Cookery Books

A Noble Boke of Cokery - $23.00
Richard Fitch. Constructed for King Henry VIII in the sixteenth century, the Tudor Kitchens at Hampton Court Palace are today home to a unique cookery project. Surviving recipes from the Renaissance are cooked again using reconstructions of Tudor kitchen equipment and the techniques of the past in an attempt to gain a better understanding of life in the Court of Henry VIII. Published here in paperback are the recipes used by the project cooks, enabling you to try them yourselves and gain a taste for history! 191pp. Pb.

A Sip Through Time - $28.00
Cindy Renfrow. Representative sampling of brewing recipes from earliest times to the present. Organized first by type of recipe, then chronologically. It has a bibliography and a list of sources. 326pp. Pb.

Apicius: Cookery and Dining in Imperial Rome - $19.00
Translated by Joseph Vehling. One of the earliest cookbooks in existance. Vehling is a professional chef, and gives a brilliant translation, and a helpful commentary giving what foods the Roamans ate, how they prepared them, and the highly developed state of the culinary arts in Imperial Rome. 200 pages of original recipes. 301pp. Pb.

The Boke of Keruynge - 1508 (The Book of Carving) -$31.00
Wynkyn de Worde. This book remains a major source of information on the serving and eating of meals and feasts in the great houses of the late medieval and early Tudor England. This reprint has the facsimile of the original text, with a modern interpretation facing each page. The book explains in detail the intricate rituals of setting and waiting at table, how to prepare the dishes to be served, and exactly what was eaten at different times of the year. This was written as an instruction manual for well-born boys as part of their early education. It also tells how o carve meat, fowls and fish and to sauce each dish with its appropriate accompaniments. Included is the chamberlain's duties in his lord's chamber, dreessing him and preparing him for church, and for bed. There is an interesting section on the order of precedence on feast days and great occasions. 122pp. Hb.

The Book of Edible Nuts - $29.00
Frederic Rosengarten Jr. This intriguing volume presents a rich feast including the natural history, cultivation, and use of nuts, with the added treat of recipes for appetizers, entrees, and desserts. The author chronicles the botany, ecology, and methods of cultivation for 30 different nuts, charting their role in the evolution of the world's food supply, their appearance in literature and historic documents, and the ways in which they are grown, harvested, and processed around the globe. The book is also a practical reference, featuring a bibliography, recipe index, glossary, and general index. Unabridged republication of the edition published by Walker and Company, New York, 1984. 416pp. Hb.

The Book of Marmalade - $28.00
C Anne Wilson. Here is everything you need to know about marmalade. Britain's foremost historian of food traces the history of this most British of preserves from its Roman and medieval antecedents, through its adoption in Tudor England, its development in Stuart and Georgian Britain, and its fortunes up to the present day. She tells how the Portuguese learned from the Moors to eat quince marmalade, and how its characteristic Arab flavorings enhanced its appeal to the Europeans. Marmalade's varied roles — as a gift, as a sweetmeat, as a medicine, and as an aphrodisiac - are all discussed. The book concludes with dozens of recipes, new and traditional, in which marmalade is the star ingredient. 184pp. Pb.

Cider: Making, Using & Enjoying Sweet & Hard Cider - $23.00
Annie Proulx & Lew Nichols. This handbooks shows you how simple it is to turn fruit into nature's most refreshing drink. Make blended and sparkling ciders. Build your own working apple press. Enhance your cooking with cider as an ingredient. Choose the right apple cultivar for the flavour you want. Plan and plant you home cider orchard. Plus interesting bits of history and lore shed light on cider's colourful past. 219pp. Pb.

Coffee and Coffeehouses - $34.00
Ralph Hattox. The early history of coffee, from its use in Sufi rituals to its wide-spread consumption in medieval Muslim coffeehouses. Well-written and informative. 170pp. Pb.

