Here you find descriptions of books that are mentioned in
the recipes on this site. In the course of the years the number of books
mentioned has grown considerably, and I thought it would be a good thing to
present them all on one page.
If books are still available, I have placed a link to Amazon (.com of .fr).
These editions are not necessarily the same as the ones in my possession.
My own experiences with ordering books (and cd's/dvd's) online are excellent.
The orders have always arrived (although sometimes it took a while), and I have
up til now never had any unauthorized debits.
Recently I have started an Amazon associated Webshop,
where I have selected books on cooking and culinary history that I think are
worthwhile.
Apicius, The roman cookery book. A critical
translation of "The art of cooking" by Apicius, for use in the
study and kitchen. Barbara Flower and Elizabeth Rosenbaum (London,
1980, reprint edition 1958)
I love books that look good. This is one of such.
The edition presents the Latin version as edited by C.Giarratano and F.Volmer
in 1922, with a translation into English. Nearly half a century later this
is still one of the best translations of Apicius. For someone
inexperienced in preparing historical recipes this edition may be too
difficult. I suggest starting with the book of Patrick Faas.
This is not the only edition of De Re Coquinaria. The critical
edition by Mary Ellen Milham (Teubner, 1969) is excellent, but present
only the Latin text without translation. There is also an online
edition of the Latin text, without notes and translation, and without
specification of the source of the Latin text.
See the recipes for Roman Mussels
and Patina
with quail and asparagus.
Grocock
and Grainger, Apicius. A critical edition with an introduction and an
English translation of the Latin recipe text Apicius Prospect Books, 2006.
Another lovely book by Prospect Books. A joy to look at and feel it in
your hand. But more important than that is the content of the book, which
is invaluable. The Latin text is presented with the readings in different
manuscripts, the translation is accompanied by notes on the practical side
of the recipes, there's a glossary, a concordance of the recipes with
earlier editions, and the edition of the Vinidarius text, which seems to
be an independent colllection of recipes. This is not a cheap book, but
it's worth every penny.
See the recipes for Roman apricots
and
Roman broccoli
L'art de la cuisine française au XVIIe siècle.
(Paris, 1995).
Three works are collected in this volume: L.S.R., L'Art de bien traiter;
Pierre de Lune, Le cuisinier; Audiger, La maison réglée.
There is a short introduction, then the texts are presented without
comment or notes. There is a "Dossier" with s concise
glossary, measures, and short overview of the developments in the French
cuisine from the Middle Ages to the present, and six adapted recipes that
are presented complete with picture.
The three historic texts are not just cookbooks. You'll find directions on
how to organize several kinds of dinners, suppers, picnics. If you wonder
what the tasks were for a groom or parlour maid look in La maison réglée.
See the recipe for Salmon in red
winesauce.
T. Austin,
Two fifteenth Century Cookery-Books.Harleian ms.279 (ab.1430), &
Harl.ms.4016 (ab1450), with extracts from Ashmole ms.1439, Laud ms.553, &
Douce ms.55. Reprint Oxford University Press, 2000 (or. 1888),digital
edition.
A very civilized brown linen cover with simple gold lettering. A library
filled with books like this would have a very sophisticated look! A pity
that the paper used is too white, it looks like ordinary copying paper.
This is a reprint from the 1888 edition of two complete cookbooks from the
fifteenth century, extended with some recipes from other related
manuscripts.
De inleiding gaat in op de historische achtergrond van de in beide mss genoemde
banketten. Zo kun je o.a. lezen hoe het eraan toeging tijdens de kroning van
Hendrik IV in 1399, en wat er gegeten werd. Achterin staat een glossarium annex
index. Het is grappig om te zien hoeveel dichter het Engels in de vijftiende
eeuw bij het Nederlands stond, zo is er sprake van "boter",
"conyng" (konijn), "eiren" (eieren), "neme"
(nemen).
Zie ook Cindy Renfrow.
Zie de recepten voor Aardbeienpudding
en Appelflappen.
