Shrimp appear rarely in medieval cookbooks, usually as an ingredient in fillings for pies such as the pastello de gambari that we prepared in the past. In Maestro Martino’s Libro de Arte Coquinaria, we find two recipes: in the first, the shrimp are simply simmered in a mixture of water and vinegar; the second, for stuffed shrimp, is more complex: the pulp is minced and mixed with eggs, cheese, aromatic herbs, almonds, and raisins, then this mixture is used to stuff the shrimp shells.
Except for the raisins and cheese, all the ingredients listed there are all part of the recipe we are going to prepare today, called çadelo or savore per gambari in Anonimo Veneziano’s Libro di Cucina (14th century) and sapor gambaricum in the funny, macaronic Latin of Teofilo Folengo in a poem titled Coquinae ars et scientia in coelum Iovis, which collects twenty recipes. This text was written in the 16th century, but the recipes clearly belong to the medieval tradition and imitate the methods of Anonimo Veneziano.
There are minor differences between the texts: Folengo recommends only bread (whereas Anonimo Veneziano writes to use either bread or almonds) and strong spices (instead of strong and sweet spices) and omits olive oil.
Luckily, in the Libro di Cucina we find the recipes for these blends of spices. Sweet spices include cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and cinnamon leaves; the spices considered strong, instead, are black pepper, long pepper, cloves, and nutmeg. We have chosen some from these lists and added grains of paradise, another spice used by Anonimo Veneziano, which pairs particularly well with the other ingredients. Neither author specifies which herbs to use. Folengo writes bonherba, identical to Anonimo Veneziano’s herbe bone: good herbs. We have selected a few herbs that are available in our garden this season, but use the ones you have, for instance dill, parsley, oregano, or marjoram.
Anonimo Veneziano, unlike Folengo, parboils the shrimp. We skipped this step because the shrimp taste better when they are not overcooked. In our preparation, we used 700 grams of shrimp, about 20 grams of almonds, and a hard-boiled egg yolk, with two tablespoons of olive oil and verjuice, adding two pinches of salt and spices. In any case, feel free to change the proportions according to your taste.
We recommend a good amount of aromatic herbs for a better result. If you do not have verjuice, use a little vinegar or another sour juice, such as lemon or orange juice.
The complete translation of Anonimo Veneziano’s Libro di Cucina is availabe on our Patreon page, as well as part of Maestro Martino’s Libro de Arte Coquinaria and several other ancient and medieval sources.
To know more about late-medieval cooking, check out our books Registrum Coquine. A medieval cookbook, which contains 15th-century recipes written by the German cook Johannes Bokenheim, and Libro de la Cocina. Medieval Tuscan recipes, a text written in the 14th century also known as Anonimo Toscano. For the passage between ancient and medieval cooking, we recommend De Observatione Ciborum. Early-medieval recipes at the court of the Frank.
If you are interested in ancient food, read Ancient Roman Cooking. Ingredients, Recipes, Sources.
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Ingredients
shrimp
aromatic herbs (sage, rosemary, thyme, fennel, mint)
spices (black pepper, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon leaves, grains of paradise)
eggs
almonds
olive oil
verjuice
salt
Method
Hard-boil an egg, then peel it and remove the yolk. Meanwhile, peel the shrimp, keeping their heads aside. Mince the aromatic herbs, then pound the spices in the mortar and add the herbs, almonds, and egg yolk. In another mortar, pound some shrimp heads and add a bit of water, then pass the liquid through a sieve and add it to the mixture of herbs and spices. Mix the sauce and add verjuice and olive oil.
Stir-fry the shrimp for a couple of minutes, then add the sauce and cook a little more. Serve the shrimp still hot with the sauce.
Sapor gambaricum (Teofilo Folengo)
Alter gambaricum mira facit arte saporem,
gambara disgussat, quibus ante cavaverat ova,
pistat aquam, stillans colat inde, capitque bonherbam
rossolaque ovorum, panis mollamen, et ista
conterit, agresto quae mollit, aquaque pusilla.
Post haec acetosat fortis speciebus et ova
quae prius abstulerat guacettum ficcat in ipsum.
Translation
Another makes the sauce for shrimp with wonderful skill. He peels the shrimp after removing their eggs, pounds the heads with water, and then strains them, beating them with good herbs, egg yolk, and bread soaked in verjuice and a little water. After that, he flavors them with strong spices and peeled eggs and puts them [the shrimp] in the sauce.
Çadelo or sauce for shrimp (Anonimo Veneziano)
Toy li gambari e lessali e trane fuora le code monde poy pestalli tuto l’altro e mitige un poco d’aqua, poy lo colla. Toy un pocho de herbe bone e toy rossi de ovi e mandole overo molena de pane e pista ben in mortaro e distempera con agresta; mitige uno pocho d’aqua sí che non sia acetoso e mitige specie dolze e forte e olio, fiçili code e mitili in quello savore che ty ay fato e fa bolire quando te pare.
Translation
Simmer the shrimp, remove their peeled tails, and pound them with a little water, then pass them through a sieve. Take some good herbs, egg yolks, and almonds or bread without crust, pound all the ingredients in the mortar, and mix with verjuice. Add a little water so that the sauce does not become acidic, then add sweet and strong spices and oil. Fry the tails and place them in the sauce that you have made, boiling them as much as you like.
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Books
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 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 – first part (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 1-4 (15th century)
Recipes
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 