{"product_id":"how-to-cook-an-early-french-peacock-de-observatione-ciborum-roman-food-for-a-frankish-king-bilingual-third-edition","title":"How to Cook an Early French Peacock: De Observatione Ciborum - Roman Food for a Frankish King (Bilingual Third Edition)","description":"\u003cp\u003eIs Anthimus' work \"the oldest European medieval cookbook\"? By many measures, even if it is more a medical work, or, in modern terms, a book on nutrition, than a cookbook per se.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eNo actual 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 physician 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eThough 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 work has been called \"the first French book of cookery\".\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eThis edition of this very rare work is BILINGUAL and now includes additional notes on Anthimus' work as both a Roman and a medieval cookbook, as well as a survey of actual Frankish food. The work also provides an overview of the cuisine the work addresses, an introduction to the very concept of a \"dietetic\" and comparisons of others with Anthimus' own, a list of Anthimus' remedies for specific ailments and an overview of his ideas and approach.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eWould you like to prepare your own Frankish-Roman meal? 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. Suggested courses are even outlined for both modern and Roman-style meals.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eThe information Anthimus preserved is extraordinarily rare and his wonderfully informative work should equally interest historical cooks, medievalists and students of Roman food. This translation, now in a third edition, makes it readily available to a wider audience.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n","brand":"None","offers":[{"title":"Livre numérique Kobo","offer_id":46508400967890,"sku":"c5a41761-bd9c-3797-af16-3ac9bc16969c","price":6.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0655\/8980\/5233\/files\/image_f16201ae-0f8c-456b-b9df-ea633a1adfd9.jpg?v=1763076143","url":"https:\/\/www.indigo.ca\/fr\/products\/how-to-cook-an-early-french-peacock-de-observatione-ciborum-roman-food-for-a-frankish-king-bilingual-third-edition","provider":"Indigo","version":"1.0","type":"link"}