Brodium granatum or gravatum, also called brodo granato or garnato in the manuscripts, is a typical medieval preparation that appears in the Italian cookbooks related to the tradition of the Liber de Coquina, such as the manuscripts of Anonimo Toscano and Anonimo Meridionale.
Granatum refers to the consistency of the broth, which, as correctly translated by Anonimo Toscano, must have a grainy texture, a direct consequence of the cooking technique described in the recipes: bollano insieme fine che ‘l brodo diventa graneloso (boil together until the broth becomes grainy), as we read in another passage of the Libro de la Cocina. In fact, by beating the eggs with a liquid and adding them to the broth, the liquid achieves this kind of consistency.
In the sources, we find some variations of this recipe that require chicken, capon, or other birds, whole or cut into pieces. The meat, boiled or stir-fried with cured pork fatback (sometimes with the addition of onions) and then boiled, is seasoned with aromatic herbs and spices. When it is almost cooked, the addition of the eggs makes the broth as grainy as the authors intended.
The version we have chosen for our recipe is a brodo granato with unripe grapes, an ingredient that was traditionally paired with chicken not only in the Middle Ages but even in ancient Greece, as we read in Athenaeus’ Deipnosophistae. If you do not have unripe grapes, use lemon or orange juice instead, or green sorrel juice, which are typical substitutes for agrestum in the medieval sources, for instance in Mainus de Maineris’ Opusculum de Saporibus.
Cured pork fatback can be replaced with lard or olive oil. We did not add salt, as the pork fatback is very salty, but we recommend tasting the broth and adding salt if necessary.
There are two possible ways to prepare this recipe according to Anonimo Toscano, one of which is to make a green broth. This is easy to obtain: take fresh herbs, such as parsley and mint, and pound them in the mortar, then add some water, pass the liquid through a sieve, and add it to the broth.
The Libro de la Cocina, also known as Anonimo Toscano, is a complete and fascinating cookbook written in the Tuscan vernacular in the 14th century. It collects 175 recipes for all kinds of medieval dishes, including meat, fish, and vegetables, pies, and pasta. The author provides different variations for lean or fat plates, making this source an exhaustive and satisfying guide to recreate historical dishes and experiment with medieval preparations according to our taste, using ingredients that are mostly common and easy to find. Our translation of Anonimo Toscano’s Libro de la Cocina comes with an introduction about medieval cooking, basic methods, and ingredients, as well as notes to the text and a glossary.
For those who want to explore more about medieval food, we recommend checking out Registrum Coquine. A medieval cookbook and De Observatione Ciborum. Early-medieval recipes at the court of the Frank. You find further articles and translations of historical sources on our Patreon page.
If you are interested in historical recipes for cereals, read our new book Early Italian Recipes. Cereals, bread, pasta, and pies, where you will find historical information about cereals and their preparations from the Antiquity to the end of the Renaissance. For the uses of flowers and aromatic herbs in historical cooking, we suggest taking a look at Early Italian Recipes. Vegetables, fruit, herbs, and flowers. For those fascinated by ancient food, we recommend reading Ancient Roman Cooking. Ingredients, Recipes, Sources.
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Ingredients
chicken
unripe grapes
cured pork fatback
eggs
aromatic herbs (oregano, sage, bay-laurel leaves, rosemary)
spices (black pepper, nutmeg, cloves)
Method
Cut the chicken into pieces and mince the cured pork fatback. Stir-fry the chicken, add a little water and a bundle of aromatic herbs, then cook it for about half an hour.
Add the unripe grapes and spices and cook for another 10 minutes.
Beat an egg with cold water and a little broth, remove the bundle of herbs, then add this mixture to the chicken and stir. When the broth has reached a grainy consistency, plate the chicken with the broth and grapes.
Original recipe
Togli pulli tagliati grosso, smembrati o interi, e friggi nel lardo con erbe odorifere, spetie, agresta intera, e fa come di sopra [quando siranno quasi cotti, togli erbe odorifere, tritale bene col çaffarano, pepe, garofani, cennamo e çençovo, e distempera col brodo predicto, e mesta onni cosa insieme; poi tolli ova debattute, e mettivi un poco d’acqua fredda, e agiongivi di quel brodo, e mesta, e pone a fuoco. Et quando cominciarà a bullire, levala dal fuoco, e mangia]; ma fa poco brodo. E ponsi fare brodi di carne, e de ucelli picciolli e grandi. E puoli colorare e fare verdi con herbe peste.
Translation
Take chickens chopped into big chunks, cut into pieces, or whole. Fry them with pork fatback, aromatic herbs, spices, and whole unripe grapes, then follow the method described above [when they are almost cooked, take aromatic herbs, pound them well with saffron, pepper, cloves, cinnamon, and ginger, and dilute them with the said broth, mixing all the ingredients together. Then, beat the eggs, dilute them with a bit of cool water, add the broth, stir, and put the mixture on the fire. When it starts boiling, remove it from the fire and eat], but make a small amount of broth. You may prepare broths with meat and small or large birds and color them by making them green with pounded herbs.
