al-Baghdadi p. 206/12 Take spinach, cut off the lower roots, and wash: then boil lightly in salt and water, and dry. Refine sesame oil, drop in the spinach, and stir until fragrant. Chop up a little garlic, and add. Sprinkle with fine-ground cumin, dry coriander, and cinnamon: then remove. Ingredients: 1 lb spinach 1 T sesame oil […]

al-Andalusi p. C-5 (no. 377) Wash lentils and put them to cook in a pot with sweet water, oil, pepper, coriander and cut onion. When they are cooked throw in salt, a little saffron and vinegar; break three eggs, leave for a while on the flame and later retire the pot. Other times cook without onion. If […]

(An Anonymous Andalusian Cookbook of the 13th Century) Take a ratl of carrots, of which you have cleaned the interior. Cook it in a ratl of water, some two boilings, then take it off the fire and let it dry a little, over a sieve. Add it to three ratls of honey, cleaned of its foam, and […]

(A Collection of Medieval and Renaissance Cookbooks, Vol. 2, pg. Misc-3. It is one of the three recipes translated from Kitab al-Tabikh (The Book of Dishes): Oriental 5000 (British Library) pp.70b, 71a, 74b.) White sals. Walnut meats, garlic, pepper, cinnamon, white mustard, Tahini and lemon juice. Ingredients: 1 c. walnuts 2 (or 1 very large) cloves garlic […]

Original Recipe: Mystron: Athenaeus, The Partying Professors ‘Nicander of Colophon is the author who employs the word mystron when describing the use of the word barley groats in the first of his two books On Farming. He writes: “But when you are making a dish of fresh kid or lamb or capon, put some barley groats in […]

Original Recipe: Aliter Lenticulam (Lentils Another Way): Apicius, #184 Cook the lentils, skim them, add leeks, green coriander; crush coriander seed, flea-bane, laser root, mint seed and rue seed moistened with vinegar; add honey, broth, vinegar, reduced must to taste; then oil, stirring until it is done, bind with roux, add green oil, sprinkle with pepper and serve. […]

Original Recipe Assaturas: Apicius, #220 Assaturas: Mirtae siccae bacam extenteratam cum cumino, pipere, melle, liquamine, defrito et oleo teres et fervefactum amulas. Carnem elixam sale subassatam perfundis, piper aspargis et inferes. For Roasted Meat: Crush dried, pitted myrtle berries with cumin, pepper, honey, garum, defrutum, and oil; heat and thicken with starch. Boil the meat and then roast […]

Original Recipe Fungis: Apicius, #311 For ash tree mushrooms: Pepper, caroenum, vinegar, and oil. [Giacosa, p. 45]. Ingredients: 1 pound fresh mushrooms, mixed (e.g., white and Portobello) 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper 2 cups white wine 1/2 cup vinegar 1/2 cup olive oil Preparation Steps: Boil the white wine in a saucepan for half an hour, […]

Original Recipe [Parsnips] Another way: [Apicius 119] Boil the parsnips hard, put them in a sauce pan and stew with oil, stock, pepper, raisin wine,strain, and bind with roux. Carotæ and Pastinacæ: [Apicius 122] Carrots and parsnips are fried with a wine sauce. Ingredients: 6 carrots 2 parsnips 1/4 cup olive oil 1/2 cup chicken […]

Original Recipe [Sauce for fish] Hierophile, 13th century For fresh fish, one should use, as it has been indicated for the month of June, all those that have delicate flesh, and these may be seasoned with a mustard sauce… [Master Demetrios, Byzantine Cuisine] Ingredients: 3 Tbsp. Ground mustard seed 2/3 c. white wine vinegar 2 large garlic […]