This month’s recipe could be compared to modern-day beef olives, thin pieces of braised stuffed beef – in medieval times these were known as beef birds.
For some restaurants, the rise in takeaway services due to Covid-19 restrictions has meant more plastic bags and containers, unravelling efforts at sustainable practices.
In medieval times, Dublin religious houses and hospitals controlled the rights to fishing on the River Liffey. Fish at the time were sometimes baked into small savoury pastries such as these.
Ideas around how food made you feel influenced which ingredients were chosen for medieval recipes. Pick the wrong combo and you might end up inclined to sadness, or bad-tempered.
The hospitality you were offered in medieval Ireland was based on your rank. Some might have been lucky enough to get something akin to this dish, writes a culinary archaeologist.
Asako Sasaki has worked at a Michelin-starred restaurant in London, written three cookbooks, and is polishing her English so she can move on to her next project: teaching people in Dublin to cook.
In medieval Ireland, a daily portion of three bits of bread soaked in five spoonfuls of spiced wine was thought to warm the stomachs and clear the heads of old men.
“People have a great affinity for confectionary,” says Cormac Moore. “Their eyes light up when they think of long-forgotten sweets they had as children.”
