Pottage

Potage/Pottage: history and recipes for one of the most common dishes of the medieval and renaissance eras.

1. Pottage: Not Just for Poor People (or Peas) Kat Ginere , mka Grace Amundsen Barnkow

2. What is Pottage Potage as a dish is thickened, creamy soup – the requirements are generally a broth (potage) of some kind with bread (the soupe ) Other related terms: Zuppe , minestre , chowder, curry/curie Less of a single recipe than the art or technique of combining leftovers in a way that tastes good Literal origin of the term is Old French for food cooked in a pot

3. Typical European Ingredients

4. Typical Italian ingredients

5. z The Spices Potage recipes were presented either with or without spices Powdered and added to the sauce, then strained and re-added towards the end of the cooking time to maximize taste for minimum spices. Examples: coriander, ginger, cinnamon, star anise, black and long pepper, cloves, salt, nutmeg, mace, saffron, cubebs

6. How it was prepared Flavor developed then body added with thickeners Some ingredients were pre-cooked before inclusion – period instructions suggest browning pigeons in fat or grilling hare first for example; meat often pre-cooked in wine or a distinct sauce Lengthy boiling to reduce and concentrate flavors The goal was to have a blend of diverse flavors, colors and textures Preferred flavors more diverse than generally preferred today, ie mustard, vinegar, sweet and sour, acidic, unusual sweetness – sometimes in the same dish

7. How it was served Like most meals, potages were served with (sometimes watered) wine, recommended young, light wines Accompanied by potted flowers or with petals sprinkled on the surface Sometimes served with gnocchi (mashed fresh cheese combined with flour and egg yolk dropped into boiling water) Served in deep plates and eaten with spoons Served during the first service for multi-course meals Accompanied by readymade sauces

8. My favorite Italian-style version Ground almonds and a little rice flour, salt, pepper, nutmeg, mace, ginger, cinnamon, saffron, a pinch of cloves, galangal, grains of Paradise, sugar, currants, farro , olive oil, vinegar, cream, beef and beef stock, onion, broccoli, cauliflower, leeks, garlic, chickpeas, mushrooms, bay, mint, oregano, majoram , tarragon, sage

9. Extemporaneous Soup (my version, based on Le Menagier de Paris, as shown in the Medieval Kitchen) Ingredients per person: 2 tbl parsley, 1 cup water, 2 tbl butter or fat, ½ slice bread, egg, ½ tsp vinegar, ½ tsp verjuice or lemon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt Fry parsley in butter, add water and boil. Salt, add bread. When soft, mash it and add the eggs, pushing the resulting mash through a coarse sieve. Add in spices, flavoring.

10. Who ate it Considered an essential part of any wife or cook’s repertoire (40% of essential dishes in Le Menagier de Paris) Not just for the hoi polloi – for example, served to the Privy Councillors in the Star Chamber in 1590 The Pottager was an important role in large and prestigious kitchens

11. Surviving examples today Ribollita , the famous Tuscan bread soup of olive oil, celery stalks, carrots, onions, garlic, salt and pepper, cannellini beans, whole tomatoes, veggie stock, rosemary, thyme, kale or escarole, toasted bread, grated parmesan Tomato bisque Carrot soup (Potage de Crecy) Soupe DuBarry , a French soup of potatoes, veal stock, and cauliflower

12. Sources The Forme of Cury , 1390 Le Menagier de Paris Class from Brigitte Webster at TudorCon