Cooking and Dining In Medieval England - $51.00
Peter Brears. Peter Brears was formerly director of the museums at York and Leeds and has worked all his life in the field of domestic history. He has written extensively on traditional foods and cookery and has supervised the reconstruction of several important historical kitchens, including those at Hampton Court, Ham House, Cowdray Castle and Belvoir Castle. This new work looks at the real mechanics of medieval food production and service, and the rituals and customs of dinner. He wishes to dispel the myth of medieval feasting as an orgy of gluttony and bad manners, usually provided with meat that has gone slightly off, masked by liberal additions of heady spices. A series of chapters looks at the cooking departments in large households: the counting house, dairy, brewhouse, pastry, boiling house and kitchen; and dealing with the kitchen equipment: fires, fuel, pots and pans, as well as recipes and types of food cooked. The recipes are those which have been used and tested by Brears in hundreds of demonstrations to the public and cooking for museum displays. Finally there are chapters on the service of dinner and the rituals that grew up around these. Here, Brears has drawn a wonderful strip cartoon of the serving of a great feast (the washing of hands, the delivery of napery, the tasting for poison, etc.) which will be of permanent utility to historical re-enactors who wish to get their details right. 557pp. Hb.

Early French Cookery - $59.00
D Eleanor Scully & Terrence Scully. This book introduces the general features of the food prepared for wealthy French households at the end of the Middle Ages. Over 100 recipes are presented, drawn from actual medieval manuscripts, together with preparation instructions. The authors help place these recipes in context through a short survey of medieval dining behavior, and they give practical menu suggestions for preparing simple meals or banquets that incorporate these dishes. Chapters include an overview of early French culinary traditions, foodstuffs that were used, and methods of preparation. Also discussed is the equipment of the kitchens and dining rooms, and characterizes those who prepared the food and those who consumed it. The recipes are set out in a modern format, with quantities given in both metric and standard U.S. measurements. The book concludes with a fascinating look at a day in the life of a contemporary master chef at a duke's court. Master Chiquart organizes the purchase, storage, preparation, and serving of the food consumed by a duke and his dozens of family members, courtiers, staff and servants. D. Eleanor Scully is an occasional lecturer at the Stratford Chef School and advisor to Wilfrid Laurier University on Medieval and Renaissance cooking and customs. Terence Scully is Professor of French Language and Literature, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario. 392pp. Pb.

Flans And Wine - $15.00
Brother William. A Benedictine recipe book from Evesham Abbey. 70pp. Pb.

Food In History - $34.00
Reay Tannahill. An enthralling world history of food from prehistoric times to the present. A favorite of gastronomes and history buffs alike, packed with intriguing information, lore, and startling insights--like what cinnamon had to do with the discovery of America, and how food has influenced population growth and urban expansion. 448pp. Pb.

The Good Housewife's Jewel - $58.00
Thomas Dawson, with introduction by Maggie Black. Originally published in 1596-7, this book is a link between earlier medieval traditions and the more elaborate renaissance fare. Transcribed in clear modern type and spelling, this remains a wonderful source of original recipes. Brief glossary. 160pp. Hb.

Home Cheese Making - $25.00
Ricki Carroll. Recipes for 75 homemade cheeses. There are also recipes for dairy products: including creme fraiche, sour cream and yoghurt; 60 recipes for cooking with cheese; tips from cheesemakers; and "cheesy" lore. 278pp. Pb.

Home Creamery - $25.00
Kathy Farrell-Kingsley. Simple instructions on how to turn your fresh sweet milk and cream into cultured dairy products (such as buttermilk and yoghurt), and soft, unripened cheeses like cream cheese, creme fraiche, mozzarella, goat cheese, and other dairy delights. Also included are 75 recipes from Cheese Blintzes to Chocolate Sour Cream Cake, using the dairy creations. 214pp. Pb.

Home Sausage Making - $25.00
Susan Mahnke Peery & Charles G Reavis. How-to techniques for making and enjoying 100 sausages at home. Even if you live in a small city apartment, you can easily make delicious, healthy, one-of-a-king sausages that are better than anything you'll find at the supermarket, or even the farmer's market. Two veteran sausage makers show you how to make savory Spanish Chorizo, garlicky Polish Kielbasa, Sweden's Potato Sausage, bratwurst, vegetarian sausage, and more. 283pp. Pb.