Phyllis
Pray Bober, Art, Culture & Cuisine. Ancient and Medieval Gastronomy.Un. of Chicago Press, 1999.
The hardcover version of this book is very soigné, a joy to handle.
In this richly illustrated book Bober follows the evolution of the art of
cooking through the ages, from prehistoric times to the Middle Ages, using
archeological and art-historical sources. The book concludes with a section of
selected recipes for each period. Thus, when you have become curious you can
prepare a prehistoric meal, a meal from ancient Greece or mesopotamy, a Greek
'deipnon', a Roman 'convivium', or a meal from the Middle Ages.
There is an extensive biography, as well as notes and an index. The recipes
weren't indexed, but that is the only small flaw in an otherwise great book.,
uitgebreide bibiografie, en index. De recepten zijn niet geïndexeerd, maar dat
is maar een heel klein ongemak.
See the recipe for Roman Mussels.
Andrew Dalby, Cato: On Farming / De Agricultura. Prospect
Books, 1998.
Affordable edition of Cato's instructions on how to run a farm in the vicibity
of Rome during the secon century befor Christ. Bilingual: Latin on the left,
English on the right.
Terence Scully, 'Du fait de cuisine, par Maistre
Chiquart 1420. In: Vallesia. Bulletin annuel de la Bibliothèque et des
Archives cantonales du Valais, des Musées de Valère et de la Majorie[...]
vol. XL (1985), pp.101/231.
This is the edition of the only extant manuscript of this delightful cookbook (S
103 of the library Supersaxo, in the Bibliothèque cantonale of Wallis, in Sion).
The French edition contains the original text, with notes and glossary. One year
later Scully published an English translation, Chiquart's "On Cookery". A
fifteenth century Savoyard culinary treatise.(American
University Studies Series, IX : History, Vol 22). Another English
translation (without notes or glossary) by Elizabeth Cook can be found
here. See recipe for Jacobin sops.
Nicole Crossley-Holland,
Living and dining in medieval Paris, Cardiff, 1996.
Based on the old-French Le
Ménagier de Paris Crossley-Holland describes extensively all the
culinary ins and outs of a well-to-do fourteenth century Parisian household. It
is well written (and illustrated in bl&w). In one of the appendices she actually
manges to put a name to the up til now anonymous 'goodman of Paris'. I also love
the appendix on the street cries of Parisian salesmen and women that are
incorporated in the song 'Voulez ouyr les cris de Paris' by Clément Janequin
(c.1485-1558). I love this book.
See the recipe for Mustard and Hypocras.
Henriëtte Davidis, Keukenboek. 1868,
2d impr. (1st impr. 1867). Dutch adaptation of the eleventh impr. of the Praktisches
Kochbuch (1st impr. 1844). On the internet you can find an edition
of the German orginal and of the American
edition of 1897.
My volume has been rebound by a previous owner. It has lost not only its
oroginal cover, but also the title page. On the picture see what the book
looks like now.
The contents of the cook book are definitely worthwhile. It has recipes
and directions for almost everything, including a detailed description on
how to prepare your table for a dinner party, with the differences between
service à la Française and service à la Russe,
You can find an edition
of the German original (1844) of this cook book, as well as an The
first American edition (1897).
See the recipe for Capon à la braise
with caper sauce.
Alan
Davidson, The Oxford Companion to Food, Oxford University Press, 1999.
A standard work of great value. Davidson devoted twenty years of his life to it,
and 80% of the work is written by himself. Who nowadays still has the erudition
and devotion to compose an encyclopaedic work such as this practically by
himself? It contains not only entries on ingrediënts, but also in regiobnal and
international cuisines, persons of culinary-historical interest and other
subjects on culinary history. Also information on non-western ingrediënts.
I prefer this work to the Larousse Gastronomique. The Larousse is VERY
French-centered, and contains too many recipes imo. In an encyclopaedia I want
information. If I want recipes I'll grab a cookbook.