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Early Italian Recipes. Cereals, bread, pasta, and pies
Libro de la Cocina by Anonimo Toscano. Medieval Tuscan Recipes
Early Italian Recipes. Vegetables, fruit, herbs, and flowers
De Observatione Ciborum by Anthimus. Early-medieval recipes at the court of the Franks.
Registrum Coquine by Johannes Bockenheim. A medieval cookbook
Ancient Roman Cooking. Ingredients, Sources, Recipes
Translations of Historical Sources
De Agri Cultura by Cato – parts 1-2 (2nd century BCE)
De Re Coquinaria by Apicius (Ancient Rome)
Apicii Excerpta by Vinidarius (5th or 6th century)
De Observatione Ciborum by Anthimus (6th century)
Appendicula de Condituris Variis by Johannes Damascenus (8th or 9th century)
De Flore Dietarum (11th century)
Tractatus de Modo Preparandi et Condiendi Omnia Cibaria (13th or 14th century)
Liber de Coquina (14th century)
Enseignemenz (14th century)
Opusculum de Saporibus by Mainus de Maineris (14th century)
Libro de la Cocina by Anonimo Toscano (14th century)
Anonimo Veneziano (14th century)
Registrum Coquine by Johannes von Bockenheim (15th century)
Libro de Arte Coquinaria by Maestro Martino – parts 1-7 (15th century)
La singolare dottrina by Panunto – part 1 (16th century)
Recipes
Peasant’s Meal – Farro and Fava Bean Bread with Radish
Lasagna with Walnuts
Beef Pie – Pastillum
Pizza with Pork Jowl and Fennel Seeds
Maccharoni Siciliani
Fried Tortelli with Beef
Tuscan Chicken Soup with Unripe Grapes
Early-medieval Kohlrabi Stew
Tuscan Fried Leek Rings
Pork Ribs
Tuscan Pancakes with Wild Flowers
Hop Shoots
Shrimp – Savore de Gambari
Orange Frittata – Fritata de Pomerantiis
Tuscan Soup with Hen and Florence Fennel
The diet of the Franks – Celery Root and Beef Stew
Tuscan Fish Cakes – Salciccie di Pescio
Tuscan Stew with Pork Belly and Rutabaga
Pork and Onion Soup
Tuscan Radish Soup
The Diet of the Franks – Endive and Pork Jowl
Tuscan Fried Meatballs
The Diet of the Franks – Chicken Stew
Castagnazzi
Renaissance Stuffed Cucumbers
Pork Roast with Cherry Sauce
Renaissance Fried Tomatoes
Herbolata
The Diet of the Franks – Beef Stew
Fried Chicken Soup
Beef Roast with Garlic Sauce
Bread Soup
Salted Meat and Peas
Baghdadi Rice Cream
Chicken with White-Pepper Sauce – Piperatum Album
Indian Chickpeas and Meat
The Diet of the Franks – Pork Stew
Chestnut and Mushrooms
Lentils with Oregano and Watermint
Egyptian Bread with Pistachios and Almonds
Veal with Fennel-Flower Sauce
Pork Roast with Green Sauce
Eggs Poached in Wine
Brodium Theutonicum
Crispellae – Pancakes with Saffron and Honey
Brodium Sarracenium – Chicken Stew
Fava Beans and Pork
Erbe Minute – Meatballs with Herbs
Lettuce and Pork Soup
Zanzarelli – Egg and Cheese Soup
Turnip and Beef Soup for Servants
Cheese Pasta – Vivanda Bona
Gratonata – Chicken Stew
Chickpea Soup with Poached Eggs
Apple Fritters
Hippocras and Claretum – Mulled Wine
Pastero – Pork Pie
10th-century Goat Roast – A Langobard at the Court of the Byzantine Emperor
Romania – A Recipe Between Arabic and Italian Tradition – Medieval Chicken with Pomegranates
Emperor’s Fritters
Medieval Pizza – The Origin of Pizza
Roast Chicken with Salsa Camellina
Sweet Rice
Afrutum or Spumeum – 6th-century Byzantine recipe
A Medieval Breakfast – Wine, Carbonata, and Millet Bread
Salviata – Eggs and Sage
Tria di Vermicelli
Cabbage Soup
Frittelle Ubaldine – Pancakes with Flowers and Herbs
Saffron Cheesecake
Drunken Pork – Early Medieval Pork Stew
Medieval Monk’s Stuffed-Egg Soup
Apple Pie
Onion Soup
Gnocchi
Lentils and Mustard Greens
Chicken soup – Brodo Granato
Turnip Soup
Beans and Bacon – Black-Eyed Peas
Prawn Pie – Pastello de Gambari
Foxtail Millet Polenta and Spit-Roasted Goose
Beef Stew
Blancmange
Leek Soup
Quail Stew with Coconut
Chicken Pie
Ravioli
Almond Cream
Red Mullet Soup
Spit Roast Beef with Arugula Seeds
Walnut Bread
Lasagna
Tripe
Fried Fish
Roast Lamb with Green Sauce
Clams
Sweet and Sour Sardines
Trouts with Green Sauce
Lamb Stew
Quails with Sumac
Chicken with Fennel Flowers
Sea Bream
Historical Italian Cooking 