FlyerTalk Forums - The Forme of Cury

Only posted in case there are others who are similarly interested in ancient cookery books.

The Forme of Cury is one of the oldest known instructive cookery manuscripts in the English Language. It is believed to have been written at the end of the fourteenth century by the master-cooks of Richard II (1377 - 1399). The manuscript is in the form of a scroll made of vellum - a kind of fine calfskin parchment. It contains 196 or 205 recipes depending on the version being read. The word 'cury' is the Middle English word for 'cookery' from the French cuire " to cook".

The modern name was given to it by Samuel Pegge, who published an edition of it in 1791. This name has since come into usage for almost all versions of the original manuscript. Along with Le Viandier, it is the best-known medieval guide to cooking.

http://www.celtnet.org.uk/images/gro...nes-recipe.gif

Salad hasn't changed much .....

Quote:

Salad
Take parsley, sage, garlic, baby onions, onions, leeks, borage, mint, spring onionis, fennel and cresses, rue, rosemary, purslane, thyme and wash them clean. Pick them and tear them into small pieces with your hands and mix them well with raw oil. Pour over vinegar and salt and serve it forth.

.............. although the addition of rue is interesting ...... a potentially rather dangerous herb ......

Doughnuts seemed to be popular by a different name ...

Quote:

Crisps
Take fine white bread flour and mix it with white grease on the fire in a warming pan and pour the batter nicely through your fingers to this, or through a strainer and let it cool a little so that you can form a hole therein. And if you wish, colour it with alkenet, mixed in. Take it up and dust with sugar and serve it forth.

Celtnet version has the benefit of rough modern language alongside the original

Gutenberg version

Hope it's of interest ...... Gutenberg has a great collection of downloadable ancient cookery books for free .....