Auguste
EscoffierMa
Cuisine. Escoffier voor iedereen. H&S,
Utrecht, 1988 (oorspr. 1934).
"Escoffier for everybody" is the subtitle of the Dutch edition. Well,
that is rather optimistic. The instructions are clearly for experienced
cooks, beginners may have trouble interpretating the recipes. And not
everybody will be able to afford some of the ingredients used. On p.652
three of the four recipes require truffles, two of them in great
quantities (Salade Jockey-Club: Mix equal parts asparagus tips,
truffle- and chicken-julienne. Make the vinaigrette and add 1 or 2
tablespoons mayonnaise just before serving).
The Dutch edition is from 17 years ago. There is an English edition from
2000 that is out of print (ed. John Wiley & Sons Inc.), and a recent
French edition I have yet to find. The
other, more well-known cookbook of Escoffier,
The Complete Guide to the Art of Modern Cookery or Guide Culinaire, is still easily
available in various editions.
See the recipe for Soufflés.
P.C.P. Faas, Around the
Table of the Romans: Food and Feasting in Ancient Rome(Palgrave McMillan 2002),
Originally published in Dutch as Rond de tafel der Romeinen (Domus,
Diemen, 1994) - the cover on the left is from this edition.
I haven't seen the English translation, so I can't say much about that or
the book as an object. In Dutch it has nice pendrawings, but some pictures
of Roman kitchens, utensils etc. would have been nice.
The book offers information on the development of the Roman kitchen, meal,
utensils, ingredients, and a lot of recipes. Many recipes are from
Apicius, but there are also other sources. What is great is that Faas
offers the recipes in the original Latin, a translation, and a modern
adaptation. That is exactly how it should be.
See the recipe for Patina
with quail and asparagus.
Hannah Glasse, "First catch your hare". The art of cookery made plain
and easy. A facsimile edition, supplemented by the recipes which the
author added up to the fifth edition and furnished with a Preface,
Introductory Essays by Jennifer Stead and Priscilla Bain, a Glossary by Alan
Davidson, Notes, and an Index. Prospect Books, 1995. The edition from 1747.
Online edition of the edition from 1774.
Another one of Prospect Books' beautiful editions, a large book (apparantly
the original was large too). Although eighteenth century English is fairly
easy to understand, it is not easy to reproduce some of the recipes. The
glossary is not always enough. But on the whole this is a gem of a book.
The Goodman of Paris.
A Treatise on moral and domestic economy by a citizen of Paris, c.1393.
Translation Eileen Power. Woodbridge, 2006 (re-edition of 1928).
This edition of the ménagier de Paris is not the best ever. First of
all, it is based upon the first 'modern' edition of the Oldfrench text from
1846 by Pichon. But Pichon based his edition on the manuscripts of
the Ménagier creating an amalgam of readings and forms from all
three. Moreover that edition is full of misreadings and 'corrections'. And
Power has also left out or shortened parts of the text, including many
recipes (242 of the 380 recipes are missing), thus getting even further removed from the original Oldfrench text.
(See also Le mesnagier de Paris)
On the other hand, this edition presents some recipes that are
missing in the edition of Brereton en
Ferrier. It concerns recipes that can be found in a later addition to one of
the manuscripts of the Ménagier, so they are not part of the
original.
But this edition is cheap, and if you don't read French it is better than
nothing. There is
a more recent translation of the edition of Pichon in English online,
but it's incomplete, just the recipes.
See the recipe for
Mustard and Hypocras.
Maria Haezebroek, De
hedendaagsche kookkunst, of de wetenschap van lekker en goedkoop te eten
en te drinken [...] ('The art of contemporary cooking or the
science of eating and drinking good and cheap [...]'), Gouda, z.j. (1892), 9th,
ameliorated and extended edition.
