Subject: Re: Medieval Recipes

From: [email-masked] (Dr. Stephen Bloch)
Date: Mon, 29 Aug 1994 12:54:00 GMT

Rachel Fordyce <[email-masked]> wrote:
>I'm looking for some vegetarian / vegan recipes from the 11th - 16th Century.

I responded to Rachel by email with some specifics, but I thought I'd
add a more general note: vegetarian and even vegan recipes abound in the
cookbooks of medieval Christian Europe, usually preceded by the phrase
"When it is in Lent,..." or "On fasting days,..."  Many of these, of
course, are fish recipes, which won't satisfy most modern vegetarians,
but many  contain no animal products whatsoever.  For example, Platina's
De Honesta Voluptate gives a number of recipes based on lentils,
chickpeas, or fava beans, all of which should fill up the vegetarians
nicely, and those of these recipes that I've tasted were delicious.

--
                                                  Stephen Bloch
                                           [email-masked]
                                        Math/CS Dept, Adelphi University

---

From: [email-masked] (Meadhbhni)
Date: 29 Sep 1994 18:54:06 -0400

In article <[email-masked]>,
[email-masked] (Rachel Fordyce) writes:

there were a lot of medieval foods without meat (due to the large number
of feast days instituted by the church).  since you want vegan, i will
leave you a few that don't include eggs or cheese.

1.  Creamed Leeks
      2 bunches leeks, washed, trimmed and sliced
       2 tbsp. ground almonds
       2 tbsp. flour (instant blending prefered)
       2 cups water
       1 tsp salt

mix the almonds and flour to a paste with a little of the water and
gradually beat in the rest of the water. (a blender is best, but its not
too
difficult to do by hand).  bring to a boil, stirring, until the sauce is
very thick.  Add salt and sliced leeks and simmer for about 10 minutes.

2.  Cabbage stew
      1 head cabbage, cut in quarters or shredded
       2 onions, sliced thin or minced
       2-3 leeks, washed and chopped
       1/2 tsp salt (or less if broth is well seasoned)
        2 cups vegetable stock (original calls for beef stock but this
              shouldn't matter)
        1/8 tsp each:  cardamom and coriandor (ground)
       optional:  1 tsp sugar, pinch of saffron (scant).

bring all ingredients to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes (somewhat
less if the cabbage is shredded fine)>

both the above recipes are from:  "pleyn delit" by Constance Hieatt and
Sharon Butler.  the recipes are redacted from 14th and 15th century cook
books.

enjoy,  meadhbh