[Sca-cooks] une graunt mangerye -- a 13th century menu (Hieatt)

[emilio szabo]

In one of her articles, Constance B. Hieatt edits, comments on and translates a 
menu preserved in the Treatise of Walter of Bibbesworth (13th century). It is a 
wonderful article with many references to other menus of the time, a discussion 
of certain dishes, differences between the English and the French style etc etc:


Constance B. Hieatt: 
"Ore pur parler del array de une graunt mangerye": The Culture of the "Newe 
Get,", Circa 1285.
In: Acts of Interpretation. The text in its contexts 700-1600. Essays on 
Medieval and Renaissance Literature
in honor of E. Talbot Donaldson. Edited by Mary J. Carruthers and Elizabeth D. 
Kirk.
Norman, Oklahoma: Pilgrim Books 1982, 220-233.


On p. 233, the last page, she gives a modern translation of the passage:

"A fashionable yeoman who came from a great banquet has told us about the
feast, how their service was ordered. Without bread and wine and ale, no
one at a feast will be at ease, but there was plenty of all three on the side 
(or,
of choice varieties) he has told us. But it is worth knowing about the course
which they had first: the head of a boar, larded, with the snout well garlanded,
and enough for the whole household of venison fattened during the
closed season, served with frumenty. And then there was a great variety of
cranes, peacocks, and swans; kids, pigs, and hens. Then they had rabbits in
gravy all covered with sugar, Viaunde de Cypre and Mawmenny, red and
white wine in great plenty; and then quite a different multitude of roasts,
each of them set next to another: pheasants, woodcocks, and partridges;
fieldfares, larks, and roasted plovers; blackbirds and song,thrushes, and other
birds I cannot name; and fried meat, crisps, and fritters, with sugar mixed
with rosewater. And when the table was taken away, sweet spice powder
with the large dragee, maces, cubebs, cloves, and enough other spicery and
plenty of wafers. Now you have finished my discourse, for here in French
there are enough of many diverse matters, which you have completely
finished, gentlemen: I commend you all to the Son of God."


E.