On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 489

vegetables, and handled them with greater
refinement, in part to make the meatless diet
of Lent and other Catholic fasts more
interesting. France’s first great culinary
writer,PierreFranỗoisdeLaVarenne,chefto
Henri IV, included meatless recipes for peas,
turnips, lettuce, spinach, cucumbers, cabbage
(fiveways),chicory,celery,carrots,cardoons,
and beets, as well as ordinary dishes of
artichokes, asparagus, mushrooms, and
cauliflower. And the recipes leave a major
role for the vegetables’ own flavors.
Similarly,theEnglishmanJohnEvelynwrote
a book-length disquisition on salads, once
again firmly based on the lettuces, and
emphasizedtheimportanceofbalance.
PlantIngredientsinRomeandMedieval
Europe
ARomanSauceforShellfish
CuminSauce,forShellfish:Pepper,lovage,


parsley, mint, aromatic leaf [e.g., bay],
malabathrum [a Middle Eastern leaf],
plentyofcumin,honey,vinegar,liquamen
[a fermented fish paste similar to our
anchovypaste].
—fromApicius,firstfewcenturiesCE
MedievalSauces,French(Taillevent,ca.
1375)andEnglish(TheFormeofCury,
ca.1390)

SauceCameline,forMeats:
France: Ginger, mace, cinnamon, cloves,
grain of paradise, pepper, vinegar, bread
[tothicken].
England: Ginger, cloves, cinnamon,
currants,nuts,vinegar,breadcrusts.
VerdeSauce:
France:Parsley,ginger,vinegar,bread.
England: Parsley, ginger, vinegar, bread,
mint, garlic, thyme, sage, cinnamon,
pepper,saffron,salt,wine.