xii (1320 - 1340) - collection of 32 recipes

Doctrina faciendi diversa cibaria, Anglo-Norman, 1325 - 63 recipes

Ein Buch von guter spise, oldest German cookbook, c. 1350

Curye on Inglysch - compilation of:

- Diuersa cibaria

- Ancient Cookery (Diversa Servicia), (Bodleian Library, MS Douce 257), 1381, 91 recipes

- Utilis Coquinario (late 14th century)

- The Forme of Cury, (British Library, Add. MS 5016), 1390, 195 recipes

- Goud kokery

Notes on the Forme of Cury by Constance Hieatt (pdf)

Le Menagier de Paris, 1393

Le Viandier, 1395

Libre de totes maneres de confits (Catalon)

General Information

Background Information

The Middle Ages (476 - c.1450)

The Great Migration (AD 300–700 in Europe)

Medieval Kings & Queens of England

Norman England (1066 - 1154)

Medieval Manor (Agecrift Hall)

Medieval People: Titles, Positions, Trades & Classes

Medieval Peasant Life (wikipedia)

Daily Life in Chaucer's England

Medival Food Timeline

Tacuinum Sanitatis - medieval handbook on wellness (based on 11th c. Arab medical treatise, translated into Latin 13th c., illustrated 14th - 15th c.)

Medieval Gardens

Planning a Medieval Meal

Medieval Order of Courses: The Four Humour System

Service à la Française

The Medieval Feast

What are Trenchers?

Entremets

Issue de Table: Medieval "Dessert"

Non-Period Foods (foods not available)

Medieval Menus

Medieval English King's Coronation & Wedding Menus

Menus from Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books

Medieval Cuisine

Food In The Anglo-Saxon Period

Making Early Medieval Food (before medieval cookbooks w/ recipes)

Medieval Cuisine

Regional Cuisines of Medieval Europe

The Medival Kitchen

Medieval Kitchen

Medieval Cooking Techniques

Cooking Pots & Utensils

Medieval Cooking Techniques

Color in Medieval Food

Use of Molds to Shape Foods

Illusion Foods or Warners

Binding Agents

Food Preservation

A Dictionary of Middle-English Cooking Terms

Medieval Foods & Drinks

Cooking Ingredents

A Dictionary of Middle-English Cooking Terms

Lyour (also spelled lyre, layour, lyoure, liour, lyer) - thickener made from bread

Medieval Ingredients

Almond Milk (cooking ingredient)

What is Verjuice?

Sops

Yeast in Medieval Recipes

Binding Agents

Amydon (Wheat starch)

Rice flour

Aquavite (Brandy)

On the Medieval Use of Spices

Medieval Spices

Medieval Food & the Importance of Spice

The Medieval Taste

Medieval Grains, Herbs, Spices, Fruits & Vegetables

Medieval Grains

The Good Herbs of the Middle Ages

Medieval Meats & Fish

Fresh Meat & Fish Consumed in the Middle Ages

Grilled Foods

Medieval Bacon

Cheese, Dairy & Eggs

Medieval Cheeses

Herb or green omelet

Pipefarces (fried cheese)

Breads

Bread in the Middle Ages

Medieval Breads (Manchet & Cheat Bread)

Pandemayne (white bread similar to Wastel)

Trencher Bread recipes

Nabatean Water Bread (Baghdad, 10th century)

Blaunche escrepes (white pancakes or crepes served w/ Poume d'oranges, pork meatballs)

Rastons (inside of a loaf of bread cut up & coated w/ butter, rebaked)

Payn Puff

Medieval Spiced Breads & Cakes

Cakes & Pastries

Types of Medieval Desserts

Medieval Spiced Breads & Cakes

Bryndons/Prenade/Breney (small fried cakes in a sauce of wine, fruit, & nuts - potage)

Frutowr for Lentyn (fruit & almond milk cake)

To make fine Cakes (small leavened cakes flavored with cloves & mace)

Seed Cake - a sweet seed cake.

