[Sca-cooks] Re: Italian March menus

[Elaine Koogler]

Christiane wrote:

>I forget who asked about March menus, but on an interesting historical note, I've been reading Sarah Bradford's biography of Lucrezia Borgia, and in it a note is made about a Lenten Friday feast Lucrezia, as Duchess of Ferrara, served to the French commanders who had come to the aid of Ferrara against Pope Julius II in 1513. The courses of the feast were noted by Bernardino di Prosperi in a letter to Isabella d'Este, marchioness of Mantua, who loved to keep tabs on whatever her sister-in-law was doing. Di Prosperi was apparently impressed that Lucrezia managed to get this feast together in a very short amount of time in Lent.
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>The feast started with an amphora of rosewater for washing hands. The table was set with milk bread, oat fritters and biscuits, marzipan, and cakes made of pine-nut flour. Muscatel and Trebbiano were among the wines. Salads contained chopped endive, young cabbage, lettuce, anchovies, capers, and caper flowers. Lots of fish: large prawns, sturgeon roe mixed with cinnamon, sugar, and rosewater, boiled dished of large pike, sturgeon, ray, tuna, and salted ray accompanied by juniper-flavored herb soup and herb sauce. There was also fried pike, large tench, sturgeon, large trout, and carp, accompanied by little freshwater fish, olives, oranges, and lemons. There was a course of small squid sliced, ravioli and zest of lemon, with a spicy sauce. Scallops, winkles, oysters, sea truffles. On the nonfish items there were herbed omelettes made with more than 100 eggs each, an arrowroot tart, Lombard tarts. The fruit course had pink apples, pears, cheese from Piacenza, peeled almonds, g!
> raps, sultanas, and small plums, crisp, thin cakes, and punch made from brandy, cloves, and sugar. For sweets there were sugared almonds, angelica sweets, pears and peaches preserved in grappa, preserved pine nuts and aniseed.
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>Diners heard psalms sung at the beginning of the meal and were serenaded by lutes, viols, and cornets as they dined. Guests' departure and entrance were marked by woodwinds.
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>The information was found on pages 324-325 of this book, "Lucrezia Borgia," in the chapter "Lucrezia Triumphant."
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>There's a little more information in the book about how the kitchens were supplied at Ferrara, what they used, and what they grew and raised. Let me know if it's of interest to anyone, and I'll post it.
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>Gianotta
>
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Yes, I'd be very interested in this latter information, if it's not too 
much trouble....

Kiri