Roxalana's Redactions

Apicius (by Crocock and Grainger)

May 3, 2013 in Apicius (Grocock and Grainger), Library, Roman Cookbooks | No comments

Apicius has been translated numerous times. It is THE roman cookbook. The translations though have varied from very good to blech! I have to say that the newest edition for Apicius is very good.

What I like about the book is that the original Latin is on the left page while the English translation is to the right. I also think that the research done for Roman cooking is in depth and very well written. There are no redactions to the translated recipes, which I really like. This gives the reader a chance to form their own opinion. I do wonder though as S. Grainger is one of the authors if this is not the book from which she uses as her primary source to her cookbook on Roman cuisine “Cooking Apicius”. If this is the case then both books would be a very good compliment to each other.

Cooking wise, this is NOT for beginners. Apicius expected a person to know their way around a kitchen and not need hand holding. Overall I think this is one of the top 3 Roman books to have. I give this an A+ for original recipes, information and a great format for reading/researching.

The Nimatnama Mansucript of the Sultans of Mandu (The Sultan’s Book of Delights)

April 24, 2013 in Midieval Middle Eastern Books, Uncategorized | No comments

For my birthday, I received a few books. One of which was a cooking/court life book. I was a little hesitant as cookbooks and court books are usually separated into different books. I am pleasantly surprised, my first run through on recipes yielded at least 8 recipes I want to try this weekend!

The Nimatnuma Manuscript of the Sultans of Mandu

The Sultans Book of Delights

I enjoy this book quite a bit. There are recipes for different meat dishes, soups, and birds. There are also recipes for perfumes and what we would call body splashes (which have been rare as hens teeth to find information on). There are recipes on drinks and sweets.

As for the hunting portions, I really enjoy these sections as well. The details are not so much as stories but a list of what to bring and why. Not only favorite dishes/drinks and perfumes are included for the Sultan but on ways to reward his generals with tokens of gold/silver as well as food and drink. There is also an account on how to to cook at a camp site with skewers, meat and bread.

The book also contains quiet a few pictures of hunting scenes and camping scenes as well as pages and pages of manuscripts. There is also a section on measurements and a section with period words and their English definition. A real bonus!

The down side is that all the hunting and cooking scenes are in not in color. The cooking section (and hunting portions) are roughly 1/4 of the entire text. My feelings are that while the manuscripts in the original writings are pretty…the book could probably have benefited from a good pruning of pages.

This is not a beginners book. The recipes have some measurements for spices. Each “section” or paragraph can have 2-4 recipes so a weathered eye on which ingredients need to go with which recipes in these sections. Overall I give the book an A for period recipes, definitions, pictures and calligraphy. For cooking an B, for multiple recipes and some measurements.

A Feast of Ice & Fire; A guilty pleasure

November 18, 2012 in A Feast of Ice & Fire, Library, Supportive Research Books | No comments

Sooooo….at Pennsic, I was shopping at the book tent. Three times in an hour. My shopping buddy, was busy getting a belt to fit himself and took over an hour. That meant “Hey I’m going to check out the books while you get your belt.” “Cool, see you in a few.”. 20 minutes later and $80, I go in search of said companion. “Oh, it’ll be another 20 minutes. The belt is being tailored for me while I wait.” “Ok, I had a couple of other books I had my eye on…I’ll be right back!”. 20 minutes and another $45, I again go in search of my friend. “It’ll be another 15 minutes.” “Omg!! I can not go back to the book tent! I’m going to spend EVERYTHING on books if I do!!!” So I spent the next 20 minutes, in withdrawals trying NOT to go back to the the book tent for another 3 books I had my eye on. White knuckled chewing commenced.

The upside to the second round of shopping is that I indulged in a very secret guilty pleasure. I bought a book that brings to life the foods from A Game of Thrones. C. Monroe-Cassel and S. Lehrer, in their book A Feast of Ice & Fire, do a fantastic job of bringing most of the foods described by George Martin to life.

