Rating: 
Summary: Excellent reference book
Review: I got this because I want to write medieval historicals and needed to know what people ate. This book gives a very good overview of foods available, how they were eaten, table manners, etc.; I just wish it went into just a little more detail. But that's not really what it's about; it's for presenting actual medieval recipes, and it certainly does give a lot of them with modern equivalents.But what did people eat for breakfast? How widespread was corn or oats? What other kinds of grains were used? What were sub-regional specialties? How much was wine thinned with water? How long could a wine last in those days before it went bad? How often did people get food poisoning? For what this book was written for, it's an excellent one. For a writer, it's a very good starting point.
Rating:
Summary: This is a good book for those interested in Medieval Cookery
Review: I have enjoyed reading this book. Its got lots of information that is very useful to those interested in cooking medieval recipes. The book includes an English translation of the original recipe which can be very helpful when working with medieval recipes. However, I find her modern recipes not quite ready for consumption. They are *almost* what I want but they are bland, never have quite the spicing and flavors I expect. I find that I need to try the recipe once, note my changes in the book and then cook it with the changes for general consumption.
Rating: 
Summary: A great addition to your mideval book shelf
Review: I have really enjoyed this book. Best of all the recipes that I have tried have turned out wonderfully. The book is filled with historical information. It will also give the recipe in its original text. Most ingredients can be found readily. The one draw back is that this book is not for the beginner cook. Expect to have to reread the recipes more than once. Overall this book offers a wide variety of recipes in terms of different meats, vegetables, soups, and much more. I have been extremely pleased with the way this book transitions from the text to delicious food on my table.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent source for authentic Medieval recipes.
Review: I like the look and organization of this book. Each recipe starts out with a translation of the Medieval recipe (with source) , followed by a paragraph or three of assorted info about the recipe, then the recipe itself (with American and metric measurements). The section before the recipes (there are 153) goes over something of history, background, and menus. After the recipe sections, the medieval texts (recipies) in what I assume is Medieval French and Italian, a bibliography of primary and secondary sources, and a few mail order sources for ingredients. This book is a must for anyone interested in Medieval recreation.
Rating:
Summary: A great read, as well as a useful cookbook
Review: I'm one of those people who "read cookbooks like novels". This is definitely a worthwhile read. And the recipes I've tried have been very good. One of the spice blends that they give has become a staple in my kitchen, the "Sweet spices for many good and fine foods", which I love to use on salmon before cooking. I did make one change (which the authors note many sources recommending) to season "to the taste of the lord" (that's me) -- I changed the bay leaf to dried orange peel. Try it. Another recipe I will definitely make again is the Asparagus with Saffron. My one quibble is that the recipes are almost exclusively French or Italian, with very few from England, and none from any other culture. But, since the authors themselves hail from the first two countries, this is perhaps understandable.
Rating:
Summary: A great read, as well as a useful cookbook
Review: I'm one of those people who "read cookbooks like novels". This is definitely a worthwhile read. And the recipes I've tried have been very good. One of the spice blends that they give has become a staple in my kitchen, the "Sweet spices for many good and fine foods", which I love to use on salmon before cooking. I did make one change (which the authors note many sources recommending) to season "to the taste of the lord" (that's me) -- I changed the bay leaf to dried orange peel. Try it. Another recipe I will definitely make again is the Asparagus with Saffron. My one quibble is that the recipes are almost exclusively French or Italian, with very few from England, and none from any other culture. But, since the authors themselves hail from the first two countries, this is perhaps understandable.
Rating:
Summary: Good food in the middleages, yes indeed!
Review: Many people wrong have calssified the middleages as that of being a time of barbaracy and lack of refinery. Hence many people refer to it as being the dark ages. Nothing could be further from the truth and with this excellent book, i.e.,The Medieval Kitchen: Recipes from France and Italy, we are shown that no barabaric culture could cook these kind of dishes. Read it and maybe it will change your perception.
Rating:
Summary: Nothing new under the sun....
Review: Over the past 30 years I've been experimenting with different dishes and just when I think I've discovered something new I find out that someone has been doing it for ages..and ages. "The Medieval Kitchen" Recipes from France and Italy" contains wonderful, doable dishes to suit every diet. I don't eat red meat, so I won't be having the 'Stuffed Suckling Pig' or 'Roast Shoulder of Lamb', but with some minor adjustments, I can make the 'Split-pea or Dried Fava Bean Soup', the 'Herb Soup', or 'Winter Squash or Pumpkin Soup.' And, the book contains many lovely desserts and breads. This book was developed by two French historians, Odile Redon and Fancoise Sabban, and Silvano Serventi, an Italian historian. Gorges Duby, a well known French historian who specializes in the study of the Middle Ages wrote the forward, and the book was translated by Edward Schneider. The historical sources for the book are listed in a separate 'Bibliography' and the recipes are matched with their original documents in 'Recipes by Manuscript Source' -- just in case you feel the authors omitted something and you want to check it out. The authors make suggestions for substitutions for ingredients that may be hard to find. Since I live in the U.S. I could have a problem finding 'Bitter Orange Juice' for my 'Dover Sole' -- or the Dover Sole for that matter. No problem, I can substitute an American fish of similar texture and lemon juice. If you enjoy cooking and want to experiment, or collect cookbooks and enjoy reading them, or are interested in the history of the Middle Ages, you will want this little book. And, the next time you read one of Sharon Penman's novels, you'll have a better grasp of the dinner menu.
Rating:
Summary: Nothing new under the sun....
Review: Over the past 30 years I've been experimenting with different dishes and just when I think I've discovered something new I find out that someone has been doing it for ages..and ages. "The Medieval Kitchen" Recipes from France and Italy" contains wonderful, doable dishes to suit every diet. I don't eat red meat, so I won't be having the 'Stuffed Suckling Pig' or 'Roast Shoulder of Lamb', but with some minor adjustments, I can make the 'Split-pea or Dried Fava Bean Soup', the 'Herb Soup', or 'Winter Squash or Pumpkin Soup.' And, the book contains many lovely desserts and breads. This book was developed by two French historians, Odile Redon and Fancoise Sabban, and Silvano Serventi, an Italian historian. Gorges Duby, a well known French historian who specializes in the study of the Middle Ages wrote the forward, and the book was translated by Edward Schneider. The historical sources for the book are listed in a separate 'Bibliography' and the recipes are matched with their original documents in 'Recipes by Manuscript Source' -- just in case you feel the authors omitted something and you want to check it out. The authors make suggestions for substitutions for ingredients that may be hard to find. Since I live in the U.S. I could have a problem finding 'Bitter Orange Juice' for my 'Dover Sole' -- or the Dover Sole for that matter. No problem, I can substitute an American fish of similar texture and lemon juice. If you enjoy cooking and want to experiment, or collect cookbooks and enjoy reading them, or are interested in the history of the Middle Ages, you will want this little book. And, the next time you read one of Sharon Penman's novels, you'll have a better grasp of the dinner menu.
Rating:
Summary: This is a good book for those interested in Medieval Cookery
Review: The content of this book is absolutely stimulating for anyone who is interested in learning about Medieval cookery. The book is very easy to follow and is written as if the author is talking to you as opposed to at you. For anyone interested in doing a medieval period feast or dinner (especially those of you in the Society for Creative Anachronism) This book is a great investment. However, the author has assumed that the reader has some knowledge on cooking and is not written for a beginning cook. But for those with a basic knowledge of Culinary arts this is definitely a must have.
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