The Forme of Cury (The Method of Cooking, from Old French , "cookery") is an extensive 14th-century collection of medieval English recipes, written in Middle English. Although the original manuscript is lost, the text appears in nine manuscripts, the most famous in the form of a scroll with a headnote citing it as the work of "the chief Master Cooks of King Richard II". The name The Forme of Cury is generally used for the family of recipes rather than any single manuscript text. It is among the oldest extant English cookery books, and the earliest known to mention olive oil, gourds, and spices such as mace and cloves. The book also includes the earliest known recipe for macaroni and cheese.

Context

The collection was named The Forme of Cury by Samuel Pegge, who published an edition of one of the manuscripts in 1780 for a trustee of the British Museum, Gustavus Brander. It is one of the best-known medieval guides to cooking.<!-- the scroll is not the recipe collection and vice-versa.--> The Forme of Cury may have been written partly to compete with Le Viandier of Taillevent, a French cookery book created at about the same time. This supports the idea that banquets were a symbol of power and prestige for medieval lords and kings.

Approach

In the preamble, the authors explain that the recipes are meant to teach a cook how to make common dishes and unusual or extravagant banquet dishes. They also note that the recipes were written with the advice of the best experts in medicine and philosophy. There is a particular emphasis on yellows, reds and greens, but gilding and silvering were also used in several of the recipes.

In modern English:

Makerouns

The Forme of Cury contains a cheese and pasta casserole known as makerouns, the earliest recipe for what is now known as macaroni and cheese. It was made with fresh, hand-cut pasta which was sandwiched between a mixture of melted butter and cheese. The recipe given (in Middle English) was:

In modern English:

Influences

The book is influenced by the cuisine of several different countries. The book's relatively few vegetable and salad recipes indicate influence from the era's Spanish cuisine and Portuguese cuisine. Its pasta recipes are influenced by Italian cuisine.

See also

  • Apicius – a collection of Roman cookery recipes
  • Liber de Coquina – 14th-century cookbook of Italian and French origin
  • Utilis Coquinario – another 14th-century Middle English cookbook
  • Le Viandier – 14th-century French cookbook

Notes

References

Bibliography

  • (modern critical edition)
  • British Library, Add. MS 5016, a 15th-century copy of The Forme of Cury in scroll format.
  • John Rylands Library, English MS 7; (index to the images), an 18th-century edition (page images)
  • Text and links at the Foods of England project
  • Pygg in sawse sawge (British Library)