The goal of this project is to interpret and recreate the food preparation and eating experience of 10th-11th century Scandinavian feasting for modern cooks and diners.
To achieve this, I will primarily rely on archaeobotanical and archaeological evidence from the Viking diaspora to develop a vocabulary of ingredients and food preparation technologies. This information will be framed by literary references and other cookery information that is chronologically or geographically adjacent to the culture in question, such as Libellus de arte coquinaria and Bald’s Leechbook, as well as enduring characteristics of culturally significant foods.
I will strive to create modern redactions that incorporate knowledge from both historical texts and my extensive professional culinary experience. This will help bridge gaps in technique and ingredients, ensuring familiarity and ease for the modern cook and diner while preserving the defining characteristics of the historical dishes. Furthermore, I will provide information to assist modern cooks in sourcing particular ingredients and scaling up redactions for larger events.
Where precise information is absent, which in this year’s theme is the entirety, I will be guided by the principle that Viking diners enjoyed their food just as modern diners do. The highest purpose of this interpretation is to provide a delicious look at the past. I will elaborate on the choices I make regarding methods and ingredients in my notes on each redaction, but the entire process will be driven by the pursuit of a final outcome: a delicious banquet meal that captures the flavors and textures of a Viking feast as demonstrated to be plausible in the 10th-11th centuries.