Pleyn Delit: Medieval Cookery for Modern Cooks by Constance B. Hieatt and Sharon Butler and Brenda Hosington

  • Brie tart (Tart de bry) (page 1)

    from Pleyn Delit: Medieval Cookery for Modern Cooks Pleyn Delit by Constance B. Hieatt and Sharon Butler and Brenda Hosington

    • Categories: Pies, tarts & pastries; Appetizers / starters; Vegetarian
    • Ingredients: pastry tart shells; eggs; Brie cheese; ground ginger
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Notes about this book

  • robm on March 14, 2023

    A fabulous book on medieval cookery by a group of women in Toronto, all medieval scholars, who formed a potluck club to cook the old recipes they had been studying. The original recipes are shown, followed by the modernized versions and instructions. The food sounds delicious; those must have been some great potluck dinners! Contrary to what modern people believe, there was great food and cooking in antiquity in the Old World, and many dishes, as can be seen from this and other historic cookbooks, are still being eaten today! One note – in the introductory section on ingredients the authors appear mystified by a thickening ingredient called "amydon." It seems to be wheat starch, a product no longer much used in Western cooking but still used in Chinese and Japanese kitchens and available in East Asian markets with the other starches. I'm not sure it's any better than corn or rice starch, though. "Amydon" survives in Spanish as "almidón' (starch).

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  • ISBN 10 0802006787
  • ISBN 13 9780802006783
  • Published Feb 14 1996
  • Format Hardcover
  • Page Count 210
  • Language English
  • Edition 2nd Revised edition
  • Countries Canada
  • Publisher University of Toronto Press
  • Imprint University of Toronto Press

Publishers Text

This is a completely revised edition of the classic cookbook that makes genuine medieval meals available to modern cooks. Using the best recipes from the first edition as a base, Constance Hieatt and Brenda Hosington have added many new recipes from more countries to add depth and flavour to our understanding of medieval cookery. All recipes have been carefully adapted for use in modern kitchens, thoroughly tested, and represent a wide range of foods, from appetizers and soups, to desserts and spice wine. They come largely from English and French manuscripts, but some recipes are from sources in Arabia, Catalonia and Italy. The recipes will appeal to cordon-bleus and less experienced cooks, and feature dishes for both bold and timourous palates.The approach to cooking is entirely practical. The emphasis of the book is on making medieval cookery accessible by enabling today's cooks to produce authentic medieval dishes with as much fidelity as possible. All the ingredients are readily available; where some might prove difficult to find, suitable substitutes are suggested. While modern ingredients which did not exist in the Middle Ages have been excluded (corn starch, for example), modern time and energy saving appliances have not. Authenticity of composition, taste, and appearance are the book's main concern.Unlike any other published book of medieval recipes, Pleyn Delit is based on manuscript readings verified by the authors. When this was not possible, as in the case of the Arabic recipes, the best available scholarly editions were used. The introduction provides a clear explanation of the medieval menu and related matters to bring the latest medieval scholarship to the kitchen of any home. Pleyn Delit is a recipe book dedicated to pure delight - a delight in cooking and good food.

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