Life Before Chocolate

Chocolate may be one of the five food groups for me, but in the early Italian Renaissance that luscious sweet still waited for European discovery in the New World. So what did they eat instead?

The answer depends of course on whether we're talking about a nobleman in a villa, a merchant in the towns or a peasant on the land. The wealthier classes had an astounding variety of creative dishes like savory veals, chicken in sauces and candies made from honey. The peasants made do most of the time with breads, cabbages and other vegetables and foraged nuts.

Thanks to the Internet, historical food enthusiasts have provided the public with translations and updates of Medieval and Renaissance recipes. I've chosen a few from some of the best websites I could find: A Boke of Gode Cookery, Medieval and Renaissance Mediterranean Cookery and the Beacon's Gate Boar Hunt Feast menu. I haven't tried these recipes yet, but I plan to.

Tarte of Cherries

From: Thomas Dawson, The Good Huswifes Jewell

2 2/3 lb. cherries, pitted & drained 1/4 oz. rose water 1/4 cup ruby port wine 1/2 cup sugar 3/4 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. ginger vinegar (to taste) 3/8 cup finely grated bread crumbs pastry for 2 double crusts

Add rosewater and port to cherries. Add enough sugar to sweeten, but not make it cloy, plus the ginger. Add a little vinegar or lemon juice to sharpen. Cook for 45 minutes or until flavors are mingled. If needed, you may thicken with bread crumbs. Let cool. Fill shells, close, bake at 425º F for 20-25 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Daryoles

From: Two Fifteenth Century Cookery Books. Harleian MS. 279. xxxix

3/4 c. cream 1/4 c. wine 1/4 c. milk 5 egg yolks + 1 egg 1 pint strawberries, cleaned and cut 1/2 c. chopped dates 1/2 c. honey 1/4 tsp each saffron & ginger 1/8 tsp each mace & ground cloves 2 baked pie shells

Take the milk, cream, wine, saffron and other spices, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Beat egg yolks and honey together and pour into cream mixture. Place the cut strawberries and dates in baked pie shells and pour cream mixture over fruit and into the shells. Bake at 400° F for 45 minutes.

Meatballs of veal or other meat

From: Martino da Como, recipe no. 18 from the "Libro de Arte Culinaria" ca. 1450-60

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