French & Italian Herb
and Spice Mixtures
By
THLady Johnnae llyn Lewis
Summer offers
numerous opportunities to grill outside over open fires and grills. Besides
modern BBQ sauces and rubs, adventurous souls can experiment with a variety of
spice and herb mixtures adapted from historical sources. Many of these early
recipes adapt readily to being used with poultry, beef and pork. Use as substitutes
for more modern grilling rubs. Historical spice and herb mixtures vary from
recipe to recipe and source to source. Often amounts are not given. The
composition of these original mixes would also have varied from household to
household and would no doubt have varied from season to season depending upon
supplies and costs. Due to space constraints, the original recipes,
translations, along with descriptions have been omitted, but can be found in
the books indicated. ItÕs fun to compare how different scholars and authors
have adapted various recipes for these spice and herb mixtures. Experiment and
have fun with these recipes this summer.
Pouldre
Fine
Spice Mixture from Le Menagier de Paris. 1390Õs.
3
tablespoons ground ginger
1
1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
1
teaspoon grains of paradise
1
teaspoon ground cloves
2
tablespoons sugar
Mix
well and store in covered container.
D.
Eleanor Scully and Terence Scully. Early French Cookery. [1995] pp. 54-56.
Barbara
Wheaton in Savoring the Past . The French Kitchen and Table from 1300 to
1789. [1983; 1996]
provides the
following recipes from French sources:
Spice
Mixture from Livre fort excellent de cuisine 1555.
7
tablespoons powdered ginger
1/4
cup ground pepper
7
1/4 teaspoons grated nutmeg
5
teaspoons ground cardamom
5
and 3 / 4 tablespoons ground
cinnamon
2
tablespoons long pepper
4
and 1 / 2 teaspoons ground cloves
2
tablespoons powdered galingale
Mix
well. Store in airtight container in a cool dark place.
Wheaton.
Savoring the Past . p.247.
An
Herb Mixture Livre fort excellent de cuisine. 1555.
1
cup parsley
1/4
cup each sage, winter savory, wild thyme
1
1/4 cup marjoram
1/4
cup hyssop
1
/ 2 cup pot marigold petals
2
tablespoons basil
If
picked fresh, then dry the herbs. Measure, mix and store in a plastic container
in a cool dark place. One may omit the marigold petals.
Wheaton.
Savoring the Past . p.248.
A
PastrycookÕs spice mixture from La VarenneÕs Le Patissier Francois 1652.
3/4
cup ground ginger
1
1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
1
3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
10
tablespoons ground black pepper
1
tablespoon grated nutmeg
Mix
well. Store in airtight container in a cool dark place.
Wheaton.
Savoring the Past . p.253.
Wheaton
notes that La Varenne states that the above mixture may be mixed with an equal
amount of dry fresh salt and that this mixture then made with salt is very good
with meats and poultry and fish. My suggestion would be to make the spice
mixture up and then incorporate equal measures spice and salt in a separate
plastic container.
Wheaton.
Savoring the Past. pp. 253-254.
Another
Spice Mixture from the 1607 Thresor de Sante.
7
tablespoons ginger
4
tablespoons fresh pepper
5
tablespoons cinnamon
2
tablespoons galingale
4
teaspoons ground cloves
5
teaspoons cardamon
1/2
ounce long pepper if you have it
4
grated whole nutmegs
Mix
well. Store in airtight container in a cool dark place.
Original
recipe from Savoring the Past. Pp. 249-250.
BonnefonÕs
Good Spice Mixture
from 1679.
7
tablespoons plus another 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
3
tablespoons plus another 2 teaspoons ground ginger
2
teaspoons ground cloves
1
nutmeg grated
2
1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
3
cups plus another 3 tablespoons salt
Mix
well. Store in airtight container in a cool dark place.
Wheaton.
Savoring the Past
. p. 255.
Italian
Mixtures include:
Venetian
Fine Spice Mixture. 14th Century.
2
tablespoons ground black pepper
2
tablespoons ground cinnamon
2
tablespoons ground ginger
1
1/2 tablespoons saffron threads
loosely measured**
3/4
teaspoons ground cloves
Mix
well and store in a covered container. Due to reasons of cost, one may modify
the amount or omit the saffron.
Odile
Redon, et al. The Medieval Kitchen. [1991, 1993] Pp. 221.
Venetian
Sweet Spice Mixture. 14th Century.
2
tablespoons ground ginger
2
tablespoons ground cinnamon
2
tablespoons finely ground bay leaves
1
1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
Mix
well and store in a covered container. The bay leaf is a modern substitution
for an unknown ŌleafĶ.
Redon,
et al. The Medieval Kitchen. Pp. 221-222.
Venetian
Strong Black Spice Mixture. 14th Century.
1/4
cup ground black pepper
1/4
cup ground long pepper, if available
3/4
teaspoon ground cloves
1
whole nutmeg grated
Mix
well and store in a covered container. This will serve for all spices, says the
recipe.
Redon,
et al. The Medieval Kitchen. Pp. 222.
Article
by J. K. Holloway [email protected]
This
article appeared in Artes Draconis, Issue 36 August 2003 in a slightly
modified version. If you are wondering where to take a subject like this or
would like to do something like this for A&S, you might like to see: To Make a Fine Spice by Lady Anahita which appears in the SCA Cook archives
at Tue Mar 16 14:02:34 CST 2004. It was entered in the West KingdomÕs Practical
Science category. Part of this article was used as documentation for the entry.
http://www.ansteorra.org/mailman/htdig/sca-cooks/2004-March/104108.html