The goal of this project is to interpret the eating experience of French banquet cuisine c. 1400 for modern cooks and diners. In doing so, I will rely primarily on the manuscripts Le Viandier (c, 1300-1400), Le Ménagier de Paris (1393), and Du Fait de Cuisine (1420), all originating in France. I will refer to additional works, such as Liber de Coquina (c. 1304-1320) from France and Italy, and The Forme of Cury (1390) from England, where and as appropriate to draw meaningful parallels that inform our understanding of ingredients or methods and aid us in our reproduction of these foodways.
I will strive to create modern redactions using all available knowledge from both the historical texts and my own extensive professional culinary experience to bridge the gaps in technique and ingredients and reach a level of familiarity and ease for the modern cook and diner, while preserving the defining characteristics of the dishes being served. In addition, I will include information helpful to that modern cook in sourcing particular ingredients and scaling up redactions for a large event.
In most cases, a great deal of precise information is missing from the texts, so my redactions will include choices guided by the principle that 15th century diners ate food they enjoyed, and modern diners will want to do the same. I will talk more extensively about the choices I make in my notes on methods and ingredients, and in these redactions individually, but the entire process will be guided by pursuit of the final outcome – a delicious banquet meal capturing the flavors and textures of a French banquet around the turn of the 15th Century.
-Noble Scandal mac Rofir
Continue to Notes on Methods and Ingredients…