Men in skirts and tights

Medieval fashion for men is fairly commonly seen in old movies and period stories. They wear belted tunics and hose with leather shoes/boots/slippers, often a cloak or hat. (Think Robin Hood, Monte Python). Basically, the tunic was a long, loose shirt that slipped over the head, usually over a lighter-weight similar undershirt. The neck had an opening along one shoulder or down the breast bone that might be closed with laces, hooks, or pins. Sometimes the sleeves were cut as part of the garment itself, but sometimes added later along the side seams. The tunic became more popular in the East after the decline in popularity of garments that wrapped around the body. You see both styles in Medieval pictures. Women's dresses were of similar tunic-like design, dropping to the ankles or the floor, and perhaps a little more form fitting. A person's social status was revealed in clothing by the amount of embroidery decorating the piece, furs used as trim or lining, and the type of material used. Peasants were more likely to dress in homespun linen or cotton, while royals had silks, velvets and brocades. Clothing was adapted to the weather by adding extra layers or using heavier materials such as wool, fur and leather instead of cotton and linen. Although the basic tunic style didn't change much, "fashion" as we know it today was expressed by details of garment construction like how long or tight the sleeves might be, how full the skirt was, how many buttons it had (more about buttons next time). But pantyhose for men? Before elastic was invented? In the picture below, you can see that the hose were tied to the men's underwear, called braies--basically boxer shorts with drawstrings at the waist. Ties and laces were used in many ways in medieval clothing, but this simple solution eluded me as I thought about those tights. The picture also shows basic tunic designs and footwear, hats, and gloves.

Above, a church garment that details tunic construction; Below, menswear of medieval times

Citron, fava beans, granita, food from Sicily and blancmange?

http://www.bestofsicily.com


So I'm writing a chapter and doing research about what Bia and Ysabella would be doing in the kitchen and what kind of "stuff" would they be preserving and preparing from Leo's estate?  Check out this link above because it gives a lot of fascinating information on fava beans, citron (do you know what citron is?), blood oranges, pistachios and almonds - lots of the food known not only to Greeks and Romans, but some, like sugar cane, lemons, oranges and advanced irrigation methods, were brought to Sicily by the Arabs.  So when you're in Sicily and cooling off with a fabulous lemon granite, say a silent prayer of thanks to the Arab culture.


And one more thing perusing medieval recipes - did you know that almond milk was a staple in most medieval kitchens?  Yes, that blanc mange which I have to confess, I had to look up because I had visions of jiggly icky gelatinous pudding, and found to my relief that it wasn't.  In the medieval world, at least in Sicily, it's often more of a spiced, almond and ginger flavored rice kind of dish (as best I can make out) and all four recipes I found had a common ingredient of rosewater.  I'll have to add some rose water to my pudding some time ...

Scotland in Sicily?

Once nearly clueless about Sicily except for the Godfather movies, now I find references to Sicily and Palermo pop up a lot, some in the most unexpected places. We chanced across a 1953 movie last night, the Master of Ballantrae, with Errol Flynn. Did you know that this Scottish classic by Robert Louis Stevenson was partly filmed in Sicily? Although the story takes the hero to the West Indies, the pirate scenes were filmed near Palermo. I can only imagine the draw of Sicily for a film maker--sun, water, beaches, color, mountains, volcanos, rural life, city life, ancient and medieval temples, pagentry--just about anything a director might want. There were many films shot at least partly in Sicily, from The Leopard with Burt Lancaster to Il Postino, Divorce Italian Style, Malena, etc. So, if you pay attention, what references to Sicily will you come across in your everyday activities? What are your favorite Italian movies?

More Travel Links to Sicily - see David Lebovitz!

http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2014/06/sicily-again-italy-travel/


Check it out folks - going to Sicily soon?

