Gode Cookery

A compilation of medieval recipes from authentic sources adapted for the 21st century kitchen, along with diverse facts on food & feasting in the Middle Ages & Renaissance and other historical culinary items.

"The premier site on the Net for medieval morsels" - New York Carver Newsletter

"A wonderfully eccentric site.... extremely well-researched.

On the Internet since November 1997

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!

As of April, 2009, Gode Cookery is undergiong a major revision & upgrade! Some websites will be changed, others may be removed; please be patient with us during this time of construction!

Thank you for your continued support of Gode Cookery!

WELCOME TO GODE COOKERY - April 2009

April is Easter-month

Aprils Observations

     Make Fens and spread Hillocks in Meadows for Hay. Set poles for Hops deep and Strong.
     Sow Flax and Hemp, set and sow all kind of Garden Herbs, yet this rule do not forget, to sow dry and set wet.
     Restore the liberty of the Laborious Bee by opening her Hive.
     Now, let the good Wives look to their Gardens, and begin to think of their Dairies,
for from April to St. Andrews tide Dairies do last.

Planting a tree - image for this month from a 13th century Canterbury manuscript on the occupations of the months; the text is from Thomas Tusser's Five hundreth pointes of good husbandrie, 1586.

The Gode Cookery Channel on

Featuring food, feasts, & music!

http://www.youtube.com/GodeCookery

Gode Cookery Website Staff

Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Manager - James Matterer

Owner, Technical Manager, & Assistant Manager - Monica Gaudio

Editor: Gode Cookery Recipe Collection - Tammy Crawford

Gode Cookery Catering Staff - þe Companie of Gode Cooks

Master Cook - James Matterer

Master Cook - Tammy Crawford

Apprentices - Glenda Cockrum, Monica Gaudio, Troy Lamey, Jill Walker, Jennifer Strobel

Assistants - Darell McCormick, Lisa Holcomb-Blair, Mark G. Smith

Here Bygynneth A Boke of Gode Cookery

God may send a man good meate, but the devyll sende an evyll cooke.

edieval cooking was not, as has been so easily assumed, 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. Then as now, mankind knew what tasted good and the sauces, stews, pies, roasts, and soups that satisfied the 14th century family are just as wholesome and enjoyable today.

any of the recipes in this site originate from true medieval & Renaissance sources, are fully documented, and have been adapted for use in the modern kitchen. Original sources & bibliographies are featured whenever possible; historical authenticity and research are our main concerns, along with producing viands that are enjoyable & good to eat. Those recipes that are neither authentic nor documented are clearly defined as being so, and are included for those who wish to prepare modern foods with a medieval flavor. Whether it's a small repast for two or an entire medieval feast, a documented period dinner or a party with a medieval theme, Gode Cookery can provide authentic and delicious dishes with which to please and satisfy your guests.

eat pies filled with pork, beef, raisins and dates, topped with whole chicken pieces; soups flavored with wine and thickened with almonds; vegetables and fruit marinated in wine, honey, & herbs and savory sauces & stews of all varieties! Venison pies & rabbit in gravy; beef roasts, stuffed goose, & fish marinated in ale; sweet pastries fried in oil, fruit confections, and sculptures made of sugar! Exotic creations such as the Cockentrice, half pig & half chicken, and the Coqz Heaumez, a knightly hen who rides a suckling steed - this is the food of the Middle Ages!

GODE COOKERY TABLE OF CONTENTS

With full details of all sites within Gode Cookery

For fast & easy navigation of Gode Cookery, use the Navigation Bar, found on the left side of the main page of every website.

UPDATES

A Word from the Cook is continually updated with all information on new additions & changes to this site.

April 10 '09 - Gode Cookery Photo Galleries
April 10 '09 - Gode Cookery Selected Site

Gode Cookery Selected Site of the Month

Medieval Cookery

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The Gode Cookery Discussion Group

The Gode Cookery Discussion Group is open to anyone with a desire and willingness to communicate and share information with others interested in medieval & Renaissance cookery. Members may either receive individual letters or a digest. The list is moderated and SPAM, rudeness, offensive language, and intolerance are not acceptable.