Extracts

Almond Milk (cooking ingredient)

Almond Butter

Almond Cream

Rose Water

Orange Water

Verjuice (recipe)

Spice Mixes

Fine Spices for All Foods (spice mix)

Powder Douce (Sweet Powder)

Powder Fort (Strong Powder - peppery)

Beverages

Medieval Beverages

Beer, Ale & Wine

Cider

Perry/Poiré (pear "cider")

Other fruit wines & juices

Mead (honey wine)

Bragget (ale & honey fermented, w/ spices and herbs

Caudell (frothy ale or wine thickened w/ eggs, served warm)

Caudell of Almondys (Lenten substitution)

Potus Ypocras (forerunner of mulled wine)

Clarrey (a mulled wine similar to Hippocras but w/ honey, ginger, saffron & pepper)

Wassail (warm spiced ale seved during holidays)

Cordial Waters (mid 14th century, medicinal elixirs)

First Course - Potages (soups, stews, porridges - foods cooked in a pot)

Dinners & feasts usually started with foods that were considered easily digestible, such as light meats which were cooked in water or broth, warm & moist foods such as soups and broths, moist fruits (especially peaches), greens such as lettuce, cabbage, and "herbs," and dishes that would set near-solid when cold, such as pease pudding and jellies. Spices were thought to warm the stomach, and were therefore an excellent stomach opener. Cheese was eaten both before and during the meal, as an aid to digestion and to help a "weak stomach." Foods that were more difficult to digest, such as beef & fatty pork and heavy fruits, like pears & chestnuts, were consumed later in the meal. Besides being a display of wealth, multiple dishes were served in a course so all attending the banquet would find a dish to eat in accord with their nature.

Potages - General Information

Norman Foods (potages & sauces)

Vegetable Potages

Porry (Porray - stew based on leeks)

Joute (green porray)

Plain Frumenty (made w/ wheat grains, typically served w/ venison)

Lentil Stew (13th century Andalusian recipe)

Gourdes in Potage

Grain Potages

Blanc-Manger: A Journey Through Time

Blawmanger (Traditional rice dish w/ chicken & almonds)

Plain Frumenty (made w/ wheat grains, typically served w/ venison)

Sweet Frumenty (wheat or barley dish served w/ meat)

Pottages made w/ Eggs

Cives d'Oeufs (poached eggs in oil)

Brouet Vert d'Oeufs et de Fromage (green brouet w/ eggs & cheese)

Served w/ Sops (Potages)

Jacobin Sops (1420) (chicken broth over cheese on bread sops)

Aragonese Sops (Italy, spiced chicken livers over sops)

Oyle soppes (onion-ale soup served over toast)

Cullis (strained broth made from chicken)

Golden Sops (eggs w/ cheese served over toast w/ beef broth)

Soupes dorye (sops w/ wine & almond milk sauce, topped w/ spices & sugar - Almond Milk Toast)

Lyode Soppes (custard served over sops)

Brewets or Brouets (Brewet = Broth, may be eaten w/ sops)

Browet d'Alemaigne (in the German-style)

Egg Potages

Egges yn Brewte

Fruit & Sweet Potages

Types of Medieval Desserts

Pameie (apple "sauce" & an apple custard) (1510)

Appulmoy (apple puree or sauce)

Chardewardon (pear custard)

Wardonys in syryp (pears in spiced wine syrup)

Perys en Composte (pears in wine syrup w/ dates - potage)

Making Sense of Strawberries (discussion of 5 recipes for 'Frisee' or 'Strawberye,' a Strawberry pudding or potage w/ currants)

To Make Murrey (murrey refers to mulberries)

Galentines/Gillys (meat jellies/aspics - potage de gelee)

Medieval Jellies

multi-colored jellies

Henry VI's coronation (1429) - redde lech w/ lions corven theryn of white

Creams & Custards

Medieval Custards

Cawdel fery (custard made w/ wine)

Papyns (custard)

Rede Rose (flower flavored rice porridge, Also rose, violet, primrose, hawthorn)

