Presentation of dishes
It was a vanity of the medieval wealthy to produce displays which were ostentatious, and these were common at the feasts where the Lord of the Manor hoped to create a memory among his guests which surpassed any other. Thus minced roast goose, chopped and prepared separately from the bird’s skin, was reinserted after cooking and the goose served at table as if it were swimming in a pond. In a similar manner venison may be presented at table in the form of a lion or other big cat, the appearance limited only by the imagination and skills of the cook preparing the dish.
Spices were often used to change the color of dishes, among the spices valued for this purpose, as well as for their flavor, were saffron and turmeric. Turmeric was used to impart color to the crusts of pies and loaves of bread, rendering them a soft golden appearance, and the impression that the guests were being offered gilded loaves. A Cardinal of the Catholic Church, Pietro Riario, served such loaves to his guests at a banquet he hosted near Rome in 1473. The menu also featured a whole roasted bear. According to one biographer, the good Cardinal died later that year of a digestive issue.
The Duke of Normandy and later King Charles V of France employed a cook by the name of Guillaume Tirel. Tirel later served as the cook for Charles VI when he ascended to the French throne. Tirel wrote one of the earliest books on the theory and practice of cooking, which remains influential in French cooking six centuries later. In it Tirel stressed the use of spices and combinations of spices and herbs, the preparation of meat and fish dishes separately from sauces, and the desirability of presenting dishes in an attractive and dramatic fashion.
Many of the histories of the medieval age stress the banquets and feasts which became famous based on the extravagances which were presented, and the sheer amount of food which was prepared, rather than the quality of the food which was eaten by those attending. From various works it becomes obvious that cooked peacocks and swans were presented as though still living, posed extravagantly to draw attention to the host’s table, but there is little if any written commentary over what they tasted like, nor evidently much interest at the time.
Many medieval feasts were multiple day affairs and featured, in addition to the opulent dining and drinking festivities, jousts and other tournaments, horse racing, hunts, and other activities of the day. While these events were underway the estates servants went about preparing the meals and the manner of presenting them to those invited to dine with the Lord of the Manor where the event was held. For the common man, outside of the walls of the great estates, there was no knowledge of the event and nobody to comment on the feasting within.