“Oyster Stew SERVES 4 Why, then the world’s mine oyster, Which I with sword will open. THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR, 2.2 THE ORIGINAL RECIPE calls for “slic’t nutmeg,” a sophisticated touch to add flavor to a dish. Nutmeg, one… — Francine Segan Copy Share Image
“White potatoes, although introduced into England during Shakespeare’s lifetime, were not commonly eaten until late in the eighteenth century. White potatoes originated from South America but were misnamed “Virginia potatoes” because they were thought to have come from the Virginia colony in America. Another vegetable from the New World, corn, was also misnamed and called granoturco, “grain of Turkey,” by… — Francine Segan Copy Share
“Children and fried food; the more you make, the better they come out.” — Francine Segan Copy Share Image
“Elizabethan cookbooks included not only carving instructions, but the proper terminology for each type of meat such as “breake that deer, leach that brawn,… — Francine Segan Copy Share Image
“Renaissance Rice Balls SERVES 10 (APPROXIMATELY 36 RICE BALLS) RICE BALLS like these, today known as “arancine,” or little oranges, are still made in many parts of Italy. During the Renaissance these savory balls would have been colored purple or yellow with dried edible flower petals or saffron. This dish can be easily re-created using food coloring to produce the… — Francine Segan Copy Share
“Romans introduced the practice of gelding to England, changing chickens into tender, plump capons. In The Castle of Health, William Elyot wrote, “The capon is above all other fowles praised for as much as it is easily digested.” The carving term for a capon was to “sauce” it, a much prettier term than some of the others for cutting fowl,… — Francine Segan Copy Share
“PEASE PORRIDGE in the pot, nine days old” fairly well summarizes the technique of stew preparation in Shakespeare’s day. A thick soup would have… — Francine Segan Copy Share Image
“The Elizabethans used many more herbs than we do today, including those rarely seen in modern kitchens, such as hyssop, pennyroyal, tansy, and rue.… — Francine Segan Copy Share Image
“Here on this grass-plot, in this very place, To come and sport: her peacocks fly amain … THE TEMPEST, 4.1 Peacock, long a symbol of… — Francine Segan Copy Share Image
“Cauliflower Chowder SERVES 4 TO 6 VERJUICE, THE JUICE of unripe grapes now available in most gourmet grocers, adds a lovely touch to this… — Francine Segan Copy Share Image
“ORIGINAL RECIPE: To make pursses or Cremitaries Take a little mary, small raysons, and Dates, let the stones bee taken away, these being beaten… — Francine Segan Copy Share Image
“Oddly, recipes came with warnings that to eat reheated cabbage was fatal. “Twice cooked cabbage is death,” an ancient adage popular in the Renaissance,… — Francine Segan Copy Share Image