Solstice, Saints Days, June Saints in Italy and England - St. Thomas More and St. John the Baptist

Well, I don't know about you guys out there, but tomorrow we're getting ready to celebrate Solstice with a big party - the longest day of the year.


But if I were back in the 13th century in Italy - what would I be celebrating?  Or the 16th century in Italy or England?


Imagine my surprise - there's a PLETHORA of June Saints!  And here's a few.  St. Romauld, whose saint's day is June 19, was born in Ravenna, Italy.  His claim to fame?  You know, besides being a saint.  He founded the Camaldolese order and died in 1027. 


Next up - St. Aloysius Gonzaga.  Gonzaga.  Great basketball.  Great Renaissance name.  Unbeatable combination.  Wealthy family, riches and culture, but he wanted to be a Jesuit and indeed, that's what he became.  Died in 1591.


Now let's go to England - and anyone who's read Tudor history knows about Henry the VIII.  You know, the king who created the Church of England and cut off wives' heads, willy-nilly.  St. John Fischer, born in Yorkshire in 1469, beheaded by Henry in 1535 because he refused to render the Oath of Supremacy and upheld the validity of the Henry's marriage to Katherine of Aragon.  He got his reward in heaven.


But most surprising of all - St. Thomas More.  More Henry VIII.  Faithful counselor, heaped with honors, until, of course, he too refused to take the Oath of Supremacy and was beheaded in the same year as John Fischer - 1535. 


Last but definitely not least - all good Catholics know that the birth of John the Baptist is celebrated on June 22.  Do you think there's a link between the longest day of the year and John the Baptist?  If there is, let us know!

Monreale Abbey, Santa Maria La Nuova

I mentioned this abbey in the last post on St. Louis. Monreale is about 8 km south of Palermo's cathedral, straddling Mt. Caputo. Work on the abbey began in 1172, one year after the coronation of William II (the Good). He used this project to advance the Latin Church in Sicily over the Orthodox, Jewish, and Muslim faiths. The abbey was built like a fortress since it guarded the mountain passes near Ba'lat,a forested Arab hamlet used by the royals for hunting and falconry. It also served as a Benedictine monastery. The superstructure was finished by 1176 and the mosaics and cloister were done by 1189. The bronze doors came from Pisa in 1186. The abbey contains the largest concentration of Norman, Arab and Byzantine art in one location. 150 mosaics take up 6000 square meters of wall space, larger than St. Mark's in Venice. 228 columns surrounding the cloister feature ornate capitals carved with scenes from Norman history. Muslims rebelling over excessive taxation by the abbot of Monreale led several attacks against the abbey, the worst in 1216, but they had little overall impact. By 1246, Frederick II has put down these rebels and consolidated political control over Corleone and San Guiseppe Jato. Below are some pictures of this unique and ornate location.Pictures from IStock

Monreale Ceiling above the main altar

Monreale mosaic of Christ Pantocrator

Monreale mosaics

Monreale Mosaic of Noah building the Ark

St Louis in Sicily?

Who would ever imagine that there is a bit of St. Louis in Sicily? No, it's not the city of St. Louis, but the actual saint. The heart of Louis IX, King of France, is in a special tomb at Monreale Abbey, formally named Santa Maria la Nuova. Louis died on campaign in Tunisia in 1270. Aging and ailing, the devout king took up the battle for the true church in Tunisia after crusading in the Albigensian campaign against the Cathars in the Languedoc region of France, and in the Holy Land 1248-1250 after the fall of Jerusalem in 1244. The campaign in Tunisia may have been initiated at the behest of Louis's brother, Charles of Anjou, King of Naples and Sicily. Although Sicily was handed over to Charles by papal edict in 1262, he had to defeat King Manfred in 1266 to assume his reign. It is Charles that the Sicilian patriots rise up against in the Sicilian Vespers. But back to the heart... Louis and his troops managed to conquer Carthage in the Tunisian campaign but the army was defeated by plague. Louis died there in 1270. A long processional bearing his body back to France then wound its way through Sicily and a number of French provinces before his burial in Paris. Apparently bits and pieces of the king were left in holy shrines along the way. The population venerated Louis as a saint for many years before his formal canonization in 1297. Without Louis's power during the era, his religious devotion, and the many perks he arranged for his large family, would Charles have ever been King of Sicily? Would there have been a Sicilian Vespers massacre for us to write about?

