... is but one of the courses offered on Historic Food, food historian Ivan Day's website.
Ivan is an enthusiastic educator and has lectured widely throughout Britain and the U.S.A. He also runs unique practical courses on period cookery, many of which take place in an historic kitchen in his own home, a seventeenth century farmhouse on the edge of the English Lake District.As well as advertising the Historic Food Courses, this site contains a wealth of unique information, recipes and images relating to the history of English food. It demonstrates how Ivan uses period cookery illustrations, antique utensils and other primary sources to re-create the remarkable food of the past.
Wish I had the time and means to jet to London. I'd sign up for Italian Renaissance Cookery:
10 am - Welcome and Introduction to the Course. This course concentrates on the practical skills used in the fifteenth and sixteenth century Italian kitchen, with a particular emphasis on re-creating the recipes of Maestro Martino and Bartolommeo Scappi. Discover the wonders of Italian food before the tomato!10.45 -13.00 - Roasting with a Renaissance macchina or molinello d'arosto. We have recently aquired an original late sixteenth century fusee-regulated girorosto, of a type similar to that illustrated above. It is complete with a very rare form of basket spit, also illustrated in Bartolommeo's Opera and known as a spiedo doppio. We will prepare a loin of veal for the spit (il lombo della vitella nello spedo), which we will cook for our lunch.
13.00 - 14.00 - Lunch
14.00 - 15.30 - Cooking a pike on a spit. (Per cuocore il Luccio grosso nello spedo) - the pike was a favourite fish throughout Renaissance Europe. We will continue to explore spit cookery by roasting a pike in front of the fire. We will make polpette di polpe di lucio cotte - pike meatballs - from our roasted pike. Both recipes are from Scappi.
15.30 - 15.45 - Tea
15.45 - 17.00 - Quince crostata and ricotta torta with elderflowers. (Crostata di mele cotogne and torta di ricotta con fiori di sambuco). Two very interesting sixteenth century pastries. The quinces in the crostata are filled with bone marrow.
17.00 - 20.00 - Free
20.00 - Dinner of Italian Renaissance dishes at Wreay Farm
Alas, no roast pike or quince crostata this evening at the Palazzo Kalogridis; Donna Giovanna (that would be me) is disinclined to cook, with the result that she will be dining on an Amy’s frozen spinach pizza while Ser Giorgio (that would be George) will enjoy a hearty repast of leftover barbecued ribs and potato salad.
Comments (5)
I have been reading a book entitled "Heat" by Bill Buford about celebrity chef Mario Batali and his Italian influences. There are many many references to Renaissance Italian cooking including his theory that Caterina d'Medici's "defection" to France allowed for the development of French cuisine. Actually texts are referenced. Thought you might be interested.
Chris
Posted by Chris Miller | June 13, 2007 4:36 PM
Posted on June 13, 2007 16:36
Chris,
Yeah, I *am* interested. Do you feel like e-mailing me some of the texts that are referenced? Otherwise, I'll try to get my hands on a copy of HEAT...
Posted by Jeanne Kalogridis | June 13, 2007 6:53 PM
Posted on June 13, 2007 18:53
Here are some of the texts mentioned. He did mention that several are written in Italian and they are peppered throoughout the book. I am just pulling some from the acknowledgements here.
Italian Cuisine: a Cultural History - Alberto Capatti
Culture of the Fork: A Brief History of Food in Europe - Giovanni Rebora
On food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen - Harold McGee
In Italian
Arte della Cucina, Libri di recette testi sopra lo scalco, il trinciante, and i vini editited by Emilio Faccioli
Lo scalo alla moderna. overo l'arte di ben disporre i conviti - Antonio Latini
there are several others -- many of the texts from 14-16th centuries.
Hope this is helpful.
If you love food -- and I know I do -- Heat is an interesting book about people who are passionate about their traditions and their food.
Enjoy.
Chris
Posted by Chris Miller | June 14, 2007 8:18 AM
Posted on June 14, 2007 08:18
Chris,
Thanks so much! Cooking is one of my passionate hobbies -- I'm really lucky that my husband is in the food industry, especially since it's allowed us to enjoy some of the world's best reggiano parmesan and true Modena balsamic vinegar. I can see I'm going to have to get HEAT, plus try to find a couple of those sources you mentioned.
Posted by Jeanne Kalogridis | June 14, 2007 8:30 AM
Posted on June 14, 2007 08:30
Chris,
Cooking is one of my passions as well. I have been on a bit of a "foodie" tear in my reading. I have also completed two of Anthony Bourdain's books recently. His are more travelogues then historicals though.
I am rather envious of your vinegar and cheese connections.
Chris
Posted by Chris Miller | June 15, 2007 10:02 AM
Posted on June 15, 2007 10:02