From Saint Hildegard's Kitchen: Foods of Health, Foods of Joy

The 12th-century Benedictine Abbess Hildegard of Bingen was blessed with an astonishing array of talents. She was, among other things, a mystic, naturalist, visionary, and composer. Hildegard was also granted, by means of heavenly visions, in-depth knowledge about human nutrition. She believed "foods of joy" revitalized us and helped preserve good health in every sphere—physical, spiritual, and psychological.

Now, famed French chef Jany Fournier-Rosset has mined from Hildegard's writings a c...