Louis IX of France

Charles of Anjou, King of Naples and Sicily

Game of Thrones Medieval Banquet - What's on Your Table??

So here's my friend Catharine's article on weird medieval food from the Game of Thrones - and I don't know about you, but I've an AVID fan of Game of Thrones!  Larks' tongues, deer genitals, roasted dormouse, goose or magical serpents, or maybe just plain lettuce anyone??

10 Weird Foods You Might Have Eaten at King Joffrey’s Wedding

Written in May 2014 by Catharine Symblème

Introduction:

 

If you had been a person of wealth and/or nobility during the time of Game of Thrones – let’s say, for convenience sake, medieval England – you would probably have celebrated your nuptials by throwing a big party and feast, both to celebrate your union with your new bride or groom and to impress the pants off of your new in-laws, whose knights would hopefully return the favor in the future by fighting for you.

 

So what would your wedding feast have included? How about roasted dormouse? Or pike’s womb? How about the intestines and genitalia of the deer you or your groom just hunted and killed?

 

Here are some of the more – um, interesting – food offerings that might have found their way onto your feast tables. 

 

(Please note that the portions of the text that are direct quotes are in italics.)

 

1. Roasted Dormouse

Apparently, the dormouse was considered a tasty snack by the Romans, and while their popularity might have faded somewhat by the Middle Ages, dormice probably turned up now and then on the tables of the more well-to-do.  Even today, if you have a hankerin’ for a little dormouse, you can still find them served in Croatia.

 

Recipe:

"Mice: stuff the mice with minced pork, mouse meat from all parts of the mouse ground with pepper, pine kernels, laser and garum. Sew the mouse up and put on a tile on the stove. Or roast in a portable oven. (Apicius 408)."

http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodfaq1.html#dormice

 

2. Cockentrice

The cockentrice – as opposed to the Cockatrice, the magical serpent who could kill at a glance – was basically the front end of a suckling pig stitched onto the hind end of a castrated male chicken, or capon, then stuffed, spitted, roasted, and gilded with a mixture of egg yolks, ginger, saffron, and parsley juice.

 

The word “Cockentrice” originated from the words “cock”, or capon, and “grys”, or pig, and was spelled in a number of different ways, including “koketris” and “cokyntryche”.

 

Recipe:

Cockentrice - take a capon, scald it, drain it clean, then cut it in half at the waist; take a pig, scald it, drain it as the capon, and also cut it in half at the at the waist; take needle and thread and sew the front part of the capon to the back part of the pig; and the front part of the pig to the back part of the capon, and then stuff it as you would stuff a pig; put it on a spit, and roast it: and when it is done, gild it on the outside with egg yolks, ginger, saffron, and parsley juice; and then serve it forth for a royal meat.

 

For the stuffing: Take slightly beaten raw eggs, grated bread, saffron, salt, pepper, sheep suet, and mix all together in a bowl, then place the pig on a spit, stuff it with the mixture, sew the hole together, and let it roast; and then serve it. http://www.godecookery.com/cocken/cocken02.htm

 

3. Beaver tail or barnacle goose

 

The Church ordained that certain days were to be “fast days”. On fast days, no one was supposed to eat meat or animal products such as milk, cheese, butter, or eggs.

 

As a result, medieval cooks became nearly as inventive as modern-day vegans in their attempts to circumvent the rules of fast days.  If your wedding unfortunately fell on a fast day, your feast might have featured beaver tail or barnacle goose. Beaver tails were considered “fishy” in nature, and it was believed that barnacle geese hatched from barnacles rather than eggs, and were therefore fish rather than fowl.

