Is Anthimus' work "the oldest European medieval cookbook"? I Well, it IS six centuries older than a twelfth century book that has recently been touted as exactly that. In fact, neither is exactly a cookbook; both are works on health which happen to include recipes.
No cookbook has survived from the first centuries of France, when the Merovingian Franks invaded Gaul and founded what become known as "The ...
Is Anthimus' work "the oldest European medieval cookbook"? I Well, it IS six centuries older than a twelfth century book that has recently been touted as exactly that.
In fact, neither is exactly a cookbook; both are works on health which happen to include recipes.
No cookbook has survived from the first centuries of France, when the Merovingian Franks invaded Gaul and founded what become known as "The Kingdom of the Franks" - Francia. But in the sixth century an Ostrogoth king sent a Byzantine physican to one of the Frankish courts where the food, being for the rich, was essentially Roman. Anthimus, the physician/ambassador, wrote his host a long letter on diet - De Observatione Ciborum - intended mainly for medical purposes (and so a "dietetic") but outlining in a number of cases how to prepare the food in question. Most of the food Anthimus mentions shows Roman influence, but he also mentions specific Byzantine and Frankish specialties.
Though the most well-known medieval food remains that of Taillevent and the fourteenth century, this too was medieval food, but from a far earlier century, when the Roman influence was still strong.
This new translation of this very rare work includes an overview of the cuisine it addresses, a look at some similar works over the centuries, a list of Anthimus' remedies for specific ailments and an overview of his ideas and approach. The translation itself is followed by notes and a number of modern recipes ("redactions") based on Anthimus' instructions. These range from the very simple - stewed quinces - to the complex - beaten egg whites steamed in various liquids and beef stewed in vinegar and honey with spices.
The information Anthimus preserved is extraordinarily rare and his wonderfully informative work should equally interest historical cooks, medievalists and students of Roman food. This new edition now makes it readily available to a wider audience.
Anthimus (Greek: ????ยต??; fl. 511-534) was a Byzantine physician at the court of the Ostrogoth king Theodoric the Great. He is generally thought to be the same person who was exiled from Byzantium for court intrigues. He became successful enough in Italy to be known as an "Illustrious Man" (an honorific title). While an ambassador to the Frankish king Theuderic he wrote a letter containing dietetic instructions which has survied as "De Observatione Ciborum Epistula Ad Theudericum, Regem Francorum".
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Overview
In fact, neither is exactly a cookbook; both are works on health which happen to include recipes.
No cookbook has survived from the first centuries of France, when the Merovingian Franks invaded Gaul and founded what become known as "The ...