Sallets, Humbles & Shrewsbery Cakes: A Collection of Elizabethan Recipes Adapted for the Modern Kitchen

by Ruth Anne Beebe

A review of cluttered cookbook shelves reveals a surfeit of fetchingly illustrated, full-color books of contemporary cuisine, and a shocking lack of titles dealing with the real history of gastronomy. This compendium of Elizabethan recipes, gathered and annotated (and, we might add, carefully tested) by Ruth Anne Beebe is not only historically accurate (and in places downright fun) but also usable. In addition to a rich selection of the transcribed original Elizabethan recipes, Beebe has provided modern formulations, including ingredients and measurements. There is much more to this cuisine than the expected meat and Shepherd's pie; here is fascinating advice on how herbs were used to flavor and preserve, how ale was brewed, and how to "fry an egg as round as a ball." In addition to the recipes, the book offers sample menus, a glossary, an index, and a host of elegant and wonderfully evocative period woodcuts all printed in red.

Genres: Cookbooks, History, Cooking, Food History, Nonfiction, Food, 16th Century

92 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1976

Reviews

[Frederic · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of the first cookbooks I ever bought, and still a favorite. The front-matter pieces (foreword and introduction) provide a good framing, and then the recipes are given in both the original terms and "translated" for modern cooks. Illustrations are woodcuts from period books, and the paper and typefaces convey the period nicely for what was an inexpensive production. It would be nice to have the source reference given for each recipe, but that lack doesn't really diminish the book.