A Beginner’s Introduction to Common Medieval and Renaissance Ingredients
By Mistress Fionn O’Mara
This is a guide to some terms which may be confusing to new cooks. The list is by no means exhaustive, and terms should be taken in context of the period that the recipe is from.
Abalana/Avellana Hazelnut or filbert
Allium Garlic or leek
Alkanet Plants whose roots produce a red dye (potentially toxic)
Almandes Almonds
Amygdala Almonds
Anas A duck or drake
Architricoes Prepared sheep testicles
Apium Celery or parsley
Apricocks Apricots
Aqua Water
Artemisia The herb mugwort, motherwort or tarragon
Astacus Crab or lobster
Avena A species of oat
Avens A herb which has a clove-like flavour, also called Herb Bennet
Barm Live yeast found on brewing (‘working’) beer and ale
Blitum Orrage, arrack, pot herb or possibly spinach
Bragot/Braggot A sweet, spiced or herbed ale
Brassica Cabbage or kale
Brawn Flesh or meat, often boar or pig.
Canelle/Canel Cassia. A less expensive alternative to cinnamon
Cardamomum Cardamom [not to be confused with ‘Cardamum’: cress or nasturtium]
Cheat Bread made from whole wheat with the bran removed
Cicer Chickpea
Clapbread A type of bread made from barley
Clowys Cloves
Coddlings/Pippins Types of apple
Coffyn/Coffin A pastry crust
Comfits Sugar coated seeds used as a palate refresher and to freshen breath. Often caraway, fennel, anise etc are used
Costmary Mint geranium; used as a vegetable, medicine and to flavour ale
Coney/Conins/Cunins Rabbit
Condio To salt or season
Crocus Saffron
Cubebs/Quybibes Dried black berries used as a spice; flavour is a cross between allspice and black pepper
Curcuma Turmeric
Damascena Plum or prune (fresh or dried) from Damascus
Dittany of Crete A herb which is also called Wild Basil or Stone Mint. A relative of oregano, which is a good substitute
Dulcia Sweets or confections
Eruca The herb family Rocket
Faba Bean or pulse
Far Corn or grain or grain meal [Farina: grain meal]
Fissile Cottage cheese
Frumentum Grain, wheat, barley
Garum Fermented fish sauce
Galingale A tuber used modernly in Asian food. It has a hot, gingery flavour
Gingiber/Zingiber Ginger
Glis/Glires Doormouse /dormouse
Grated Bread Breadcrumbs made with fresh bread
Graynes of Paradise Grains of paradise; a warm spice. This can be difficult to find and a mix of cardamom and black pepper can be a useful substitute.
Great Raisyns Raisins of grapes
Gum Dragon Gum tragacanth; a gum derived from Middle Eastern legumes and used for stabilising and stiffening (especially in sugar plate recipes)
Holus/Olus Kitchen vegetables, often cabbage
Horse Bread A type of bread made from pea flour, bean flour or similar
Hydromeli/Hydromel Rainwater and honey boiled together to form a reduction
Hysitium/Isicium A hash, sausage or mince
Jus/Ius Juice, liquor, broth or sauce
Lactua Lettuce
Lepus Hare
Mace/Maces A spice made from the blade between the seed coat and the husk of the nutmeg
Mallow Marshmallow, common mallow, hollyhock
Malus Fruit tree or apple tree
Manchet Fine wheat white bread, also Pandemaine and Cocket (less fine than pandemaine)
Mel Honey
Mentha Mint
Mespila Medlar fruit
Morat A mix of mulberry juice and honey
Morus Mulberry
Mulsum Mead or honey wine
Muscadine A type of sweet wine
Mustard Mustard plants produce seeds which can be used as flavouring and as a condiment, and the leaves can be used as a salad herb
Myristica Nutmeg
Myrtus Myrtle berry [often called, and used instead of, pepper]
Myrtus Pimenta Allspice
Napus Turnip
Nux Hazelnut or walnut
Offa A lump of meat or a meat dumpling, morsel or chop or other small meat portion
Oignions/Oygnions/Ongnions, etc. Onion
Oleum Olive oil
Ormentum Caul or abdominal membrane
Orchil/Archil A colourant derived from lichen
Oryza/Risum Rice or rice flour
Ostrea Oyster
Ovum Egg
Oxalis Sorrel plant
Oxalme An acid pickle such as brine and vinegar
Oxygarum Vinegar and garum sauce
Panis Bread
Papaver Poppy seeds
Pastinaca Parsnip or carrot
Persicum Peach
Perna Ham
Petroselinium Parsley
Pinioles/Pignions/Pynots/Pynes, etc. Pinenuts
Piperitis Pepperwort, Indian pepper or capsicum
Pipio A young bird
Piscis Fish
Pommes Apples
Pomum Fruit from a tree
Porray A dish of green vegetables
Porrum Leek
Portulaca The plant purslane
Poscca An acidic drink
Poudre (douce/forte/fine, etc.) Fine powdered spice mix [spices used vary between cooks and publications]
Poyres Pears
Ptisiana A grain broth or gruel
Rapa Rape or turnip
Raysins of Corinth Currant
Raysins of the Sunne/Risins/Confiz Raisins
Rosatum Flavoured with roses
Rumex Sorrel, or sour dock herb
Ruta Rue (potentially toxic)
Saccharum Sugar
Sack A type of fortified wine
Sal Salt
Sarda Small fish, like a sardine
Saucites Sausages
Scandius The herb chervil
Soused Something that is salted or brined
Strained Yolkes Beaten egg yolks
Sulsum Meat that is salted or pickled
Tourte Bread containing husks
Uva Grape
Vermiculi Noodles, vermicelli
Vervex Mutton or wether (sheep)
Vinum Wine
Wastel A type of bread of good quality
References
- Brears, Peter; 1999. All The King’s Cooks, Souvenir Press, London.
- Brears, Peter; 2015. Cooking and Dining in Tudor and Early Stuart England, Prospect Books, London.
- Dommers Vehling, Joseph (translator); Apicius – Cookery and Dining in Imperial Rome, Dover Publications Inc, New York.
- Renfrow, Cindy; 1990. Take a Thousand Eggs Or More, Vol 1, 2nd Ed. Royal Fireworks Press, Unionville, New York.
- Renfrow, Cindy; 1990. Take a Thousand Eggs Or More, Vol 2, 2nd Ed. Royal Fireworks Press, Unionville, New York.
- Scully, Terence (translator); 2010. On Cookery of Master Chiquart (1420), ACMRS, Tempe, Arizona.
- Medieval Recipes. https://www.medieval-recipes.com/glossary/
- A Boke of Gode Cookery Presents Glossary of Medieval Cooking Terms. http://www.godecookery.com/glossary/glosss.htm A short introduction to medieval cooking terms which may be helpful.