Medieval cooking was not, as is so easily assumed by many who have seen old cooking utensils or pictures of cooks at work, a dubious practice that produced inedible dishes filled with strange spices and dangerous ingredients.

Medieval cooks used many of the same type of foodstuffs that are in use today in addition to forms of food preparation familiar to any of us.

The dishes and recipes they prepared were neither inedible nor dangerous, but extremely delicious and nourishing products that employed the finest meats, grains, fruits, and vegetables medieval society was capable of developing.

What they tried has been passed on down to the people of today; From our ancestors we've learned about the flavour of meats, herbs and various other foodstuffs. Not to mention how to cook these to bring out their full flavouring whether it be boiled, roasted or smoked.

Whether we know it or not most of our ideas of cooking had been tried and tested in many years passed, perhaps sometimes with questionable results but then they didn't have the technology we take for granted today, such as clocks to time what we cook something for, or even methods to control the amount of heat used.

Perhaps the closest we get to a true medieval cooking experience can be archived by camping. Medieval houses were often very drafty letting in wind and all manner of creatures.
By camping out somewhere even with a tent we're exposed to the elements, and may not know what has been done to a piece of wood used to light a fire.

By cooking over an open flame, particularly if spit-roasting we have little control over time, heat or anything else; a wind may unexpectedly blow onto the flame reducing it's heat temporarily, or if it suddenly begins to rain the flavour of the meat could be washed, or become smoked by the fire going out.

All these factors and more were a part of life in the Middle Ages, and something many of us have forgotten over time because of various advancements, or in some cases even extinction of certain varieties of animals that would have been hunted in days of old, or others which may be close to extinct and rarely found.

After an intensive expansion project, the old Greek town of Byzantium was renamed for the emperor Constantine and made the capital of the empire.

For more than 1000 years the newly called Constantinople would be the most culturally advanced and politically significant city of the western world.

Jance Sauce

● 1 cup white wine
● 1/4 cup ground almonds
● 1 Tbsp lemon juice
● 4 slices of bread
● 1/2 tsp minced garlic
● 1/4 tsp ginger
● 1/4 tsp grains of paradise
● 1/4 tsp salt
● 1/8 tsp black pepper
● Pinch saffron, ground
● 1/2 cup beef broth (often brought in a Tin/Can)

Fish - Cod in this Recipe

● 1 pound fresh cod (skinless, boneless)
● 1/4 cup white wine
● 1/4 cup water
● 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation & Cooking:
Jance Sauce

Select two small bowls and pour the wine, and lemon juice into one. This mixture is a substitute for Verjuice which would have been used at the time but is often more difficult to obtain now.

Add the bread slice by slice to this Wine and Lemon mixture and allow to soak evenly for several moments. Leave the bread within the mixture when all are soaked as this is part of the sauce.

In the second bowl mix the Garlic with Almonds and stir well, gradually adding the various spices (grains, salt etc). Once thoroughly mixed add the two mixtures together and put through a strainer into a small pot.

Add the beef broth to this new liquid mixture and heat until just before boiling. Pour into a bowl (as above, or similiar) and serve with the fish to be completed next.

Cod Cooking

If not already cut into slices cut evenly into four slices; reducing or increasing amount depending on how many your serving for.

Pour the water and white wine into a frying pan and mix well.
While mixing turn on the heat then add the fish.

While cooking sprinkle lightly a bit of salt onto the top of the fish and turn over when half cooked, adding another pinch of salt. This allows both sides to cook evenly with a very light brown appearance.

Serve on small places with the Jance Sauce in the middle; or alternatively use a single plate and allow people to take small pieces as they wish.

This recipe would perfectly suit with the addition of chips, potatoes or salad, depending on personal taste.

Recipe/Image Source: MedievalCookery