 

I couldn’t find a historical recipe for beaver tail, so here’s a modern one:

 

Recipe:

Skin beaver tails, clean thoroughly and wash well in a solution of salt water. Let soak overnight in cold water to cover, adding 1/2 cup vinegar and 1 tablespoon salt to water. The next day, remove from the brine, wash, then cover with solution of 2 teasoons soda to 2 quarts water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Drain. Dredge beaver tails in seasoned flour. Melt butter in heavy fry pan and saute tails at low heat until tender. Mix wine with mustard, sugar, garlic powder and Worcestershire sauce. Add to beaver tails and simmer gently for 10 minutes, basting frequently.

http://bertc.com/subfive/recipes/frdbeavtail.htm

 

4. Caudell  

 

Caudell, or caudle, is sweetened spiced wine thickened with eggs. The resulting frothy liquid was either poured warm into glasses and served as a sweet drink, or used as a dessert sauce.

 

Recipe:

Beat egg yolks with wine or ale, so that it is runny; add sugar, saffron, but no salt. Beat well together; set it on the fire on clean coals. Stir well the bottom & the sides until just scalding hot; you will be able to tell when it becomes fluffy. Then take it and stir away fast, & if you need, add more wine; or if it rises too quickly, put it in cold water to the middle of the outside of the pot, & stir it away fast; and serve.

http://www.godecookery.com/goderec/grec22.htm

 

5. Waffres

 

Waffres were waffles made with cheese … and pike womb. (Pike womb? Wait a minute, pikes are fish – do they even have wombs? I dunno, sounds suspiciously to me like another one of those “fast day” workarounds!)

 

Recipe:

Take the womb of a pike, & boil it well, & mash it in a mortar, & add tender cheese, grind them well; then take flour and egg whites & beat together, then take sugar and ginger, & mix all together, & see that the egg is hot, & make a batter, & make the wafers, and serve.

http://www.godecookery.com/goderec/grec43.htm

 

6. Tart de ffruyte

 

Tart de ffruyte is a pie made of dried fruits and pine nuts, topped with fresh salmon pieces. Fish, which was considered a “cool and moist food” according to the system of Four Humours, was often paired with “hot and dry” spices, to balance the humours, and nuts, to aid digestion.

 

Recipe:

Take figs, and boil them in wine, and grind them small, and put into a vessel; and take pepper, cinnamon, cloves, mace, ginger, pine nuts, raisins of Corinth, saffron, & salt, and add; and then make fine shallow pie shells, and put this stuff therein, and plant pine nuts on top; and cut dates and fresh salmon in nice pieces, or else fresh eels, and parboil it in a little wine, and place on top of the filling; and place on top of the pie shells a lid made of the same pastry, and endore the pie shells on the outside with saffron & almond milk; and set them in the oven and let bake.

http://www.godecookery.com/goderec/grec71.htm

 

7. Potage Fene Boiles

Bean pudding?  Yes, potage fene boiles is indeed a sweet pudding with a base of fava beans.

 

Recipe:

To make a bean pudding, take white beans & boil them in water, & mash the beans in a mortar all to nothing; & let them boil in almond milk & add wine & honey. And boil raisins in wine and add & serve it.

http://www.godecookery.com/goderec/grec39.htm

 

8. Cooked lettuce

Lettuce could be eaten either raw or cooked, and if your raw lettuce wasn’t crisp enough for you, the dirt (!) added just that perfect touch of crunch. Mmmm…

 

To Prepare Lettuce:

It is eaten both cooked or raw. Raw lettuce does not need to be washed if it is prepared in this way, for they are more healthful than when washed with water if put in a dish. Sprinkle them with ground salt and a little oil and pour a little more vinegar, and eat it right away. There are those who add a little mint and parsley to this preparation, so that it does not seem too bland; and so that there is not too much chill from the lettuce to harm the stomach, put cooked lettuce, with the water squeezed out, in a dish when you have dressed it with salt and oil and vinegar, and serve it to your guests. There are those who add a bit of cinnamon or pepper well-ground and sifted.

http://www.godecookery.com/goderec/grec82.html

 

9. Haslett

If the groom happened to have a good hunt the day before, your wedding table might have featured deer genitals and intestines in honor of his hunting prowess. 

