31 



fideculas, munces et purpuras : that is — more shell-fish, including 

 the purple murex, becaficos (the fig-picker), cutlets of wild goat 

 and of wild boar ; chicken pies, snipes. 



For the last course : sumina, sinciput aprugnum, patinam 

 pincium, patinam suminis, anates, quercedulas elixas, lepores, altilia 

 assa, amylum, panes Picentes : that is — sows'-hearts, wild boar's 

 head, stewed fish, stewed sows'-hearts, ducks, some some small 

 birds boiled (I don't know what quercedula are: some bird that 

 feeds on acorns), hares, roast fowls, bread sauce, sponge cakes. 



A dessert would follow. This is the menu of a very simple 

 dinner indeed : it was at a later period we come to the dormice fed 

 on chesnuts, served with sweet sauce on golden plates, and the 

 elaborate ^Mtinas and salacacabias of the Apician cookery. 



Such was the Roman cookery. It had a very long term of 

 existence : it did not expire with the Empire, but survived even 

 through the middle ages. The Romans brought it to this country; 

 we have every right to believe that it continued after they left. 

 The .Anglo-Saxon in his cookery used the mortar extensively, and 

 he used the word briw, for an elaborate stew. But however that 

 may be, the Anglo-Norman cookery is a legitimate descendant of 

 the Apician. The Normans liked high-seasoned dishes : William 

 of Malmesbury tells us incidentally that a great prince ate garlick 

 with a goose, from which we are led to suppose that the Normans 

 had the Roman taste for highly seasoned dishes. Necham tells 

 us that fish should be cooked in a sauce composed of wine and 

 water, and should be served with a sauce of sage, parsley, cost, 

 thyme, ditany, and garlick. That is a thoroughly Apician recipe. 



For the Anglo-Norman cookery of the 14th century we have a 

 cookery book to go to. " The Forme of Cury, a Roll of Ancient 

 English Cookery, compiled about A.D. 1390, by the Master Cooks 

 of King Richard II." This is a vellum roll, containing one 

 hundred and ninety-six formute, or recipes. A memorandum 

 upon it in Latin states that it was presented to Queen Elizabeth, 

 as "Antiquicin hoc inontmientuiib," by E. Stafford. Hceres domus 

 suhversce Buckiiighamice. He was grandson of the Duke of 

 Buckingham, who was beheaded in 152 1. This roll was published 



