Back to roots with medieval food

A food historian is encouraging chefs to revive extinct medieval English recipes.

Caroline Yeldham, who has been cooking and researching medieval and Tudor food for 20 years, has teamed up with Morrison's supermarkets to produce a recipe booklet for St George's Day.

The recipes, originally eaten by English royalty and aristocracy, are taken from early English cookery books such as Liber cure Cucorun (1430) and Forme of Cury (1399). They include oyster soup, pea soup, sage sauce, roast chicken with sauce madame, sweet and sour lamb, and cheriesye.

Yeldham says: "The nation spends thousands on preserving medieval artefacts and art, while great value is still placed on medieval literature, music and drawing. Food is a hugely important part of our culture and it would be wonderful if we could all play a part in ensuring our history survives."

Medieval cooking is unique in style and very different from modern cuisine. Before the advent of refrigerators, it was heavily influenced by natural food preservation processes such as smoking, salting, brining, conserving and fermenting. Although local produce was the focus, the period also saw the importing of spices and ingredients, such as sugar, for royal and aristocratic use.

Only a dozen known original medieval recipe texts remain, of which fewer than five are in print. Estimates suggest there are only a handful of people in England who are professionally preparing medieval food. Visit www.morrisons.co.uk for the recipe booklet.