There is a modern facsimile edition of the 2nd impression from 1851 that
you can find easily on the net (modern editor Van Goor & Zonen,
1975). They appear to be almost two completely different books. Not only
has the 9th impr. more than double the amount of pages (384 to 155), but the
whole setup is completely changed. The 9th impr. leans heavily on the Keukenboek from Henriette Davidis. Having both
versions enables to see the development in cooking techniques in four
decennia. Just compare the recipe for lemon jelly, that is prepared with
fish glue (isinglass) in the 2nd impr. (p.91), but with gelatine in the 9th
impr.
(p.131).
See the recipe for Herbsoup with potato
balls.
Jean-Claude Hein, Deux siècle de cuisine. Héritage de l'Isle de France,
Mauritice, 2001. This book is not on sale anywhere ouside of the pacific
region, the link is to a bookshop on Réunion.
The book as an object is large and heavy (418 pp in small letterfont), with
two bookmarkers. And you'll use those markers, because there is so much
information in this book that you'll easily forget where you found
something. There's an introdiction with an extensive description of all
kinds of ingredients (with some interesting glossaries in French, English,
Creole and occasionally Hindi), a history of spices, and of curry (the spice
mixture and the dish), and lots, lots more. A real treasure trove of
information that is not just interesting for those who want to know about
Maurician cuisine. And of course there are many, many recipes.
See the recipes for Vindaye en
Moutayes.
Constance
B. Hieatt and Sharon Butler, Curye on Inglysch. English culinary manuscripts
of the fourteenth century (Including the 'Forme of Cury'), Oxford, 1985.
Beautiful book, but the cover is a bit boring. However, it's what inside
that counts, and that is very worthwhile. No less than five fourteenth
century cookbooks are described and edited here, including the well-known
'Forme of cury'. 'Cury' is not to be mistaken for 'curry', it means 'to
prepare, to cook'. With five manuscripts there are a lot of duplicate (or
even 'multiplicate') recipes, because no one had problems with plagiarism in
those days. For those of you who understand Dutch it is amusing to see how
English in those days had in common with Dutch. Examples: In Diuersa
Cibaria 'cinnamon' is called 'kanel' (Dutch: 'kaneel'), 'it tastes' is
'hit smacche' (Dutch: 'het smaakt'), and 'take' is 'nym' (Dutch: 'neem').
This book contains editions of the original cookbooks with a glossary. There
are no adapted recipes. Those can be found in another book from Hieatt,
Butler and Hosington, Pleyn Delit.
Medieval cookery for modern cooks
Ian Kelly,
Cooking for Kings, The life of Antonin Carême, the first celebrity chef.Short Books, 2003.
I haven't seen the more recent editions, but this first edition has been
designed with care, although not entirely to my taste.
This biography of the "first celebrity chef" of France is very
readable and nicely illustrated. In the biography of cook there aught to
be some recipes, and indeed, there are! The author mentions where and when
the dishes were prepared, but not in what cookbook of Carême these
recipes have been printed. Nor does he present us with the original recipe
(in French or as a translation). Some of the recipes: the four classic
sauces on which according to Carême all other sauces are based (Sauce Béchamel, Velouté, Allemande en
Espagnol), a soup of puréed garden peas, salmon à la Rothschild, of
course with lots of champagne and truffles, and a bavarois with walnuts.
The book has a bibliography, but not an index.
See the recipe for Soufflés.
Barbara
Ketcham Wheaton, Savouring the Past. The French kitchen and table from 1300
to 1789 (reprint 1996).
The picture of the cover is from my Dutch edition, I haven't seen the
English one.
An interesting volume on the development of the French "haute
cuisine" and sociological and historical aspects from the Middle Ages
to the French Revolution. Well written, aptly illustrated in black and
white, and an extensive bibliography. A nice extra are the recipes at the
end of the book (original texts without translations but with modern
adaptations). Suggestion: prepare a period dish to eat while reading each
chapter.
See the recipe for Crème brûlée.
François Pierre La Varenne, Le cuisinier françois d'apres l'édition de 1651,
Facsimile edition of the first edition, with preface by Philip en Mary Hyman. (Houilles, 2002).
