1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground mace
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon long pepper or grains of paradise (optional)
Combine equal parts of all spices and store in a small airtight bottle.
Medieval Black Pepper Sauce
This recipe makes a rich sauce that pairs well with robust red meats, such as venison and boar, as well as the more mundane beef. The quantities of ingredients can be tweaked to make the sauce thicker or thinner to your preference, and you can adjust the amount of pepper to taste. The tartness of the vinegar might surprise you at first, but after a little acclimation, we think you’ll like it as much as we do. The charred flavor of the bread combined with the bite of the pepper rounds out the flavor sensations that go with this sauce.
Poivre noir: Black Pepper Sauce. Grind ginger, round pepper and burnt toast, infuse this in vinegar and boil it. —LE VIANDIER DE TAILLEVENT, 14TH CENTURY
1 slice bread, toasted until black
⅓ cup verjuice, or equal parts cider vinegar and water
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
Soak the burned bread in the liquid in a small saucepan until it falls apart, then mash it with a fork. Stir in the spices and slowly bring the sauce to a boil. For a thinner sauce, add more liquid; for a smoother version, press it through a sieve.
Elizabethan Butter Sauce
Makes about ¾ cup sauce
This recipe produces a quirky sauce, something like a rustic béarnaise. The butter lends it a decadent creaminess, while the lemon complicates the flavors in the best way. Ideal for serving with small poultry, such as quail.
A Sauce for a Roasted Pullet or Capon. When your Pullet is roasted and dished, put a little piece of Butter into the Belly at the end, with a little Claret, a hard yolk of an Egg minced, a Lemmon squeezed into it and Salt; give these one boyle with the Gravie and the Fowle in the dish, then garnish it with Lemmon and serve it up.
—THE ART OF COOKERY REFIN’D AND AUGMENTED, JOSEPH COOPER, 1654
1 hard-boiled egg yolk
½ cup white wine
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Pinch of salt
Drippings (optional)
Mash the egg yolk with 1 teaspoon of the wine. Combine this with remaining wine, butter, and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Simmer, stirring constantly, for around 20 minutes to allow it to thicken a little. Drizzle over meat to serve.
Medieval Sauce for Fish
Makes about 2 cups sauce
This simple historical sauce pairs well with any fish. The combination of vinegar and ginger provides an interesting culinary experience, but it is subtle enough that it doesn’t overpower the natural flavors of the fish.
Take Pykes and undo hem on þe wombes and waisshe hem clene and lay hem on a roost irne þenne take gode wyne and powdour gynger & sugur, good wone, & salt, and boile it in an erthen panne & messe forth þe pyke & lay the sewe onoward. —THE FORME OF CURY, 14TH CENTURY
2 cups red or white wine
1½ teaspoons ground ginger
2 tablespoons sugar or honey
Salt to taste
Prepare the sauce by bringing the wine to a boil. Reduce the heat, then add the remaining ingredients, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Lay the grilled fish on a serving platter, then lightly cover with the sauce, or present the sauce as an accompaniment in a separate serving dish.
Roux
This is a wonderful trick to thicken your soups and stews. The flour works to thicken the broth, while the butter keeps the flour from becoming globby.
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons flour
Melt the butter in a pan, stirring gently until it just starts to bubble. Add flour and mix completely with the butter. Stir until the mixture turns golden brown, just a few minutes. Add a ladleful of your soup broth to the pan, whisking constantly. Then pour this entire mix back into your soup pot, stirring thoroughly until the roux is all dissolved.
Medieval Pastry Dough
Makes enough for eight 4-inch tarts, two 9-inch tarts, or one 9-inch double-crust pie Prep: 10 minutes
This recipe makes dough that is buttery and rich, and just perfect for both sweet and savory dishes.
Take fine floure and a curtesy of faire water and a disshe of swete butter and a litle saffron and the yolkes of two egges and make it thin and tender as ye maie.
—A PROPRE NEW BOOKE OF COKERY, 1545
Pinch of saffron
½ cup water
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
3 cups flour
2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
Dissolve the saffron in the water. Meanwhile, rub the butter into the flour with your fingers until there are only crumb-size pieces of butter left, then add the egg yolks and the saffron water. Stir until entirely incorporated, adding more water very gradually if needed, until everything just sticks together.
To prebake a shell, line a pan with dough, rolled very thin—to between ⅛ and ¼ inch. Using a fork, poke holes all over the bottom of the pastry shell, or use pie weights or dried beans to prevent bubbling. Bake for around 10 minutes at 350°F. Don’t let the pastry start to brown! Remove it from the oven and fill as the recipe indicates.
Medieval Sweet Dough
Makes enough dough for fifty 2-inch pastries
This dough, when fried, creates a wonderfully old-fashioned-tasting cookie that is perfect for showcasing your favorite syrupy topping. Occasionally a bit hard, these are at their best when they’re allowed to soak up the juices from the toppings.