Gaylede (rice porridge w/ figs & honey)

Lyode Soppes (custard served over sops)

Fride Creme of Almaundys (an almond milk 'cheese')

Erbolat (herb custard)

Tartara della Senese (cheese custard spiced w/ cinnamon)

Rice Moilles (rice pudding)

Pasta (from Italy)

Medieval Pasta

Makerouns (noodles & cheese)

Losyns (loseyne shaped noodles cooked in broth & layered w/ cheese)

Ravieles (also Anglo-Norman, cheese ravioli w/ butter & grated cheese sauce)

Cressee (also Anglo-Norman)

Gnocchi (Tuscan)

Cuskynoles (dried fruit filled ravioli, boiled then roasted on a griddle)

Cold Meats

Sage Sauce for Cold Meats (Pygges In Sawse Sawge, Cold Sage for chicken, etc.)

A Disshe mete for Somere (chicken livers served cold w/ a sauce)

Meatball Potages

To make potage for somer sessone (meatball soup made w/ almond milk & currants)

Pompys (meatballs in almond milk gravy)

Meat Stew-type Potages

Stew Recipe from Boke of Kokery (mutton or chicken w/ onions, parsley, verjuice, vinegar)

Stwed Beeff (whole roasted beef ribs in wine, currant, onion sauce)

Beef y-Stywyd (sour, chopped beef rib potage)

Smale Byrdys y-stwyde

Venyson in Broth (to serve w/ Frumenty)

Brawn en peuerade (wild boar or chicken in onion & pepper sauce)

Fylettys en Galentyne (fillets of pork w/ onions in a gravy)

Civet or Civey (fried onion w/ hare, rabbit, or venison)

Cyve Recipes

Bukkenade (stew w/ herbs, thickened w/ eggs)

Murrey, or Morree (sauce made from meat)

Charlet (milk & egg based potage w/ meat)

Egerdouce (sweet & sour)

Galimafree

Iusselle

Pot-pourri

Vyaund de Cyprys Bastarde

Standing Potages (so thick they are 'standing' - thickened w/ breadcrumbs & egg yolks)

Mortrewes (pork, or pork w/ chicken pottage thickened w/ breadcumbs & eggs)

Mawmenny (minced chicken or pheasant poached in wine flavoured w/ spices & thickened w/ ground almonds)

Blanc Dessore

Creme Boylede

Fish-based Potages

Oysters in gravy

Civey or Civet for fish days (onion sauce)

Charlet (almond milk & egg based potage w/ fish)

Furmenty w/ purpaysse

Rapeye (fried fish dish w/ dried fruit & wine sauce)

Second First Course - Roasted Meats (Lechemeats - sliced metes, made dishes)

Medieval Catholic ritual required certain days to be fish days with no meats. On these fish days, salted fishes and fish pastries followed the pottages, otherwise, on meat days, boiled or roasted fowl and meat followed. Roasted meats were usually served with a sauce. Even then, there was an order that meats were consumed with lighter meats like poultry offered first to be followed by the heaviest of the dinner options which would be beef if it was available. These meat or fish dishes were interspersed with "made dishes," such as pies, fricasses, vegetable puree or 'porrays,' jellied and sliced dishes, custards and tarts. Salads and other salty or acidic dishes were also served. Other items that could be included in this course are nuts, aged cheeses, vegetables that have been roasted, baked or fried, pears and chestnuts. In this course it is not uncommon to find pancakes or other fried dishes such as fritters.

