Ancient cookery manuscript
15th century
Whitney Cookery Collection, Manuscripts and Archives Division
Ancient cookery manuscript
This manuscript is a collection of medieval English recipes formulated by the Master Cooks of King Richard II in 14th-century England. The first printed edition, published in 1780, bore the title The Forme of Cury. The compiled recipes include meat and vegetable dishes that show connections with Arabic cooking, as well as Mediterranean influences from Portugal and Spain. It is among the oldest sources of English cookery, and the first to mention recipes with olive oil and spices such as cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. The manuscript, a bequest of Helen Hay Whitney, is also the oldest manuscript written in English held in the Library’s collections.
: Whitney Cookery Collection, Manuscripts and Archives Division
Currently on View at Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
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