World's oldest recipe book reveals dishes English kings enjoyed 600 years ago

Daily Mail ^ | 02nd December 2009 | Liz Hull

[Fenhalls555]

Dishes of chicken blancmange and porpoise porridge are unlikely to whet the appetite of most modern food lovers.

But such recipes were apparently fit for a king 600 years ago.

Written by chefs employed by Richard II, they are included in what is thought to be the world's oldest cookbook.

The unusual dishes rival modern creations by British TV chef Heston Blumenthal, who is famous for his snail porridge.

Experts from Manchester University's John Rylands Library, who discovered the manuscript, have translated a handful of its 150 recipes, which are written in Middle English and date back to 1390.

They include frumenty, a porridge-type dish made of bulghar wheat, chicken stock and saffron, and payn puff, a dish of boiled fruits wrapped in pastry.

The unusual cookbook, called the Forme of Cury, is believed to have contained dishes to feed servants and the royal family alike

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks fanfan! Will ping this when I get home and get a chance. Anything about blackbirds?

[beaversmom]

Sing a song of sixpence,
A pocket full of rye.
Four and twenty blackbirds,
Baked in a pie.

When the pie was opened,
The birds began to sing;
Wasn’t that a dainty dish,
To set before the king?

[beaversmom]

Supposedly my English grandma used to eat those.

[Cincinna]

IMAGE OF CLOSE RELATIVE:

>

[grey_whiskers]

Like, *PING*, sunken.

Here is a link to a classic Dave Barry article on British cuisine:

Dave Barry in London

Cheers!

[60Gunner]

"It can be eaten hot or cold."

It can also be eaten by someone else. Yecch.

[Joya]

Thank you so much HG.

[Joya]

LOL, how clever are you?

[Fenhalls555]

“This would make a great homeschool lesson.”

Get in touch if you need assistance with information and links.

[paulycy]

King Richard II Fried Chicken?

[I Buried My Guns]

As a person of Scottish descent, and still descending, I must point out that Scottish cuisine is very different from the cuisine of England.

Oddly to some, Scottish cuisine is heavily influenced by the cuisine of France.

This is because both Scotland and France have England as a common historical enemy, and there was a lot of cultural diffusion between the two cultures back in the old days. I get a kick outa stuff like that, akin to the Black Irish descending from Spaniards.

PS: I went to a Scottish formal dinner thing in San Francisco last week, and wore my formal kilt outfit. Cougars hit on me in the bar! It must have been the exposed knees that made them all hot and bothered.

[fanfan]

Chicken blancmange and porpoise porridge.

Yuck.

[Fenhalls555]

I expect they would feel the same about Chicken McNuggets and chocolate shakes.

[SunkenCiv]

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[SunkenCiv]

Thanks gw! I wonder if anyone interviewed the Earl of Sandwich? Dead giveaway, wot?

[fanfan]

You’re welcome Civ.

:-)

[bigheadfred]

[weef]

I want my hassenpfeffer! Bring me my hassenpfeffer!

[SunkenCiv]

...and for dessert, lady fingers!

[wildbill]

Some other dishes were Anne, Bess, and Josephine.

It’s good to be the King.