The Gourmet's Guide 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 provides the best of period banquet and feast recipes…Cookery was a serious business in the 17th century and the guild system ensured a lengthy period of experience before any professional cook could set up in his own right…”

Staplebound pamphlet. 60 pages.