A book from Manucius Publishers, from a series of facsimiles of French
cookbooks. To be perfectly honest: the books aren't much to look at. The
leaves are glued, not bound, the cover is too thin and pliable, prefaces in
the series are very concise. But be that as it is, the merits are that
thanks to these editions we have several old cookbooks at our disposal, some
editions even have an index and a glossary.
Le cuisinier françois was a bestseller, the first really innovative
cookbook since the Middle Ages. The contents are ordered systematically:
soups, entrées, roasts, side dishes, al this repeated thrice for meat days,
fish days and lean days. A lot of dishes can be found in more than one
section, with varieties for meat or fish days, or for fish and lean days. A
few years after publication it received a lot of criticism, but it was this
book that started the avalanche of cookbooks in the second half of the
seventeenth century.
Recipe: Royal Peas.
François Pierre la Varenne, The french cook. Englished by I.D.G. 1653. Edition
of the English translation of Le cuisinier françois from 1653 in modernised
English, with a preface by Philip and Mary Hyman.
This is a lovely book to hold in your hand, beautiful type page too.
The English translation appeared very early, just one year after the French
original was firstpublished (in 1651). The translation was based on the
second French edition from 1652 that had been augmented by an alphabetical
index and a treatise on preserving fruit. The anonymous translator kept
close to the original text.
Recipe: Royal Peas.
François Pierre La Varenne, The French Cook; The French Pastry Chef; The
French Confectioner A modern English translation and commentary by
Terence Scully. (Prospect Books, 2006). Uses the second edition from 1652.
This most recent edition of La Varenne is a work of art. It is a translation
into modern English from the French originals. Bound in blue linen, nice
dustcover. Just one little thing (just to grumble about something): the
head- and footbands are slightly askew. Pity, that.
First there's an introduction on La Varenne, his three books and French
cuisine in the seventeenth century. Then follow the translations of the
French Cook, Pastry Chef and Confectioner, with commentary, and numerous
references to Escoffier. Then there are six appendices, five glossaries and
one treatise on folding napkins by Mattia Gieger, translates from Italian,
to clarify La Varennes instructions.
Recipe: Royal Peas.
Livres en
Bouche. Cinq siècles d'art culinaire francais, du quatorzième au dix-huitième
siècle
(Paris,2001)
This is the catalogue of an exhibition in the Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal
in Paris from November 21 2001 to February 17 2002. Here you could admire
the famous recipe-roll of the Viandier, and many other manuscripts,
incunabula and other original volumes of famous cookbooks and treatises on
food.
Let me tell you, as medievalist and codicologist I was absolutely drooling
at the sight of these volumes (a good thing they were behind glass).
The richly illustrated catalogue also has some essays by Philip and Mary Hyman, Jean-Louis Flandrin
and Silvano Serventi.
See the recipe for Crème brûlée.
Maestro Martino, Libro de Arte Coquinaria.
Octavo Editions, 2005. Not a paper edition, but a cd-rom. There are introductory
articles by Alice Waters (on Martino), Gilian Riley
(on the Renaissance cuisine), Bruno Laurioux (on the manuscripts) and Paul
Shaw (on the writing). The Italian text is in facsimile, the writing is
fairly readable. The English translation is oppisite the Italian original,
with no explanatory footnotes. There's a concise glossary). A nice edition,
but I still prefer a printed edition.
(Maestro Martino)
L. Ballerini and J. Parzen, The Art of Cooking: The First Modern Cookery Book (California Studies in Food and Culture)(Libro de arte coquinaria by
Maestro
Martino). Unversity of California Press, 2005. This
edition only offers an English translation, not the Italian original, but it
does offer several recipes from the Cuoco
Napoletano and the Libro de cosina that can't be found in the Libro de arte coquinaria.
There are also fifty adapted recipes that sometimes deviate significantly
from the original (like the egg dish that is changed from sweet to savoury
because that is more "in keeping with modern tastes" p.181). But thanks to
the translation one can check the original recipe, even though the adapted
versions do not refer to the translated text.