 

…the genitals and intestines [of the deer] were highly esteemed as trophies of the hunt and were served, hot and steaming, in honor to the high table as a dish called ‘haslett’.

http://www.godecookery.com/venison/venison3.htm

 

Sorry, I don’t have a recipe for this one. You’re on your own.

 

10. Compost

In spite of its unappetizing name, compost was simply a salad of vegetables and fruits, allowed to pickle overnight in a mixture of vinegar, spices, wine, and honey. The word “compost” refers to the pickling marinade of spices and wine.

 

Recipe:

Pickled Salad. Take parsley, carrots, radishes; scrape and clean them. Take white radishes & cabbages, pared and cored. Take an earthen pan with clean water & set it on the fire; and put all these in. When they've boiled, add pears and parboil well. Take all these things out and let cool on a clean cloth. Add salt. When cooled, place in a container; add vinegar, powder, and saffron, and let sit overnight. Take Greek wine & honey, clarified together; take "lumbarde" mustard and whole currants, and cinnamon, "powdour douce" & whole anise seed, & fennel seed. Take all these things and place together in an earthen pot, and take from it when you need to, and serve.

http://www.godecookery.com/goderec/grec5.htm

 

A Final Word:

 

Now, why on Earth would I suddenly have a craving for McDonald’s?

 

http://www.godecookery.com/allrec/allrec.htm

http://keeleranderson.net/Hello/Lent/RecreatingLent.htm

http://secretdalmatia.wordpress.com/2012/02/05/eating-dormice-on-hvar-island/

http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodfaq1.html#dormice

http://www.katjaorlova.com/weird.htm

http://bertc.com/subfive/recipes/frdbeavtail.htm

Arab Sicilian Medieval Music

Norman Palace, scene of Ysabella's capture

Picture is a mosaic from the Palatine Chapel

Ysabella was captured and taken to the royal palace by the cook in Malice Stalks the Leopard. This is an ancient edifice, built on Phoenician foundations from around 700 BC. The Carthaginians had taken over by about 400 BC, and Palermo was a main battleground in the Punic Wars, but by the time of Byzantine domination, Syracuse became more prominent. The Arabs assumed power about 800 AD and rebuilt Palermo around the Al-Kasr citadel, but it became a Norman palace once Guiscard arrived in 1071. It now serves as the site of the Regional Assembly (parliament) of Sicily. The palace includes the Palatine Chapel, a main tourist site in the city. It is Romanesque in its floor plan and features a painted Arabic ceiling (murqarnas)in which you can find lions, eagles, the game of chess, and dancing. Expert craftsmen installed the large central mosaic of Christ Pantocrator and the icons of St. Peter and St. James. Inlaid stone covers the floor and lower walls. The throne sits in the chapel, and behind it you can find the Aragon coat of arms added after 1282. Of course, this is right at the time of our trilogy, so it is another actual event of the times. Can you see the masons working in the dim light from a nearby window?

Medieval gnocchi - before potatoes came to the Old World

Gnocchi has always been one of my favorite Italian meals - but most gnocchi is made with potato flour and there were no potatoes in the Mediterranean in the 13th century - potatoes like tomatoes didn't make it to the Old World until the 17th century.


So how did they make gnocchi?  With mashed cheese, eggs and a little flour.


I can see Ysabella making gnocchi to go with her rabbit stew or perhaps a medieval potage.

See this picture at merryfarmer.net