A view of the book

A Feast of Ice and Fire: The Official Companion Cookbook

I know I know! I can hear you now going “That is soooo not period!”. Weeeell yes and no. George Martin states he is not a foodie, couldn’t cook if his life depended on it. The fine ladies who do the book though are cooks. And they do a very nice job in period research for most of the recipes, tying the food described to both period recipes and to modern recipes. So for each recipe, a reader gets the period recipe and a modern equivalent.

Now the part I don’t like about this book is that the period translation is in the original language, either old English (which I can handle) or the original Latin/German with out an English translation (which I do NOT like). Each recipe also has the corresponding period book/information per recipe. Very nice! I disappointed that the ladies who do this book did not look into the Middle Eastern recipes for some of the Dorne recipes. But that is a very small issue over all.

This book is probably one of the best I have come across for people new to period cooking and who want to start by dipping their toes into the warm saucy ocean of period goodness. An A+ for cooking and a B- for period recipe listing (only because I wanted to read the original German recipes in English). If unsure, if cooking is right for you, this is THE book to start with. Great recipes, easy to play with the redactions (you do not have to follow their measurements at all) and beautiful presentation.

The Opera of Bartolomeo Scappie (1570)

October 22, 2012 in Italian/Spanish Books, Library, The opera of Bartolomeo Scappie (1570) | No comments

I don’t do a lot of period Italian cooking. That will change soon! I adore this book. The Opera of Barolomeo Scappi (1570) Translated by T. Scully, is the compilation of recipes by Bartolomeo Scappie (the cook to the popes).

The translations are awesome. The breadth of recipes is incredible! From breem to turkey to peacock. Each main ingredient is treated with respect and clear directions on how to cook and serve. This is THE Italian period cookbook to get if you have to get just one. This book is an A+ all the way through.

Curye on Inglysch

October 21, 2012 in Curye on Inglysch, English Cookbooks, Library | No comments

This book is as period as you can get with out actually going back a few centuries or so. Yet it is one of my least favorite books. Now this isn’t because the recipes are period…it’s because I have issues with reading regular English that Ye Ole Inglysch plays havoc with my brain.

The book I had hoped to purchase instead was Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books: however being out of print, Curye on Inglysch was the one I had to settle on. The book Two Fifteenth-Century, or books bound into one, actually were based or/and have basis from Curye on Inglysch. Making CoI the protozoa of English medieval cookbooks.

This book requires knowing and understanding old English to get any sort of comprehension of what and how to do one dish. This book is very good as a reference and to start biting into original period recipes…but don’t try this one with out a few other recipes/books under your belt first. This is NOT a beginners book. Period wise this book is awesome…cooking wise, I’m going to have to say D-.

The Classical Cookbook

October 20, 2012 in The Classic Cookbook | No comments

This is a Roman cookbook written by Andrew Dalby and Sally Grainger. Sally Grainger is noted for having written and published Cooking Apicus. I can not tell if she wrote the later half of Classical or if she was the one who did the modern redactions…all I can is she has some areas that are more pronouncedly hers then her partners.

Evaluation:

This book has incredible pictures for those researching and needing dinning scenes or period serving dishes. Dates and materials included in this pictorial information wonderland. This is an awesome part of the book!

The recipes range from writing between friends or stories about famous (infamous) dinners. This is one of my favorite aspects as the recipes aren’t just another rendition of Apicius. There are Apicius recipes but I truly enjoy the fact that new recipes/descriptions are given. This is second favorite aspect.

The only thing I am not fond of in this book is the brief nature of the entire book. I had hoped for a book dense enough to swat a charging bull elephant. The book boasts a modest 141 pages… Not bad, but more would have been awesome! The original recipes are included for every recipe though the Roman name is not. There is an attempt to include modern redactions, though as usual I suggest experimenting and not just following by rote some one else’s ideas on how to cook Roman. Overall for both recipes and research I give the book an A-.

