Living and Dining in Medieval Paris

A richly detailed account of the culinary world of fourteenth-century Paris. At the centre of this account lies the Menagier de Paris, a medieval manuscript covering all aspects of food preparation and household skills, written by a well-to-do knight for his fifteen-year old wife. Through her meticulous study of the manuscript, Nicole Crossley-Holland paints a vivid picture of life in a knight's household: his city residence with it's walled vegetable and herb garden; his home farm which provided meat and dairy produce; the country estate where he trained sparrow hawks and hunted wild boar. The author gives a comprehensive description of medieval food economy. Methods of food preservation, cooking techniques, recipes and presentation are thoroughly explored. Menus, ranging from the simple and everyday to elaborate wedding feasts, are described in detail. The author of the Menagier has remained anonymous for over six hundred years. Now, in a remarkable piece of scholarly detective work, Nicole Crossley-Holland reveals his identity.