Sliced Dishes

Lait Lardee

Milke Rostys (type of cheese made of curdled milk & eggs, sliced & fried)

Losinges de chare

Leche lumbarde (slices of date paste flavored w/ wine & spices, served w/ claree or syrup poured over)

Meatballs

Pumpes and Pompys (spiced pork meatballs in Almond Milk)

Bursews (pork meatballs dipped in egg, then flour & deep-fried)

Poume d'oranges (Anglo-Norman, meatballs shaped & cooked to look like oranges)

Blaunche escrepes (Anglo-Norman, White pancakes served w/ Poume d'oranges, glazed meatballs)

Fish & Seafood

A Dauce Egre (sweet & sour sauce)

Spit-roasted Poultry

Woodcok Rostyd

Poullaille farcie (Roasted chicken w/ meat stuffing, glazed yellow or green, w/ eggs made of stuffing on the side)

Chikenes Farsyd

Sauce Madame (roasted goose or chicken served w/ spiced fruit & herb sauce)

Chikenes Endoryd (chicken glazed w/ a golden batter)

Fried Poultry

Gratonata of chickens (chicken fried w/ onions, served w/ an egg & verjuice sauce)

Spit-roasted Meats

Roasted Meats

The Syde of a Dere of His Grece

Venyson Rostyd

Vele Rostyd

Kyd Rostyd

Fylets of Porke Endoryd

Grilled Meats & Fish & Sauces & Marinades

Grilled Foods

Fritters & other Fried Specialities

Types of Crisps & Fritters

Fried Dough

Cruste Rolle (fried dough Lesenges, Lorey pastries)

Funnel Cakes

Cryppys (type of funnel cake w/ honey, 'honey crisps', Crispels)

Mynceleek in Anglo-Norman, Midtembec, Nysebek in the Forme of Cury (type of funnel cake)

Fritters made w/ Cheese

Fritelle da Imperadore Magnifici (cheese & pinenut fritters)

Pipefarces (battered & fried cheese)

Smartard (cottage cheese fritters)

Fritters made w/ Fruit

Epffelbolster (Apple Pillows, fried battered apples)

Fritelle de Pome Per Quaresima (apple fritters for Lent)

Frittelle di Pomi (apple fritters)

Frutours (apple fritters)

To make formed fish during lent and also calf ears (apple pie in shape of fish or fried dough in shape of calf ears filled w/ apple mixture)

Fritters made w/ Dried Fruit & Nuts

Cuskynoles (dried fruit filled ravioli, boiled then roasted on a griddle)

Frytour blaunched (almond filled pastry deep-fried & baked in honey & wine)

Fritur Emeles (almond fritters)

Ryschewys (deep-fried pastry filled w/ dried fruit & pine nuts)

Tourteletes in Frytour (small fig pies basted w/ honey)

Meat-filled Fried Pastries

Hattes (fried meat, date & current stuffed pastry in the shape of a hat, fish version for Lent)

Rapeye (fried dough w/ dried fruit & wine filling)

Raynolle (pork & cheese fritters)

Nourroys Pies (Taillevent)

Savory Fritters

Frytour of Erbes (yeast battered, deep-fried herb fritters)

Crespes (Crepes)

Breney (dried fruit compote w/ deep-fried fritter for dipping)

Dipping Sauces - often served w/ roasted meats & fish

Medieval Sauces

Mustard (most popular sauce, served cold)

Black Pepper Sauce (black pepper, ginger, burnt toast, served hot)

Yellow Pepper Sauce - "Jance" (French ginger based sauces w/ toasted bread & vinegar, served hot)

Sauce Cameline (cinnamon sauce thickened w/ bread crumbs, served hot or cold)

Garlic Sauce (variations, w/ bread crumbs)

Green Sauce (spiced herb sauce w/ breadcrumbs)

Gode Broth (chicken & pork broth w/ bread & spices)

Galyntyne (spiced sauce of galingale & bread crumbs)

Sauce for peiouns (parsley, onion, garlic, vinegar sauce for pigeons, no breadcrumbs)

Grain Dishes

Rys (Rice of Flesh & in Almond Milk)

Vegetables

Salat

Buttered Wortes

Sprouts (winter cabbage sprouts)

Poree de cresson (Stewed cress & chard w/ cheese)

Esparaguat (asparagus floured & fried, finished w/ vinegar)

Pescodde (served to Henry IV in 1404)

Caboges

Compost (spiced pickled vegetables served cold)

Eggs & Dairy

Gehalbirte ayer (stuffed eggs)

Puddings (originally meat puddings)

