[Sca-cooks] A Thyme and Place: Medieval Feasts and Recipes for the Modern Table

[Johnna Holloway]

Recently complaints were made about the new 2016 volume A Thyme and Place: Medieval Feasts and Recipes for the Modern Table by Lisa Graves and Tricia Cohen.

My copy arrived this week and the book is not bad for what it is. It's a popular cookbook with a medieval slant. It is just not a rigorously researched volume devoted to 100% historical adaptations complete with original recipes, adapted recipes, working notes, sources, bibliography, photographs, etc. I don't think it was ever meant to be such a volume, and we shouldn't judge it as lacking anything. (Simply put and members of SCA Cooks will understand that it's more MP Cosman than Constance Hieatt. It's not a private small press or on demand press publication put out for SCA members.)

The description at Skyhorse Publications does a pretty good job of describing the book accurately. Here, read this:

"With gorgeous and whimsical hand-drawn illustrations from beginning to end, A Thyme and Place is both a cookbook and a history for foodies and history buffs alike. Cohen and Graves revive old original medieval recipes and reimagine and modify them to suit modern palates and tastes. Each recipe is tied directly to a specific calendar holiday and feast so you can learn to cook:

• Summer harvest wine with elder flower, apples, and pears for St. John’s Day (June 21st)
• Wee Matilda’s big pig fried pork balls with sage for Pig Face Day (September 14th)
• Roasted goose with fig glaze and bannock stuffing for Michaelmas (September 29th)
• Peasant duck ravioli and last of the harvest chutney for Martinmas (November 11th)
• And many more!

Accompanied by juicy fun facts and tidbits, these recipes will revive your inner period cook and allow you to impress your guests with obscure medieval knowledge. Keep the old culinary traditions of the Middle Ages alive, whip up some bellytimber, and fill the dinner table with food and friends at your next house banquet."
http://skyhorsepublishing.com/titles/396-9781510702530-thyme-and-place

Ok, now why would one expect 100 % historical accuracy in a  cookbook where the recipes are titled "Right-as-rain apple pastries,"  "Wee Matilda’s big pig fried pork balls," "Girdle crackers," "Pagan Pancakes," "Saintly Fall Fritters," and "Silence of the Lamb Stew"? I certainly wouldn't expect it to be anything more than what it is. It's fun, it's light, and it's colorful with quick notes or descriptions about the chosen holidays and interspersed with these funny titled but appealing recipes. (NB-I have not cooked from any of the recipes, but at several glances, they look like they would work and taste good.) As a librarian, I would certainly buy or consider adding it to a middle school or high school collection, especially if the music department had an interest in madrigal dinners or medieval fairs. It's also very suitable for a general public library collection. It's just not an academic volume but then again Skyhorse Publishing is not an academic or university press. The book at 141 plus pages is priced by the way at $16.95 hardcover, making it a rather inexpensive purchase these days. (Academic volumes on food are regularly running $60-$80 these days. It's just $11.72 on Amazon.)

For more information, see the description at Skyhorse or take a look at Amazon. The co-author and illustrator Lisa Graves's website is <https://historywitch.com> and the two authors are on Facebook at "Deconstructing History: One Bite at a Time."

Johnnae