Members of the Gode Cookery Discussion group have access to recipes, food information, and PDF articles on historical cooking not made available anywhere else at Gode Cookery.

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Our recommendations and awards, along with various site reviews of Gode Cookery.

http://www.godecookery.com/godeboke/wallfame/wallfame.htm

And a few more interesting items...

Christian Science Monitor Review of A Boke of Gode Cookery | On the Menu: Confit
Chaucer: Still popular after 600 years | Food: How Modern is the Modern British Menu?

Gode Cookery

The premier caterer for the Alabama Renaissance Faire & the
Alabama Renaissance Faire Feasts
2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008

Table setting at the 2006 feast

The Alabama Feast for 2008 on October 18tht was a great success! Thanks to all of our friends in Alabama who helped make this another wonderful experience. We look forward to joining you again in October 2009!

Alabama Renaissance Faire

6 months until the next Alabama Renaissance Faire Feast!

Gode Cookery Photo Galleries

http://www.godecookery.com/pics/galleries.html

With videos, slideshows, & music!

Gode Cookery on the Food Network

Gode Cookery is featured in the Food Network series, "The Secret Life of...". The series debuted on June 7th, 2004. Look for us on "The Secret Life of Sandwiches," the third episode in the 1st season. We also appear in the 2nd season, in "The Secret Life of Birthday Parties," in the 2007 holiday special "The Secret Life of Hallowe'en," and in the fourth season in "The Secret Life of Gingerbread."

Check our Food Network page for more details!

Gourmet medieval & Renaissance cookies from Gode Cookery, perfect for feasts, weddings, receptions, & more. In dozens of delightful & authentic designs.

http://www.godecookery.com/cookies/cookies.html

Read about the Biddenden Maids, conjoined twins who are now a part of cookie history, in our Molded Cookies in History page.

THE GODE COOKERY RING

Take a walk through Gode Cookery

Medieval Cookery Books Available Through The Gode Cookery Bookshop!

Many of the valuable & informative reference books used in the creation of Gode Cookery, including Terence Scully's Art of Cookery in the Middle Ages and Food and Feast in Medieval England by P. W. Hammond, are now available through this site and Amazon.com! If you admire and enjoy Gode Cookery, then you should also be pleased with any of the books listed here below and at the Bookshop. And if you're a serious food historian or someone who actively enjoys medieval cooking, then these are must-haves for your collection.

The Medieval
Kitchen

Odile Redon

Fast
and Feast

Bridget Ann Henisch

The English
Housewife

Gervase Markham

Libellus De Arte
Coquinaria

Rudolf Grewe

More Medieval Cookery Books Are At The Gode Cookery Bookshop

Pleyn Delit, Fabulous Feasts, Take a Thousand Eggs or More, and other titles.

This cookbook is for your reading pleasure, as well as your eating pleasure. May you enjoy both, to full measure!

About the Author: James L. Matterer has an academic background in both culinary arts and history. He has been researching and recreating medieval food since 1979 and has presented dozens of authentic feasts, the largest being for over 300 people. A member of the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc., he has received that organization's highest Arts & Science award for his research & recreation of the cookery of Chaucerian England. James has taught a medieval cooking workshop at Penn State University, has had several recipes published in scholastic textbooks, and along with his medieval catering company, also called Gode Cookery, is the premier caterer for the Alabama Renaissance Fair. In 2004, 2005, 2006, & 2007 he appeared on the Food Network series, "The Secret Life of...". James lives with his partner and 4 cats in a quirky old farmhouse on the outskirts of Newark, DE; he is currently employed by the English Language Institute at the University of Delaware.

James at a medieval reenactment, Feb. 18, 2006

Gode Cookery entered the WWW on November 15th, 1997

Created by Netscape
This site last modified on April 10th, 2009

Dedicated to Hazel Huff Matterer

The author welcomes all correspondences