Medieval Puddings

History of Puddings

Payne Foundow (medieval bread pudding)

Wastels yfarced (wastel loaf filled & boiled like a pudding)

Toasts

Early Recipes for French Toast (golden toast, Tostees Dorees, Payn pur-dew, served w/ sugar sprinkled on top)

Tostees (toast topped w/ candied ginger & spiced honeyed wine sauce)

Pokerounce (toast topped w/ ginger spiced honey & pine nuts)

Toast Royal

Third Course - Baked Metes & Special Dishes

The "delicacy" meats, often roasted wild fowl, peacock, wild boar, or fish, followed the commonplace and were accompanied by a variety of other side dishes. In large feasts, very rich and exotic foods were served in smaller portions only to highly distinguished guests after the more filling and common dishes had been served to the entire hall. This practice would continue as the feast progressed, ending with the finest of delicacies being served to just the table of the king or nobleman in charge of the affair. This course included dishes called "baked metes," meaning pie, in which meat or fish is baked with fruit, spices, etc.- literally a 'baked meat'. Also tarts, pasties and quiches. During this period, ovens were a luxury; villagers would use the town baker's oven, but manors had their own oven.

General Information

Baked Metes (Made Dishes)

Collection of Medieval Recipes using Pastry

Medieval Tarts & Pies

The Great Custard Tart Caper (w/ recipes)

Meat, Cheese & Egg Pies

Pastry Doughs

Medieval Pastry

To make shorte paest for tart (shortcrust pastry, 1545 earliest recipe)

Raising Pies

Small Meat Pies & Tarts

Chewitts (small fried or baked minced meat pies w/ hard-boiled eggs)

How to Make Tartlettes (small forcemeat pastries boiled & served w/ broth, baked, or fried depending on recipe)

Venyson Y-Bake (small raised pies of chopped venison spiced w/ ginger & pepper)

Fruit Pies & Tarts

Apple Tarts

Pear Tart

Tart of Strawberyes

Custard & Cheese Pies & Tarts

The Great Custard Tart Caper (w/ recipes)

Daryoles (custard-type pie or tart)

Doucetes (custard-type pie or tart)

Flathons (flans)

Ember Day Tarts (tart w/ onions, cheese & currants)

Tart de bry (pie of eggs w/ new cheese, spiced w/ ginger)

Tarte owt of Lente

Cheesecake

Vegetable Pies & Tarts

Spinach Tart

Meat Pies

Grete pyes

Bake Mete Ryalle (for supper)

Lumber Pies (pie of meatballs in a sweet-sour sauce w/ grapes or barberries)

Flaumpeyns (open pie of pork, often cheese, w/ 'flame point' decoration of fried pastry)

Parma Pie (layered meat & chicken in a tall pie cut at the top w/ castle crenelations)

Teste de Tourk (pie in shape of Turk's Head, made w/ meat, fresh cheese, pistachios)

Pies of Parys (pies of spiced pork & veal cooked in broth & wine w/ dates & raisins, thickened w/ egg)

Tartee (pork & dried fruit pie, w/ small birds)

Mylates of Pork (pork pie w/ cheese & pine nuts)

Mince Pies (minced meat, suet, dried fruits, & spices)

Herbelade (pork, fruit, spices & herbs thickened w/ eggs)

Crustade (custard pies containing meat or fish & fruit)

Doucettes/Doucettes a-forcyd (custard pie w/ pork or other meat, the pork pie is spiced w/ honey & pepper)

Issue de Table

It was considered both polite and healthy to eat a light repast after the main courses were done. Dragees, sugar-coated seeds and nuts that were spiced and colored, were the most common form of "chamber spices" which were intended for serving after a meal whither in a hall or, as the name implies, in the bed chamber. This repast might include a spiced wine, candied orange or lemon peel, fruits preserved in sugar or honey, fruit pastes, ginger, coriander, fennel or anise, candied nuts, wafers, aged cheese, or even whole spices, which were thought to aid in digestion. Wine, as a custom, was drunk just before retiring.