Harold
McGee, On Food and Cooking: The science and lore of the kitchen. 2004
(2nd, improved edition)
I have only a Dutch translation from the first edition, from 1992 (see the
cover on the left). It is a standard reference book on culinary science. You
should buy it, really. Not only for the information, I find this
encyclopaedic work is just a plaesure to read.
Jennifer McLagan, Bones. Recipes, history, & Lore,
New York, 2005.
Some bookcovers make my mouth water, this is one of them. The material
inside (slopy lay-out, cheep looking paper) does not live up to the cover,
but the content does. Lots and lots of information and recipes of bones of
al kinds of animals.
Le Mesnagier de Paris.
Text edition Georgina E. Brereton and Janet M. Ferrier, translation (in modern
French) Karin
Ueltschi. Paris, 1994.
A book with small pages, but a lot of them, no less than 860 to be exact. It
contains the original Oldfrench edition by Brereton and Ferrier (from 1981)
and a parallel translation in modern French. If you don't read French this
won't be of any help, but if you do, you'll have a very affordable edition
of one of the nicest non-literary works from the Middle Ages. (And if you
don't, there's an English translation)
The introduction is short and to the point. There's a limited glossary
(Oldfrench/French) and alphabetical indeices of recipes (but not of
ingredients) and names.
The original edition by Brereton and Ferrier (Le Menagier de
Paris, Oxford, 1981) has a comprehensive introduction in English and a
glossary (Oldfrench/English) that also functions as index. So I'll keep my
photocopied copy of that edition. (more on
the Ménagier).
Zie het recept voor Mustard and
Hypocras, Verjuice,
Marrow pasties.
Nawal Nasrallah, Annals of the
Caliphs'Kitchens. Ibn Sayyār al-Warrāq's Tenth-Century Baghdadi Cookbook.
English translation with introduction and glossary. Brill,
Leiden/Boston, 2007.
A beautiful, but very expensive book. However, you get value for your money.
Including the indices the book has 867 pages, of which over 250 contain an
Arab-English glossary with lots of information on culinary and medical
terms. Just one flaw: this glossary is dived into categories. If you do not
know the meaning of an Arabic word, you'll have to search in all categories.
The translation of the tenth century cookbook of al-Warrāq is provided with
explanatory notes, the introduction gives a solid background on the textual
and culinary history of the Abbassid cuisine. There are 35 beautiful colour
plates. See the recipe for Mulahwaja.
R. Jansen-Sieben
and M.
van der Molen Willebrands, Een notabel
boecxken van cokeryen. Het eerste gedrukte Nederlandstalige kookboek circa
1514 uitgegeven te Brussel door Thomas Vander Noot. Bezorgd en van
commentaar voorzien door [...].
Amsterdam, 1994.
This edition is available on the Internet,
complete with English introduction. I have a photocopy of the edition, not
the original. The glossary is only in Dutch. There is also a
facsimile-edition, from Martinus Nijhoff in 1925, which I am happy to have
on my bookshelves.
See the recipes
for Stuffed eggs and Clareit.
Platina,
On Right Pleasure and Good Health.
Critical edition and translation of De Honesta Voluptate et Valetudine
by Mary Ella Milham. Med.&Ren. Texts & Studies vol.168,
Tempe/Arizona, 1998.
This robust book is an excellent critical edition and translation of De honeste voluptate
[...]. The author has attempted to reconstruct the lost autograph (ca.
1465), using the oldest extant manuscript from 1468. The reconstructed
version is presented in Latin with the translation in English on the
opposite pages.
The introduction to the edition starts with a decription of Platina's life
and works, and continues with an analysis of De honesta voluptate and
its textual history.
See the recipe for Heavenly blue sauce.
O.
Redon, F. Sabban and S.Serventi, La Gastronomie au Moyen Age. 150
recettes de France et d'Italie. Ed. Stock, 1995 (1991). This is the first of three volumes "La gastronomie au ...".
