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Jamie Picon Offers Tips on Where To Start Learning About Medieval Cooking?

Jamie Picon

You can incorporate medieval cooking into your modern meal plans with the recipes curated by Jamie Scott Picon, an expert in medieval cooking and herb gardening. Although cooks and royal households spent a tremendous amount of time creating feasts, these simplified recipes can help you feel connected to the past.

Here are five mouth-watering medieval dishes and links to sources for detailed instructions and additional recipes to expand your culinary repertoire.

1. Medieval Ice Cream (Vegan Friendly)

This rich and creamy ice cream contains delicious medieval ingredients. Jamie Picon says they were common in medieval England. The recipe calls for almond milk to create the custard base and blends in walnuts and honey for sweetness and texture. Remember that those living in medieval England wouldn’t have had modern sugar. The almond milk (instead of cow’s milk) enhances the nutty flavor of the finished product and makes this a vegan-friendly recipe.

For a full list of ingredients and cooking instructions, visit the link.

2. Medieval Mulled Wine (Recommended)

Chef Jamie Picon highly recommends trying to make medieval mulled wine (piment) at home. Spiced and sweetened wine was a common beverage for households that could afford the ingredients in the 13th and 14th centuries. The original recipe for Hypocras, a type of spiced wine, requires long peppers, the grains of paradise, and spikenard — all hard to come by today.

You can make it at home with sugar, ground ginger, and white sugar combined with grated nutmeg, ground cloves, and cardamom.

Find the full list of ingredients and preparation details here.

Hudson, NH: Jamie Picon Offers Tips on Where To Start Learning About Medieval Cooking

3. Mutton or Lamb Stew

Mutton or lamb stew might have looked different to modern and medieval cooks and diners. Aromatic ingredients for the modern spin on lamb recipes from the Middle Ages include rosemary, thyme, and marjoram leaves. You’ll also need ground ginger, coriander, and cumin to add heat and taste, similar to what medieval cooks would plate.

Follow the recipe for a lovely stew you can make ahead of time and warm up during the work week.

4. Cormaye

When kings wanted to impress their guests, they served large hunks of pork in Cormarye sauce. Whether you’re serving royalty or your spouse and kids, you’re sure to enjoy this royal feast. It combines red wine and pork loin, making it a pricey meal even now. Caraway spices and coriander would have made it out of reach to the lower classes in medieval times.

As part of the recipe, you’ll combine red wine, coriander, garlic, caraway, salt, and ground pepper to cook the pork. Then, you can use the drippings for a savory broth that’s a reliably impressive dish when company comes over.

5. Crepes

Medieval crepes were such a popular dish that they were mentioned by the famous poet Chaucer, who called them “crips” in his work. They are documented in Recipe No. 162 of The Forme of Cury. Medieval France, Italy, and England all had their own version of cakes that predate the modern crepe.

It’s a bit detailed, so we’ve provided the link to a recipe favored by Medieval chef Picon.  You can follow it to create Medieval French crepes. 

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