Author Archives: carlton_bach

Hans Staden on Cassava

Another piece from my ongoing research into buccaneer cuisine. This is from the account of the German landsknecht Hans Staden who served the Portuguese crown in Brazil in the 1550s. He spent a considerable time as a captive of the … Continue reading

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The Mortar Chicken Experiment

Following up on yesterday’s recipe, I wanted to give it a try: 10 A roast chicken in a mortar Take a roast chicken and cut it up (zuo glide) small. Take white bread and prepare a thin egg batter. Pound … Continue reading

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Mortar Chicken from the Mondseer Kochbuch

Another recipe from the Mondseer Kochbuch, one with plenty of parallels: 10 A roast chicken in a mortar Take a roast chicken and cut it up (zuo glide) small. Take white bread and prepare a thin egg batter. Pound saffron … Continue reading

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A Seventeenth-Century Survival Bro

This is another story that I came across reading Jean-Baptiste Labat’s account of life in the French Antilles in the late seventeenth century. Honestly, if it wasn’t in the book, I would not believe it. Labat recalls meeting a hunter … Continue reading

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Candied Ginger and the Spice Gap

Not a medieval recipe, another piece from Jean-Baptiste Labat as part of my buccaneer cuisine project. This time, the reverend father writes about treating the ginger they grew on Gouadeloupe: “Spicers mix the ginger with pepper, a little cloves, and … Continue reading

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Roast Battered Stockfish

Another recipe from the Mondseer Kochbuch, with a potentially interesting flavour profile: 18 How you can roast stockfish Take a stockfish that is not large and remove its skin. Soften it in cold water and take it out, and press … Continue reading

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Boucan de Tortue

This post is taking us back to my research in buccaneer food, with a description of a festive dish prepared with turtle meat. In the description by Jean-Baptiste Labat, this was done by flibustiers, but in honour of a high-ranking … Continue reading

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Salmon Pastries

Another nice recipe from the Mondseer Kochbuch: 17 How to fry salmon Take a salmon and scrape off its scales. Split it and cut it to pieces. Chop parsley and sage, take pounded ginger, pepper, and anise. Salt it in … Continue reading

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Figs in Galantine

The third medieval experiment I made for my birthday party was another recipe from the collection of Meister Hans that is going to be my next book-size translation: Figs in sulcz. Galantine of figs Item as galantine of figs, if … Continue reading

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Fruit Mus Two Ways

I am sorry for falling so abruptly silent again, but I ended my birthday with some unpleasant cold symptoms and a COVID diagnosis. Things are improving rapidly, it looks like a very mild case, but right now I am still … Continue reading

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