Clarissa And The Kings Cookbook (2 of 3)

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In this documentary, self-confessed medieval foodie Clarissa Dickson Wright tracks down Britain's oldest known cookbook - The Forme of Cury. This 700-year-old scroll was written during the reign of King Richard II from recipes created by his own master chefs.

Clarissa unravels recipes fit for a king - sourcing authentic ingredients, discovering medieval gastronomic techniques and cooking in a period kitchen to recreate this regal fare. In doing so, she creates a historical portrait of the lush extravagance that surrounded the young king.

The huge variety of dishes that Clarissa finds in the book - from venison and beaver to pike and lamprey, indicates this really was the golden age of the omnivore. As she prepares food using traditional techniques, she wonders what our modern palate will make of the unusual combinations of flavours.

The King's Cookbook is a culinary journey through medieval history, reawakening recipes that have lain dormant for centuries. But equally interesting is the discovery that many dishes are still prepared and eaten the same way today.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• documentary
• documentaries
• history
• medieval
• popper's list
• popperslist

[nephildevil]

"Smite him in pieces.." medieval cooking sounds spectacular :p

[RuudJH]

Beautifull and rich clips these are: 'each generation thinks it has the answer to eternal life'.

[radishgirl88]

@TheCaptainLulz I wonder if it could have been both? Do you know if wild ginger tastes differently than Asian ginger?

[lakepurdy1]

Where can one buy quinces? They don't even know what they are down here. I used to love quince jelly but that's when I lived in the UK. Anyone know if they could be bought online in the USA? Thanks.

[cu94mel]

@tonymeademusic .........His brother was also Edward and Richard did ascend the throne upon the death of Edward III as both his father and older brother had already died.

[tonymeademusic]

@cu94mel Richard II was Edward III's grandson, not his brother. Richard's father was Edward, The Black Prince, son of Edward III.

[cu94mel]

@szqsk8 He was 5 when he ascended to the throne after the death of his brother, Edward III.

[szqsk8]

I have never seen anyone cook goose here in the US and I'm 52 and have lived in five states. It sure looks a lot fattier than chicken and turkey.

How old was King Richard when he ascended the throne? He sure was a foodie.

[claradarling]

For the goose I think the fire would have added some tast to the bird. When you go camping you cook over a fire and the wood adds to the tast of all food. I miss seeing Clarissa here in the US.

[TheCaptainLulz]

I wonder if the ginger hed have used would have been wild ginger, which grew in the forrests as opposed to the asian variety.