… þan take fayre flowre, Safroun, Sugre, & Fayre Water, ande make þer-of cakys, and let hem be þinne Inow …
—TWO FIFTEENTH-CENTURY COOKERY-BOOKS
4½ cups flour
2 cups sugar
Pinch of salt
2 teaspoons saffron (optional)
½ cup cold water, plus more if needed
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, and salt. Dissolve the saffron by letting it sit in the cold water, then gradually work the water into the flour to make a smooth dough, similar to pie pastry. To achieve the right consistency, you may not use all the saffron water, or you may have to sprinkle in a little extra water.
Lemon Pastry Dough
Makes a single crust for a 9-inch pie Prep: 15 minutes
This recipe makes lovely dough that just begs to be made into fruit tarts. The lemon flavor comes through even after baking, sweet and tart.
1¼ cups flour, or more if needed
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Pinch of salt
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
Grated zest of 1 lemon
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
Whisk the flour, sugar, cornstarch, and salt together, then cut in the butter until an even consistency resembling bread crumbs is formed. Add the zest, vanilla, and egg. Mix the dough with your hands until everything is incorporated. Add more flour, if needed, to create a dough that is not sticky. Flatten to a disk, wrap in plastic, and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Use as needed for the recipe.
Summary of Cuisine by Region
The Wall
The northernmost point in Westeros, the Wall is home to the Night’s Watch: keepers of the 700-foot wall of ice, and the watchers in the night. It is a place that never gets warm and where the chill seeps into a person’s bones. The Night’s Watch is undervalued and underfunded, so they mostly eat whatever they can come by. Much of it is preserved—salt pork, salt cod, honeyed venison, and pickled foods. They also rely heavily on dried goods such as beans, peas, oats, nuts, and berries. Drinks of choice include hot wine and very heavy beer to help keep warm.
The North
A vast region nearly as large as the other kingdoms of Westeros combined, the North is ruled by the Starks in Winterfell. Their tables groan under the weight of roasted game, fowl, root vegetables, and baked goods. Apples, berries, squash, and a plethora of seafoods feature heavily—though they occasionally receive goods from other parts of Westeros via the port in White Harbor. (Hence Sansa’s affection for lemon cakes.)
The Vale
Much of the Vale of Arryn is made up of harsh, impassable mountains. However, in the Vale itself, the land is fertile and able to sustain the people who live around it. The Eyrie, the towering stronghold of House Arryn, serves up various sweets, including honeycomb and cakes, but also relies on meat from sturdy mountain animals like goats.
The Riverlands
Nestled in between forks of the river Trident, the fertile plains of the riverlands are ruled by House Tully. The rich soil allows for a wide variety of crops, while the rivers yield up plentiful trout, pike, and other fish. Leeks and other greens abound.
The Iron Islands
Like the members of the ruling House Greyjoy, the ironborn do not sow. The tables of these island people are laden with what can be harvested from the sea and what can be taken from others. Fish stews, crab stews, spiceless meats, and dark breads provide the basic nourishment for this region.
The Reach
The Reach is the southern breadbasket of Westeros. Here, rich agricultural lands yield the abundant bounty that has given Highgarden its reputation for prosperity. Dishes from this region are often prepared with the same courtly flair that distinguishes its ruling family, the Tyrells, who dine on delights such as cream swans, poached pears, and a wild array of fruit tarts.
Dorne
With a cuisine as fiery as the tempers of its people, the sandy region of Dorne features ingredients native to its desert reaches. Grilled snake and fire peppers are among the more unique ingredients, but the warm climate also produces copious olives, blood oranges, grapes, and dates.
King’s Landing
As the largest harbor and city in Westeros, King’s Landing is a melting pot, where all the peoples and cuisines of the realm come together. The highborn feast on swan, boar, partridge, and snails, while the commoners brave the infamous pot-shops for a bowl of dubious brown. Fruit is plentiful and features heavily in an assortment of cakes and tarts.
Across the Narrow Sea
The cuisine of the Free Cities and Dothraki sea is variable and exotic. Delectable treats like honeyfingers and fried locusts contrast with more rustic dishes such as dog sausage, crocodile, and spiny grubs.
Breakfast on the Wall
When day broke, Jon walked to the kitchens as he did every dawn. Three-Finger Hobb said nothing as he gave him the Old Bear’s breakfast. Today it was three brown eggs, boiled hard, with fried bread and ham steak and a bowl of wrinkled plums. —A GAME OF THRONES
Serves 1 Cooking: 15 minutes
Pairs well with Black Bread,
Iced Blueberries in Sweet Cream, dark ale
This is a simple, hearty breakfast sure to give a good start to any day. The ham steak is more of a commitment than the other parts of the dish, but each element of the meal works well with the others. The eggs can be either fully hard-boiled, or left slightly soft so as to better pair with the fried bread, while the prunes add an appealing touch of sweetness that counters the salt of the ham.
1 breakfast ham steak
1 tablespoon oil
3 eggs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 slices rustic bread
A handful of prunes
Sear the ham steak in a skillet with the oil until it starts browning, then set it aside on the serving plate and keep it warm.