This volume has also been translated into English (The Medieval Kitchen: Recipes from France and Italy).
The recipes are for the most part taken from two sources, the Ménagier de Paris
and the Libro de arte coquinaria (69 of the 150 recipes), but there
are also recipes from other sources. The presentation is as it should be:
original recipe, translation in modern French (or English), commentary and
modern adaptation. There are three sections with full colour illustrations.
This book is great for everyone who wants to get started on preparing
medieval meals seriously.
See the recipe for Heavenly blue sauce.
Maxime Rodinson, A.J. Arberry, Charles Perry,
Medieval Arab
Cookery. Essays and Translations. Prospect Books,
2001.
According to my edition this is the first edition, but when I look online
I see editions with the same ISBN code from 1998. I wonder how this is
possible. However, this is a beautiful book, solid cover and binding,
designed with taste. And the content! If -like me- you have no
knowledge of the Arab language or alphabet, you are 100% dependent on what
has been translated. In this collection of articles there are editions of
several Arab cookbooks from the thirteenth to fifteenth century, and
several interesting essays. Most of these have been published before, but
is great to have them all in one cover.
Do not expect to be able to start cooking with this book on the kitchen
top. The recipes are translated, but not adapted. But if you are
persistent enough, you'll be surprised at the culinary delights hidden in
this book.
See the recipe for Arab meatballs
and pasties.
F.
Sabban en S. Serventi, La gastronomie au Grand Siècle. 100 recettes de
France et d'Italie Ed. Stock, (1998).
The last book from the series La gastronomie au ..., with recipes
from the seventeenth century, the period in which great changes took place
in French cuisine. Until the middle of this century the cookbooks were
mainly filled with adapted medieval recipes, but in the second half the
pace was so great that cookbooks of merely ten years old were already
considered obsolete.
As is the case in the other volumes the recipes are presented in their
original form, as translation in modern French, and as a modern
adaptation. As far as I know there is no English version of this book
available.
For some reason there aren't many modern editions of aeventeenth century
cookbooks, which makes this volume so valuable. There is just one draw
back: it is out of print.
See the recipe forPetit pois à la
crème and Crème brûlée.
Bartolomeo Scappi, Opera
dell'arte del cucinare. Saggio introduttivo di Giancarlo Roversi. Ed.
Arnaldo Forni, 2002.
Great facsimile edition, in two volumes. Of course, if your grasp of modern
Italian is as tenuous as mine, reading sixteenth century Italian poses an
even bigger challenge.
There are more than thousand recipes in here, and also 28 lovely engravings
showing several kitchens and kitchen utensils, plus a very interesting
engraving of the serving of food to cardinals during a conclave. The dishes
were scrutinized, then passed through rotating cupboards, because the
cardinals were forbidden all contact with the outside world until the new
pope was chosen.
This facsimile edition is hard to find. There is also an
online facsimile edition.
See the recipes for
tortellini in
brodo, broccoli.
Terence
Scully The Opera of Bartolomeo Scappi (1570): L'arte et prudenza d'un maestro
cuoco University of Toronto press, 2008.
I am so happy! At last there is an English translation of this Italian
masterpiece, by Terence
Scully (who also translated the three books of François La Varenne). The
introduction gives us the historical background for the person and cook
Bartolomeo Scappi. There are explanatory notes to the translation, and as
appendix the description by Scappi of the funeral of pope Paul III and the
following conclave in 1549. The engravings for which this book is
especially famous are also reproduced, in a slightly smaller size than in
the facsimile edition. The book ends with an extensive biography and
several thematic indices. Only (small) drawback is that the original
Italian was not printed side by side to the translation. But that's where
the facsimile edition has its use.
See the recipes for
tortellini in
brodo, broccoli.
De verstandige kock, of sorghvuldige huys houdster(anonymus) from 1668.
