Food, Etymology, and Shakespeare

I just picked up Shakespeare’s Kitchen: Renaissance Recipes for the Contemporary Cook and I couldn’t be happier. Not only does this provide recipes, which are based off of original instructions from the time period, there’s a touch of history included with each and every section, dish prepared, and anecdote.

My only critical comment is that I wanted to see more pictures of the finished recipes, but other than that I’m very pleased with this cookbook. It makes me giddy that I can read stories about life in the past while making traditional dishes prepared at a time when there were no ovens, refrigerators, or fancy tools. Imagine the luxurious art in this era! Royal banquets included the fabrication of fantastical “meat” beasts, edible portraits, and a whole lot more.

This, coupled with my love of etymology AND Shakespeare… Well, I’d rather like collecting historic cookbooks. I have a Roman-era and WWII cookbook already…

    Mood: Hungry!
    Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: Riddle me this…
    Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: The Gym.
    In My Ears: Something industrial and head-banging.
    Game Last Played: Dragon Age: Awakenings
    Movie Last Viewed: Despicable Me
    Latest Artistic Project: In progress!
    Latest Release: “The Dig” The Lovecraft eZine Issue No. 19
December 7, 2012
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Monica Valentinelli is an author, artist, and narrative designer who writes about magic, mystery, and mayhem. Her portfolio includes stories, games, comics, essays, and pop culture books.

In addition to her own worlds, she has worked on a number of different properties including Vampire: the Masquerade, Shadowrun, Hunter: the Vigil, Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn, and Robert E. Howard’s Conan.

Looking for Monica’s books and games that are still in print? Visit Monica Valentinelli on Amazon’s Author Central or a bookstore near you.

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