The Boke of Keruynge (Book of Carving) 1508: (Book of Carving) - Hardcover

De Worde, Wynken

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1870962192 ISBN 13: 9781870962193

Publisher: Equinox Publishing, 2003

Synopsis

WYNKYN de Worde's elegant black-letter handbook, long out of print, remains a major source of information on the serving and eating of meals and feasts in the great houses of late medieval and early Tudor England. Southover's reprint carries a facsimile of the original text from Cambridge University Library, with a modern interpretation facing each page. The book explains in detail the intricate rituals of setting and waiting at table, how to prepare the dishes to be served and exactly what was eaten at different times of the year, and was written as an instruction manual for well-born boys as part of their early education. It also tells the reader how to carve meat, fowls and fish and to sauce each dish with its appropriate accompaniments, some of them very sophisticated. A description is included of the chamberlain's duties in his lord's chamber, dressing him and preparing him for church, and for bed. There is an interesting section on the order of precedence on feast days and great occasions. Peter Brears writes an Introduction and provides a glossary and drawings to explain the complicated rituals, including the arrangement of cloths before and at the end of meals. His research into traditional domestic life, combined with extensive experience of cooking authentic meals in historic properties, has given him a unique knowledge of English food history. He was for twenty years director of York Castle as well as of Leeds City Museums. His books include The Gentlewoman's Kitchen (1984); Traditional Food in Yorkshire (1987); All the King's Cooks (1999), and The Compleat Housekeeper (2000).

About this title

About the Author

Wynken de Worde was Caxton's successor having been his apprentice. He was the first person to set up a printing shop in Fleet Street and thus became the founder of a centuries long tradition. He was born in Alsace. He is believed to have published more than 700 books including the first to use italic typeface in 1524. His original name was Jan van Wynken. He is no doubt not the actual author of The Boke of Keruynge but rather the publisher of an anonymous work

About this edition

• Publisher: Equinox Publishing
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 1870962192
• ISBN 13: 9781870962193
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 160