Facsimile edition with an introduction by Joop Witteveen. De KAN, Amsterdam, 1993.
A modest booklet. De text of the Verstandige kock has been
reproduced as it was printed in 1668, complete with gothic alphabet. This
will make it difficult to read for most people, but don't give up, after
a while you'll find it getting more and more easy to read, including the
"long s". The text is presented without any comment. However, if
you ever come across a volume, it is worth acquiring.
There is an English translation by Peter
G. Rose, The Sensible Cook. Dutch Foodways in the Old and the New World.
This edition does not offer the original 17th century Dutch text, but it
does contain a complete translation, and two dozen adapted recipes.
See the recipes for Meatballs in head
lettuce and Medieval wafers
with cream.
E. Cockx-Indestege, Eenen nyeuwen coock boeck. Kookboek samengesteld door
Gheeraert Vorselman en gedrukt te Antwerpen in 1560, Wiesbaden, 1971.
For years all I had was a copied version of this edition, but finally I have
acquired the book itself. It has been designed with great taste, and the
book is a real pleasure to handle. The colophon states that only 750 copies
were printed and it will not be reprinted.
Of the original Nyeuwen cock boeck ('New cookbook') only one copy has
been preserved. In the introduction to the edition of this unique text
you'll find a history of the woodcarving that is used as frontispiece, and a
valuable chapter with descriptions of words that are missing in the Middelnederlandsch
Woordenboek and the Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Then
there's the concordance of sources (mainly Platina, but also Taillevent, Martino,
Vander Noot, Wel ende Edelike
Spise- later Braekman will add another source: the first
part of the convolute KANTL Gent 15.
The glossary/index is extensive and full of information.
It is a great pity that this edition is so hard to find.
See the recipe for Heavenly blue sauce
and Verjuice.
Anne Willan,
Great
Cooks and their Recipes. From Taillevent to Escoffier.
Bulfinch Press (first Am. edition), 1992.
Beautiful book. In fourteen chapters fourteen cooks are described. Indeed, from
fourteenth century Taillevent to twentieth century Escoffier. Each chapter
starts with a short biography and a characterization of the cook and his/her
signifance, and presents enough recipes to be enable serving a complete meal
with recipes à la Varenne or Isabella Beeton. Willan presents all recipes in a
sometimes slightly adapted translation of the original recipe, but does not
specify the source of the recipe. However, the adaptations are very workable.
The book is richly illustrated, mostly in full colour. The pictures of some of
the prepared dishes are moutwatering. In short: absolutely worthwhile. The book
was reprinted in 2000.
See the recipe for Soufflés.
Joop Witteveen and Bart Cuperus,
Bibliotheca Gastronomica. Eten en drinken in Nederland en België
1474-1960. (Food and drink in the Netherlands and Belgium
1474-1960)Amsterdam, 1998. (2 vols.)
This beautiful standard work (with cd-rom) is a real treasure trove on every
and any publication concerning food and beverages that have been publicized
in the Netherlands and Belgium from the end of the Middle Ages until 1960.
The BG has introducions in Dutch, English, French and German, and has
registries on subject matter, land of origin, editors by location and by
name, and language. The cd-rom contains not only the BG, but also 2206
images of covers and frontispieces.
The Bibliotheca Gastronomica is not cheap, but worth every penny.
, for use in the
study and kitchen. Barbara Flower and Elizabeth Rosenbaum (London,
1980, reprint edition 1958)
. Prospect
Books, 1998.
(Paris,2001)
.
Octavo Editions, 2005. Not a paper edition, but a cd-rom. There are introductory
articles by Alice Waters (on Martino), Gilian Riley
(on the Renaissance cuisine), Bruno Laurioux (on the manuscripts) and Paul
Shaw (on the writing). The Italian text is in facsimile, the writing is
fairly readable. The English translation is oppisite the Italian original,
with no explanatory footnotes. There's a concise glossary). A nice edition,
but I still prefer a printed edition.
(Libro de arte coquinaria by
Maestro
