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| The
Viandier of Taillevent
edited by Terence Scully |
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| This is not for
the beginning amateur despite being a valuable book by Terence Scully,
the esteemed name in medieval cooking research. His purpose here
is to compare the four extent manuscripts of this work side by side so
that each can shed some light on the obscurities encountered in the
others. Therefore, most of the book is a line by line comparison
of the originals in medieval French with many scholarly notes.
(The notes are in English and many of them are really very
interesting.)
However, at page 275, begins a straight English translation. All the recipes are numbered so it is easy to go back to the main text to pick up the extra notes that will make each more intelligible. At the very end, a few of the recipes have been redacted for use by the modern cook. There is also an extensive bibliography and glossary. For the person who has done previous reading in this area, this book is a classic "must have", even though it is neither simple or easy. $31.00 (hardcover) |
