Saturday, May 31, 2014

Eel Pie - a medieval recipe from France and Italy - a Christmas Treat!

The Medieval Kitchen by Odile Redon, Francoise Sabban and Silvano Serventi discuss French and Italian medieval recipes, ingredients and food in wonderful detail. My husband was curious and wanted to try to make an eel pie and the following is a quote from p. 151: "In the Middle Ages, the eel was the most sought-after of fishes ..." and I just found out from a friend who loves sushi that eel is one of the common offerings in modern sushi. So there you have it! Modern and medieval - who wants to tell us about eating eel? As an aside, some ingredients in a medieval eel pie? They would use butter, dates, saffron, walnuts, cloves, olive oil, nutmug, pepper and salt, almonds - you know, the usual!! Happy eating!

Monday, May 26, 2014

Summer reading Special!

Hello to all our readers and lovers of historical novels. After an arduous Memorial Day Weekend of drinking, eating and possibly reading, among other things, we thought we'd offer a summer reading special for those of us who need to put our feet up and relax - naturally, with a good book! Murder at the Leopard and Malice Stalks the Leopard, Books 1 and 2 of The Vespers Trilogy, will be offered in their Kindle versions at a discounted price for a limited time. Check it out - each one will be priced at $2.99 for your reading pleasure. Don't forget to go on Amazon and write a review - we'd appreciate it!

Corleone - Leo's estate in the Sicilian countryside

At the endAt th e end of book 2, Malice Stalks the Leopard, our heroes and heroines flee Palermo to the countryside to Leo's estate, La Serenita, as the Angevins and the Aragonese desperately fight for the island capital. Ysabella finds that her return to the country gives her peace of mind and for the first time, really enjoys the rhythm of the seasons. Her fear of the violence she experienced in Palermo makes her want to remain in the countryside, while Amodeus feels differently. He wants to return to Palermo and rebuild The Leopard. What will happen to their marriage?

Monday, May 19, 2014

San Giovanni della Eremeti

In Malice Stalks the Leopard, the archbishop goes to a monastery in Palermo to hear the confession of the abbott who is dying. There he learns a dreadful secret that results in his death and that of his trusted secretary. The monastery was San Giovanni della Eremeti, or St. John the Hermit. So who was this guy? Actually he was a Spaniard, Juan de Ortega(1050-1143). As he was returning by sea from a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, his ship encountered a dangerous storm. He survived and returned to Spain, seeking a place of solitude where he could devote himself to contemplation. Hermits of the era believed that solitude and deprivation brought them closer to God. Juan erected a hermitage for himself at a forested site known as Urteca or Ortega (Spanish for "nettle"),on the pilgrim road to Santiago de Compostela. Juan also established at Urteca a hospice for lodging pilgrims and travelers. He devoted his manual labors to construction and repair of bridges and roads to Compostela. He also built a church in honor of Saint Nicholas, whose intercession he believed delivered him from the storm. He may have founded the monastery of San Juan de Ortega in his hometown of Burgos, Spain. The original church now known as San Giovanni della Eremeti was probably from the 6th Century, but it became a mosque when the Arabs took over Sicily. Under Norman reign in 1130, King Roger II of Sicily rebuilt the monastery for the Benedictine order called the Williamites. It is a fine example of 12th century Norman-Arab construction, distinguished by five reddish cupolas.(Incidentally, we do not know for certain whether these cupolas were originally red.) The bell tower is distinctively Norman in appearance, with Gothic lines and mullioned windows. St. John's is nestled amidst trees and gardens. An elegant cloister, probably a 13th century addition constructed in the Romanesque style, combines harmoniously with the Church and its surrounding gardens.

Monday, May 5, 2014

Fabrics and Styles

Fashions in the 13th century are discussed in a number of volumes, especially Herbert Norris's Medieval Costume and Fashion. Clothing in England and France has been the most described and depicted, but it was different than that in the warmer climes of Sicily. Similar styles of clothing were worn in Sicily as in England, but the fabrics were lighter, more cotton and linen than wool and furs. Through the extensive trade between Sicily and North Africa and the Middle East, fine silks and cottons were readily available in the markets. Distinctions in clothing were relevant to one's class and occupation. For a working woman like Ysabella or Larissa, the daily costume included an undergarment or sheath (chemise,kirtle), a simple gown or robe girded at the waist, and an apron to help keep the gown clean. Sleeves could be rolled up for working. Hair was usually braided and pinned up and covered by a simple scarf. Clog-like wooden shoes made in the shoemakers' district were worn by everyone--Just the thing for working in the garden or traversing rain-soaked dirt streets. Of course, our middle class women would also have had fancier duds for important occasions, along with leather boots or slippers, jewelry and headdresses. A good description of such garments may be found in "Murder at the Leopard" when Ysabella and Angelica invite Ferdinand to the Leopard to negotiate purchases of wine.

Thursday, May 1, 2014

La Cucina Italiana - food is history and culture - and books!

So this morning I'm reading Walking in Sicily by Gillian Price.  Being a historian of Sicily, albeit in the 13th century, I'm still interested in all things Sicilian.  She talked about gelato and then one of my favorite Sicilian drinks - granite.   She gives some history along the way, includes lots of maps (a must in my opinion!) and talks about one of my favorite food-culture-history books about Sicily - Mary Simeti's On Persephone's Island.


So I'm inviting readers of this blog to talk about their favorite books on the food, history, culture of not only Sicily but Italy - who wrote your favorite books and why are they your favorites?


By the way, a good friend of mine and professor is going to visit Puglia in a few weeks.  Doing some Norman history and possibly even going to Mt. Gargano - lucky dog!