The Medieval Cookbook - $22.00
Maggie Black. This cookbook offers a selection of 50 recipes drawn from medieval manuscripts which have been adapted for the modern cook. Illustrated with scenes from medieval life, the dishes reflect the food eaten by many branches of society. The book ends with a section on herbs and medicines. 144pp. Pb.

The Medieval Kitchen - $35.00
Redon, Sabban, & Serventi. E. Schneider, translated. This book includes authentic, well-researched recipes which have been adapted for modern cooks with a discussion of each dish and an appendix with the original texts. Originally published in French as La gastronomie au Moyen Age. Recipes from France & Italy. 33 pp of notes and an historical overview. Original recipes, translations, and redactions. Sources list, bibliography. 300pp. Pb.

Pickled, Potted & Canned - $36.00
Sue Shephard. We may not give much thought to the boxes in our freezers or the cans on our shelves, but behind the story of food preservation is the history of civilization itself. The development of portable, preserved food enabled the great explorers to travel into the unknown and gradually map the planet, facilitated the conquest of new territories, and created routes for the expansion of trade and the exchange of knowledge and culture that opened up our world. In this book are woven together the stories of the inventors -- and inventions -- in a lively and richly detailed narrative that spans centuries and continents. From the primitive techniques of drying and salting to the latest methods that have allowed us to feed men in space, this gives us fascinating insights into the histories, cultures, and ingenuity of people inventing new ways to "cheat the seasons." 366pp. Pb.

Pleyn Delit (2nd Edition) - $39.00
Constance B Hieatt, Brenda M Hosington, & Sharon Butler. Revised Second Edition. Over 100 excellant clear recipes, with new material from Arabia, Catalonia and Italy. 192pp. Pb.

Take A Thousand Eggs or More (2 Volume Set)- $72.00
Cindy Renfrow. An excellent source for both the beginning medieval cook and the experienced redactor. Volume One contains original recipes followed by plain text modern English translations. Facing pages contain clear, usable modern recipes and comments. Volume Two contains over 400 original period recipes and straight English translations, but no reworkings. Also includes period feast menus, a brief discussion of redaction, a glossary of phrases, bibliography, and index. Vol One: 275pp, Vol Two: 600pp. Pb.

Take A Thousand Eggs or More (Vol 2)- $46.00
Cindy Renfrow. An excellent source for both the beginning medieval cook and the experienced redactor. Volume Two contains over 400 original period recipes and straight English translations, but no reworkings. Also includes period feast menus, a brief discussion of redaction, a glossary of phrases, bibliography, and index. Vol Two: 600pp. Spiral Bound.

Traditional Home Winemaking - $22.00
Paul & Ann Turner. Country winemaking with the dandelion, elderflower, parsnip, and dozens of other fruits and vegetables, as well as honey. 126pp. Pb.

The True History of Chocolate - $32.00
Sophie Coe and Michael Coe. A beautifully written, indexed and illustrated history of the Food of the Gods, from the Olmecs to present-day developments. It begins with the origins of the cacao tree and follows the story up to today's mass-produced chocolate candy. A detailed discussion of the advent of chocolate into the european scene, on the way debunking many of the common food history myths surrounding chocolate. 280pp. Pb.

War Fare - $35.00
Bonnie Feinberg & Marian Walke. This cookbook contains recipes from and remembrances of two people involved in two cook shops which served food during an annual medieval fair in Western Pennsylvania (Pensic War) over the course of many years. While not a scholarly work, the book is based on solid research into medieval recipes which have been updated for modern tastes and techniques. The result is a practical cookbook which also contains fun inside information on what it is like to participate in historical re-creation activities in the culinary realm. There are recipes for stews, vegetables, savory and sweet baked goods, breads, drinks, and more. 173pp. Pb.

Wild Game Cookbook - $15.00
John A Smith. This unique cookbook devoted exclusively to game makes it easy for hunters to prepare tantalizing soups, stews, casseroles, steaks, roasts, sauces, and more from dove, pigeon, duck, goose, partridge, woodcock, pheasant, quail, rabbit, venison, etc. 112 recipes for down-to-earth dishes to prepare in camp or at home. 137pp. Pb.