Roman Cookbooks

April 1, 2012 in Library, Roman Cookbooks | No comments

I had thought I had made a post on all my cookbooks, however I find that the several, many, few books I do have have not had a listing or commentary. So here goes!

Roman Cookery by Mark Grant.

I like this book. The recipes have an English name as well as the Roman original i.e. Carthaginian Porridge or Puls Punica. The citing of who wrote the original such as Cato On Agriculture (who and in what writing) as well as the original Roman translation. Grant breaks down the recipes as he views the translation. His failing, in my opinion, is that he uses modern ingredients such as cheddar cheese instead of trying for a sheep cheese i.e. feta – which can be a bit dry, or a Manchego which is milder, and a bit moister, in flavor then Parmigiana. Over all a B+ for both research and cooking content.

A Taste of Ancient Rome by Ilaria Gozzini Giacosa (Translated by Anna Kerklotz)

I like this book very much. The recipes have the original translation in Latin, then English translation. The sourcing of recipes seem to be mostly from Apicius instead of a variety of authors that Grant lists. For example Pork Stew with Citron on page 95 is from Apicus 169. The book does not give the Roman name for the dish; however I can live with this as the attempt is made to use as much authentic period ingredients as possible given location, availability, seasonality and not extinct. Overall an A– for both cooking and research content.

Around the Roman Table by Patrick Faas.

This book is really really good. The author has the original translation in Latin with the English translation underneath. The recipes seem to come from Apicus as the notations for who and where are listed as (Ap. 340) as seen in most of the recipes. Again period ingredients are used. The author does not try to interject their opinion as a “must do it this way” more of this, then that followed by X Y and Z. This I feel gives the reader better wiggle room to try their own thing for redacting a recipe to their taste and not just the author’s taste. An added bonus is the amount of work that the Faas has done with giving historic information from the different eras, table manners, wine as a drink and for cooking and the cooks with their kitchen. Overall an A+ for both cooking and research content.

Apicius The Roman Cookery Book translated by Barbara Flower and Elizabeth Rosenbaum.

This is a GREAT research book. One of the few that is probably as close to the original cookbooks in Latin as we will see (with the English translation). Notations are made by the translators on different aspects such as ingredients however the original recipe is faithfully copied with the original Latin on the opposite side of the page. A bit difficult in this form to follow and there are no measurements listed. This is a pure research/redaction fun for attempting Roman cooking. This book is NOT for the faint of heart who need measurements and direction. For straight 100% cookbook a C for historic research book on Roman cooking an A-.

Apicius Cookery and Dining in Imperial Rome Edited and Translateb by Joseph Dommers Vehling.

This is another great book for a reference. There are no recipes in Latin listed just straight up translation of recipes. The historical information is good but there is a bit of opinion entered into the these sections. This really is an in your face bare bones, straight from the Roman cook(s) to you. For straight 100% cookbook a C- for historic research book on Roman Cooking an A-. You can’t get more straightforward this this book.

Cooking Apicius: Roman Recipes for Today by Sally Grainer.

I both like and loath this book. This book has some good takes on period ingredients for sauces. I like the recipes chosen. There are NO historical recipes either in the original Latin or in English. All the recipes are listed as period but there is barely a nod towards the original. Apicius is written as areference but finding which of the many versions of Apicius used will be an interesting task. If this book is to be used at all for historical cooking, the original recipe would need to be looked up in an Apicius then pared with this book. Combining the two books, with the original in your face Latin translation and a cook’s opinion on how to make a dish would work. This is a secondary resource at best. For a straight up Cooking book this is an A+ for historical research this is a D.

Odd Bits (How to cook the rest of the Animal)

March 30, 2012 in Odd Bits (How to cook the rest of the Animal), Supportive Research Books | No comments

This is a bit of a rambling prelude for a really neat book.

