Custard tarts, or darioles as they were known, were just some of the foodstuffs on offer in 12th-century Irish marketplaces, such as the famous Donnybrook Fair.
Author Archives: Maeve L'Estrange
Maeve L’Estrange is a culinary archaeologist, studying for a PhD in experimental archaeology in UCD. Since no medieval Irish recipes survive, she tries to piece together what may have been eaten by examining the fauna and flora remains from excavation reports and combining these with spices and other foodstuff referred to in primary documents of the period.
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How to Cook Like the Knights Templar
Because the Templars were fighters, their dietary rules differed from those of their other monastic counterparts. Here’s one recipe they may have eaten.
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How to Cook Medieval Roast Loin of Pork with Red Wine
It is not known what food was consumed at the wedding feast of Strongbow and Aoife, but some archaeological evidence suggests pigs may have been on the menu.
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How to Cook Medieval Beef Birds
This month’s recipe could be compared to modern-day beef olives, thin pieces of braised stuffed beef – in medieval times these were known as beef birds.
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How to Cook Medieval Fish Chewets
In medieval times, Dublin religious houses and hospitals controlled the rights to fishing on the River Liffey. Fish at the time were sometimes baked into small savoury pastries such as these.
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How To Cook Medieval Mawmene
Ideas around how food made you feel influenced which ingredients were chosen for medieval recipes. Pick the wrong combo and you might end up inclined to sadness, or bad-tempered.
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How to Cook Medieval-Style Pork in Pepper Sauce
The hospitality you were offered in medieval Ireland was based on your rank. Some might have been lucky enough to get something akin to this dish, writes a culinary archaeologist.
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How to Make Medieval-Style Spiced Wine
In medieval Ireland, a daily portion of three bits of bread soaked in five spoonfuls of spiced wine was thought to warm the stomachs and clear the heads of old men.
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How to Cook Medieval-Style Chicken in Sweet-and-Sour Red-Wine Stew
We don’t know what was eaten at Christmas in medieval Ireland. We do know, though, there were great feasts, writes a culinary archaeologist.
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How to Cook Medieval Sweet and Sour Civet of Venison
In medieval Ireland, Anglo-Normans hunted fallow deer in parks, while Gaelic Irish elites preferred big, wild red deer. This recipe from a culinary archaeologist would have worked for either.