To cook the eggs, place them in a small saucepan and cover with a finger’s breadth of water. Bring the water to a simmer (not a boil), and simmer for 6 minutes. Cool the eggs rapidly by running them under cold water for 1 minute, and set them on the serving plate. For slightly softer eggs, cook for an initial 4½ minutes.
Melt the butter in the skillet you used for the ham and fry the slices of bread. Transfer the bread to the plate, add the prunes, and you’re ready to break your fast!
Applecakes
Jon was breaking his fast on applecakes and blood sausage when Samwell Tarly plopped himself down on the bench. “I’ve been summoned to the sept,” Sam said in an excited whisper. “They’re passing me out of training. I’m to be made a brother with the rest of you. Can you believe it?”
—A GAME OF THRONES
Medieval Applecakes
Einen krapfen. So du wilt einen vasten krapfen machen von nüzzen mit ganzem kern. und nim als vil epfele dor under und snide sie würfeleht als der kern ist und roest sie mit ein wenig honiges und mengez mit würtzen und tu ez uf die bleter die do gemaht sin zu krapfen und loz ez backen und versaltz niht.
—EIN BUCH VON GUTER SPISE, 1350
Makes about 24
Prep: 20 minutes Dough rising: 1½ hours Frying: 30 minutes
Pairs well with Breakfast on the Wall, black pudding, cold milk
The clear predecessors of the modern doughnut, these medieval applecakes are soft, chewy, and bursting with warm, nutty apple filling. Called krapfen in Germany, the fluffy fried morsels are filled with nutty apple goodness.
1¼ cups milk
2¼ teaspoons dry yeast (1 packet)
2 egg yolks, beaten
3 to 4 cups unsifted flour
Pinch of salt
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup chopped nuts—walnuts, pecans, pine nuts, and chestnuts are all lovely
4 medium apples, peeled, cored, and diced
4 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon Poudre Forte
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Oil for frying
Confectioners’ sugar, for sprinkling(optional)
Warm the milk just slightly to the touch and then add the yeast to it. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes until the yeast has foamed up. Add in the egg yolks, 3 cups of flour, the salt, and the butter. Mix thoroughly by hand until you have a soft dough that pulls away from the sides of the bowl, adding extra flour if needed.
Turn the dough out onto a floured countertop or board, and knead for several minutes, pushing with the heel of your hand, then gathering the dough back into a lump, adding more flour if necessary. Allow the dough to rise under a clean dishcloth for around an hour.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine the apples, honey, spices, and nuts. Cook together over medium-low heat until the honey has been absorbed. Set aside and allow to cool slightly.
On the floured countertop, roll out the dough to ¼-inch thickness, dividing the dough in half if space is limited. Using a 2-inch round cutter, stamp out disks of dough, reserving the scraps to roll out again.
When you have made as many disks as possible, use a pastry brush or your fingers to wet each of them with water. On half of the dough disks, place about 1 teaspoon of the filling, then place another round on top. Press the edges together firmly to seal, and allow them to rise for around 20 minutes.
Heat 1 inch of oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Gently lower each cake into the hot oil with a slotted spoon. Fry until the dough is golden on both sides, about 4 minutes. Drain on paper towels, and sprinkle with a little confectioners’ sugar, if you like.
Modern Applecakes
Makes 8 jumbo muffins Prep: 15 minutes Baking: 30 minutes
Pairs well with Breakfast on the Wall, Honeyed Chicken, cold milk
Essentially apple coffeecake muffins, these have crumble tops with a crunch that contrasts with the softness of the cake itself. The apples melt as they bake, imbuing the cake with an incredible moistness and apple flavor.
For the Cake:
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
2 to 3 tart apples, peeled, cored, and diced
For the Topping:
¾ cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled
½ cup chopped walnuts
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease the cups of a jumbo muffin pan.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the dry mixture to the creamed mixture, alternating with sour cream and mixing well after each addition. Stir in the apples. Scrape the batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling each cup two-thirds full.
For the topping, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon. Cut in the butter until crumbly, then stir in the nuts. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the batter-filled cups, pressing gently to mix it with the cake. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Allow to cool.
Buns with Raisins, Pine Nuts, and Apple
“Eat,” Jon told him. “There’s no knowing when you’ll have another chance.” He took two buns himself. The nuts were pine nuts, and besides the raisins there were bits of dried apple. —A STORM OF SWORDS
Elizabethan Buns with Raisins, Pine Nuts, and Dried Apple
Take a peck of pure Wheat-flower, six pound of Currans, halfe a pound of Sugar, two pound of Butter, halfe an ounce of Cloves and Mace, a pint and a halfe of Ale-yeast, and a little Rose-water; then boyle as much new-milk as will serve to knead it, and when it is almost cold, put into it as much Sack as will thicken it, and so work it all together before a fire, pulling it two or three times in pieces, after make it up. —THE COMPLEAT COOK, 1671
A Feast of Ice and Fire: The Official Game of Thrones Companion Cookbook Page 2