SC - Book review

[Margo Hablutzel]

	From:	Historical Recreation in the Kingdom of Calontir,
	From:	Finnvarr de Taahe <finnvarr at EALDORMERE.SCA.ORG
<mailto:finnvarr at EALDORMERE.SCA.ORG> >
	Subject:	The Medieval Review on  "The Medieval Kitchen"

	I thought a lot of people might be interested in this.
	Finnvarr

	Subject: BMR: Redon, et al., The Medieval Kitchen (Oram-Miles)
	Date:  Wed, 24 Mar 1999 16:48:04 -0500 (EST)
	From: owner-bmr-l at brynmawr.edu <mailto:owner-bmr-l at brynmawr.edu>
Reply-To: bmr-l at brynmawr.edu <mailto:bmr-l at brynmawr.edu> 


	(TMR 99.03.17)
	Odile Redon, Francoise Sabban, and Silvano Serventi.  <I>The
Medieval Kitchen: Recipes from France and Italy</I>.  Chicago:
	University of Chicago Press, 1998.  Pp. xvii, 285.  $32.50 (hb)
	ISBN: 0-226-70684-2.
	Reviewed by Wanda Oram-Miles
			Principal Food Scientist
			Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service
			wanda.oram-miles at aqis.gov.au
<mailto:wanda.oram-miles at aqis.gov.au> 
	Food is important for life, but few historical works explore the
preparation of food in a particular historical period.  In most historical
work food is mentioned only in the context of the setting or the action of
eating, rather than the joy and technicalities of preparation and
consumption.  Redon, Sabban and Serventi provide not only a recipe book but
a historical guide to all aspects of cooking and culinary arts in medieval
France and Italy.
	I heartily enjoyed reading and working from this book, so much so
that my analysis cannot be objective.  The work unashamedly encourages the
reader to indulge in the practice of medieval food preparation as it is
discussed and presented in the text.
	The authors' love of food and approach to the topic inspires readers
to gorge themselves on reading about the delights of the kitchen.  The
translation by Edward Schneider is sensitive and conveys the vivacity of the
writing style.  This is a book designed to be used, rather than placed on a
bookshelf; the recipes are adapted to suit four or six people, and the style
makes for easy use by novices or by those experienced in the medieval style
of food preparation.
	The quality of the document is astounding-one becomes immersed in a
detailed account of all things culinary from medieval France and Italy; from
the advice of a husband to his inexperienced wife, to the intricate recipes
of a master chef to the king of France.
	The foreword by Georges Duby gives a warning of the treats to come,
his first sentence "To open this book is to set your mouth watering" is
proven very true.  He then tempts us forward into the book by setting the
medieval scene, calling up visual and auditory imagery.
	Modern readers with access to a wide variety of ingredients, many
introduced to Europe only within the last four hundred years, are reminded
in the Preface of the ingredients available to a medieval cook and the
spices used to impart different, if subtle, flavours.  The second person
grammatical style of the Preface immerses the reader within the sensual
aspects of cooking from the beginning of the book.  Further descriptions of
"clouded in the scent of rose water" and "showering a chicken with sugar"
assist in evoking a very real atmosphere for the work.
	The first quarter of the book is presented as an easy to read
historical text.  Use of contemporary anecdote, gleaned by the authors from
manuscripts and recipe books of the period, serves to make this section
enlightening and entertaining.
	The first chapter, "Histories and Tales from the Kitchen," acquaints
the reader with a background to medieval cooking gleaned from 17
manuscripts.  Setting out the cultural landmarks invoked in the text to
understand the recipes, the chapter delves into the society of the middle
ages; cooking being a cultural activity, the chapter compares the
differences between dishes served on normal days and feast days, the table
of a peasant and a lord, of clergy and laity.  The manners of a medieval
meal are made clear in the discussion of a determination of seating
position, order of the meal, sharing a "taillor" and eating delicately with
the fingers.
	The technicalities of some preparation practices similarly need the
detailed explanation given.  Although chopping, grinding, filtering,
straining and cooking are all common practices in the modern kitchen, in the
medieval kitchen multiple practices were often used for one dish; the reason
for using such practices in medieval cooking is discussed in such a way that
the reader gains from the first-hand experience of the authors.
	The aesthetics of cooking are combined with evocative descriptions,
further tempting the reader to try out the recipes.
	The chapter, "Medieval Cooking Today" is reassuring to the modern
novice without being at all patronizing.  The language is that of the modern
cookbook; the medieval terminology which litters other such cookbooks is
missing here, replaced by solid practical advice on use of modern kitchen
equipment and available ingredients.
	The technicalities of reading and using the recipes selected by the
authors is discussed, however specifics are confined to the recipe section
itself.  This chapter is a direct communication from the authors to the
reader about the use of the book and the recipes contained in it.  The
chapter goes on to give detailed advice about selection of ingredients and
brief advice on menu planning for a medieval meal with example menus.
	The book is well cross-referenced throughout and moving from section
to section, dipping into or hopping about in the book is not problematic,
although the authors recommend reading the first chapters before embarking
on the recipes.
	The 153 recipes, some with variations, take up two thirds of the
book.  Each recipe is presented as a translation of the medieval text,
followed by the authors' comments, which are very detailed and helpful, then
by a rendering of the recipe for the modern cook.  A separate chapter
presents the numbered medieval texts in their original language at the back
of the book.  This format is very user friendly.
	The recipes retain the detail of advice laid down by the original
authors of the medieval versions.  Some of the most entertaining are those
containing advice and instructions to the medieval cook on purchasing
ingredients or on alternative cooking practices.  These anecdotes within the
recipes maintain the cultural context of the recipes and keep what could be
a banal recipe book as a lively guide to the period.
	Colour plates in the centre of the book add to the context of the
historical work, and line drawings throughout complete the feel, but as a
cook I would have liked some colour plates of the dishes themselves as in a
modern cook book, especially some of the more spectacular ones such as baked
rabbit in pastry or the various blancs-mangers.
	The recipes I have tried from this book not only work but are
acceptable to the modern palate.  The authors' comments on delicacy of
flavours and interpretations make the recipes easy to choose and prepare.
	The appendices include the medieval texts of the recipes, a list of
recipes by manuscript source and a list of mailorder addresses.  These last,
although in France and the USA, included web sites, indicating that
worldwide advice is available for those of us in the antipodes who are
interested in medieval cooking.
	This book is a delight.  It is not often that one has the privilege
of working from a text this detailed and easy to use.  It is living history,
able to be practiced by novice and master alike, practical history which can
be carried out in our own homes by those of us living in modern times.  The
grammatical style of this book and recipe formatting would lend itself to
publication in the format of a modern recipe book for the masses.
	
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