The Book of Cheese, 1580-1660

Historical rabbit holes, for those who are inclined.

These slender booklets from Historical Management Associates are the work of an organization dedicated to historical re-enactment in the UK. They are written with a stickler’s attention to historical precision and a conviction that nothing is too arcane to investigate. Some of the books are simple transcriptions of period manuscripts; others represent significant original research, as in Cattle Farming and Grazing Management, which is 52 pages long but cites 36 sources, many of them published in the 17th century.

From the introduction:

“This book deals with cheeses from 1580 to 1660. It sets out to identify the types of cheese produced and consumed in England, and to give some indication of the constraints on production and consumption which dictated the pattern. Although is contains the period instructions on how to make many of the cheeses it does not provide a detailed interpretation of modern instructions for the cheese.”

A staplebound pamphlet. 16 pages.