Continuing the ongoing series of excerpts from the 11th-century Benedictiones ad Mensas by Ekkehart IV, we come to fruit:
176 May the gifts of God picked from trees be blessed
Arboribus lecta sint dona dei benedicta
177 Faithful Christ, may these fruit be gentle gifts to us
Hęc pie Christe dona sint nobis mitia poma
178 May light and pace make this fruit of the olive tree blessed
Hunc Oleę fructum faciat lux pax benedictum
179 May Peter of Rome grant that the citrons be mild
Da Petre de roma sint mitia Cedria poma
180 May the citrons give strength and bring health
Cedria virtutem dent poma ferantque salutem
181 May blessing and grace be upon these thick fig purees
Ficorum grossis benedictio gratia massis
182 May grace be with the thick dates
Assit Dactilicis palmarum gratia grossis
183 May no pest be permitted to approach the grapes
Appropiare Botris sit nulla licentia tetris
184 May the blessing render the pomegranate agreeable
Mala Granata faciat benedictio grata
185 May the blessing make the different kinds of apples sweet
Malorum species faciat benedictio dulces
186 May the creator himself grant this pear miraculous sweetness
Conditor ipse Pyra fore det dulcedine mira
187 May the anger of the bladder be soothed by the wild pears
Ad lapidosa pira vessicę torpeat ira
188 May the bladder be well thanks to the wild pears
Ut lapidosorum bona sit vessica pirorum
189 May the pears mixed with apples not feel the anger of the stomach
Malis iuncta pira stomachi non sentiat ira
190 May the finely haired quinces be agreeable under the cross
Sub cruce sint sana tenera lanugine mala
191 Make the chestnuts soft, you who rules over all
Castaneas mollęs fac qui super omnia polles
192 May this peach be blessed with the holy cross
Persiceus fructus cruce sancta sit benedictus
193 May the one majesty bless these yellow plums
Maiestas una benedicat cerea Pruna
194 Bless, O Christ, our cherries with your right hand
Christe tua dextra benedic Cęrasia nostra
195 The earth of Iberia and Lucullus gave this (i.e. the cherry) to the Italians
Hiberię tellus dedit hęc Italisque Lucullus
196 Christ, render the Iberian tart cherries mellow through the cross
Christus Amarinas cruce mulceat Hiberianas
197 May the cross that comes over the hazelnuts make them healthy
Crux in Avellanas veniens det eas fore sanas
198 May the triune grace render sweet the walnuts7 that grew for its sake
Gratia trina Nuces sibi partas det fore dulces
199 May the walnut retain the manifold glory that was in its flowers
Quos dedit in flores nux plurima servet honores
200 May all the different kinds of nut be blessed
Sit genus omne nucum specie distans benedictum
201 May the warmth of the Holy Ghost cause to flourish what each tree gives
Pneumaticus fervor foveat quę quisque dat arbor
202 May the triune one bless the burden of all trees
Arboris omnis onus benedicat trinus et unus
This is an impressive list of fruit and certainly not what we would associate with medieval Germany, but horticulture was an important concern in monastic communities and had been for a long time. The famous 9th century “Plan of St Gall” includes a fruit orchard, and the poem de cultura hortorum by Walahfrid Strabo, written on nearby Reichenau in the 9th century, lists an even more impressive array of fruit and vegetables. St Gall is located in the warmest and most fertile part of the German-speaking world, so peaches and even figs and pomegranates are not entirely implausible.
However, the citrons mentioned in #179-180, the olives in #178, and the dates in #182 are clearly imported, as may the figs and pomegranates be. Dates as well as figs were dried for preservation while citrons, like pomegranates, could travel far before spoiling. Olives wold most likely have been dry-cured or brined. None of these can have been common fare.
There is little information about cooking, but it is likely that much if not most fruit would have been cooked. This is what other medical sources of the time recommend, and both #181 and #189 suggest. It is not quite clear what these massis in #181 are, but a fruit puree seems likely. Similarly, the mixture of apples and pears in #189 suggests some kind of prepared dish, maybe a sauce or compote. Similar preparations are attested in later recipe collections.
There is a good deal of classical allusion going on here, showing off the author’s education. the Roman general Lucullus is indeed credited with bringing cherries to Italy, and the association with Iberia is attested, though this Iberia is a region in the Caucasus, not the Iberian peninsula. Ekkehart is most likely drawing on Isidore of Seville’s Etymologiae for this snippet. The words cerasia and amarina may refer to tart and sweet cherries, as do the later German terms Kirsche and Weichsel. However, they may equally be the author showing off his vocabulary.
Then there is another reference to bladder stones which seem to have been a real problem or possibly a cause of great fear. The ‘stony pear’ mentioned here is most likely the European wild pear (Pyrus pyraster).
The list of nuts, limited to walnuts and hazel, is short enough to suggest that the blessings indeed focus on the things that the author expected to see on the table. Neither almonds nor pistachios or pine nuts make an appearance, and all of these would have had to be imported from the Mediterranean.
The Benedictiones ad Mensas were produced by Ekkehart IV of St Gall, most likely initially written during his tenure as head of the Mainz cathedral school between 1022 and 1031, but expanded and revised until his death in St Gall in 1057. Theyare a collection of blessings to be spoken over food. Written in short rhyming couplets in Latin, they are unusual in their attention to the diversity of foods and preparations. This is not a serious work of theology or medicine, but an intellectual diversion, playful verse meant to show off a broad vocabulary and facility with Latin. That is what makes them very valuable – they give us a glimpse of the mental horizon of a senior cleric of the 11th century at the table.