I have a friend who believes that meat appears mysteriously in the store wrapped in plastic. She’s only half joking. She doesn’t want to know that the adorable chick you see in commercials or on Easter, will turn up in parts or in whole on the dinner table once full grown. Those cows in the field are pets, they are not “A feast on hoof”. Or leather armor on hoof, or a BBQ waiting to happen. Nope the animals on TV and in the fields are well kept beloved pets. I had to laugh.

In reality though, today’s meat eater is rather more spoiled then in previous years. Our grandparents grew up eating the non “prime” meats such as tongue. I remember when my grandmother would make tongue for tongue sandwiches. I always thought they went better with may/horseradish spread then ketchup myself.

Period wise, meat was a luxury. Meat was expensive. Several Roman physicians thought that vegetarianism was the way to go and extolled on the virtues of a non meat diet. This is noted in the book Around the Roman table by P. Faas. Medieval Middle Eastern diets and cooking vegetarianism wasn’t really an option. In the research done in Medieval Arab Cookery, there is a notation that meat was a gift from Allah. Meat was just as expensive in the Medieval Middle East as any where else yet eating vegetables was not a mindset by either royalty, physicians or even the lower class. So meat, no matter what part, was considered a blessing.

I picked up a book the other week called “Odd Bits; How to cook the rest of the Animal“, by McLagan.

The book offers great choices on how to select the various weird things from brain, to tongue and trotters. How to look for the freshest kidneys for kidney pie or grilled kidneys. The book gives cooking times for intestine as well as the 3 or 4 different type of intestines. How to use pig ears and utters. This is a extremely useful when doing any of the period cooking.

The choicest cuts of meat from a cow, pig or even the chicken use to be reserved for nobility. They were the ones who could afford these parts. Every one else who had spare coin or trade made due with the less then choice bits. From these parts came both flavor and protein. So when looking at a recipe do more then see pork loin or steaks, check and see what else might have been used or search out for those really odd recipes that we overlook as being to “different”.

Supportive Research Books

March 15, 2011 in Library, Supportive Research Books | No comments

This is a listing of books that I think are great supporting research books for food. Now what I mean by this is the history of some of the basic food items i.e. banana’s, chicken, olives. Items we don’t really think much of yet consume vast quantities of. These books give great documentation on such things as the different types of pears that were available to Romans, or Apricots from Armenia.

History of Food. Toussaint- Samat: This book is a must have. Great references with fun little tidbits thrown in. I really like this book. It is one of my go to for information concerning an ingredient.

75 Exciting Vegetables for your Garden.

75 Remarkable Fruits for your Garden.

75 Exceptional Herbs for your Garden.

These three books were written by Staub. Easily found on Amazon.com and definitly fun useful information present in short bites. When first perusing these books I had a hard time not turning my entire back yard into a historical garden with the non standard every day plants found in Rome, Persia, Armenia and China.

Midieval Middle Eastern Books

March 6, 2011 in Library, Midieval Middle Eastern Books | No comments

Here are the books that are a must for your Medieval Middle Eastern collection of cookbooks.

Medieval Arab Cookery by Rodinson, Arberry & Perry. This book will be your bible for research and recipes. The recipes are translation. There are few measurements. Yet the information is incredible. This is THE mainstay for historic Middle Eastern recipes.

Medieval Cuisine of the Islamic World by Zaouali. This book has translations with few measurements as well. At the end of the book are recipes given for by the author of their rendition for some of the period recipes. I didn’t agree with some of the given recipes as they seem to be only loosely based on the period translation. I like the original historic part and have used the given recipes as a secondary source for reverse redactions. This also has great historical references and research.

A Baghdad Cookery Book by Perry. This book is Perry’s idea of going back to the recipes he redacted for A Medieval Arab Cookery and updating/correcting a few of the translation. Minimal history and some duplication from Medieval Arab Cookery. Useful.

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