• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Coquinaria

Culinaire geschiedenis, onderzoek en praktijk

  • Welcome
    • Introduction
    • Contact
    • Coquinaria on Instagram
    • Updates – Most recent
    • RSS Feed
    • Privacy Policy
  • Recipes
    • Historical recipes – Sources
    • Recipes – Origin
    • Recipes – Menu
    • Dutch recipes
    • Ingredients
  • Subjects
    • Dutch recipes
    • Stock, the kitchen spirit
    • Dough – The basics
    • Italian Pasta
    • Asian noodles
    • Knives, use and care
    • Making cheese
    • Eggs are everywhere!
    • Dutch Santa Claus
    • Eggs for Easter
    • The Coquinaria Cats
  • Editions of cookery books
    • Edelike spijse
    • Convolute KANTL Gent 15
      • KANTL Gent 15 vol.1
      • KANTL Gent 15 vol.2
  • All about eggs
  • Dutch

Red mustard the Roman way

Straight to the recipe

Rome at the end of the 15th century (Nüremberg chronicle. Source Wikimedia). Left on the edge the Colosseum, on the right the Castle Sant'Angelo

This is not the first recipe for mustard on Coquinaria. The first mustard-recipe, from the fourteenth-century cookbook Le MƩnagier de Paris, was published fifteen years ago. Mustard in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Times is comparable to tomato ketchup or soy sauce in some restaurants: there is a bottle on every table, and it can be poured over practically everything.

The recipe from this page is from theĀ Nyeuwen Coockboeck (‘New cookbook’, 1560) from the Antwerp physician Gheeraert Vorselman. The mustard is called Roman, but that has nothing to do with ancient Romans or the catholic church. Vorselman ‘borrowed’ this recipe from a Latin book, De honeste voluptate et valetudineĀ that was written by Platina, a fifteenth-century Italian humanist and librarian in the Vatican. So, with ā€˜rooms’ or ‘roman’ Vorselman simply means ā€˜from Rome’, or Italian. By the way, Platina had borrowed this recipe too, from the Italian cookbook by Martino de Rossi.

Mortar and pestle

It is interesting to see how the recipe changes a little in every new version, indicating a declining practical culinary expertise in the subsequent authors.

Martino de Rossi describes how the mustard seeds must be brayed separately, and the raisins too; after that, the ingredients are put together and pounded into a paste. Platina offers a choice: pound everything separately or together. Vorselman finally, only writes that all ingredients must be brayed or ground together (“tesamen”).

Because mustard seeds are much harder that the other ingredients, they will not be crushed when they are brayed together withĀ  the soft, sticky raisins. The result will be much better if the seeds are ground first. Of course, nowadays it is easiest to just buy mustard meal and use a blender. That will save a lot of work.

The original recipes

These are the recipes from Vorselman, Platina and Martino, in that order. See theĀ bibliographyĀ for the editions.

Rooden mostaert opt Rooms (Vorselman)
Neemt mostaertsaet, rosinen, sandalen, geherst wittebroot, luttel caneels ende wrijvet oft malet tesamen; dan doeghet door den stromijn met azijn ofte met verjuys ende wat
suyckers.
To make red mustard the Roman way
Take mustard seed, raisins, sandalwood, toasted white bread, a little cinnamon, and bray or grind it together. Then strain it with vinegar or verjuice and some sugar.

Sinapidum Rubeum (Platina)
Sinapim, passulas, sandalos, buccellas panis tostas, cinnami parum, aut seorsum aut simul conterito, vel molito. Trita cum acresta aut aceto cumque modico sapae dissolvito, in patinasque per setaceum transagito. Hoc minus praedicto concalefacit, ac sitim movet, nec incommode nutrit.
Red Mustard Sauce
Grind in mortar or mill, either separately or all together, mustard, raisins, sandalwood*, toasted bits of bread, and a little cinnamon. When it is ground, soak with verjuice or vinegar and a bit of must, and pass through a sieve into serving dishes. This heats less than the one above and stimulates thirst but does not nourish badly.

Mostarda roscia ó pauonaza (Martino)
[P]iglia la senapa, et falla pistare molto bene & piglia dell’uuaĀ passa, & pistala etiam dio bene quanto piu poi. Et habi vn pocho diĀ pane brusculato & vn pochi di sandali, & di la cannella, et con unĀ pocho di agresto, ó Aceto, & Sapa distemperarai questa compositione;Ā & passarala per la stamegnia.
Red or purple mustard
Take your mustard seeds and pound them well, then take raisins and pound as well as you possibly can. Add a little toasted bread, some sandalwood and cinnamon, and a bit of verjuice, vinegar, or grape must to thin the mixture a little, then pass it through a sieve.

 

Modern adaptation of the recipe

For once I have used only the mortar and pestle to prepare a medieval recipe, except for the sandalwood which I only have as powder. Use a mortar that is deep enough, to prevent the ingredients jumping out while pounding them. For the mustard seed I used a low but wide mortar with a flat pestle. This way the seeds are ground rather than pounded.
Condiment, about 300 gram; preparation in advance 5 minutes; preparation 30 minutes.

Red 'Roman' Mustard from the 16th century100 gr mustard seeds (Sinapis alba) or mustard powder
60 gr raisins
25 gr crumbs of toasted white bread or rusk
½ Tbsp sandalwood
¼ cinnamon stick
½ tsp to ½ Tbsp sugar
1 dl white wine vinegar with 1 dl water

Preparation in advance

Roast one slice of white bread very light. Then remove the crust and grind in the blender. Or use crumbled rusk.

The dry ingredients for red mustardPreparation

Grind mustard seeds and raisins separately in mortars. Using mustard powder will result in a smoother mustard. Do not grind everything in one go, but in small amounts. Break the cinnamon stick in small pieces and also grind separately.

Mix this with mustard seeds, raisins, bread crumbs and sandalwood, and grind to a paste, adding enough vinegar and water to obtain a rather thick condiment. If the mustard is to be kept for a while, add a little more water because the mustard will thicken more. Keep the mustard in a sterilized glass jar until further use.

To serve

Mustard was served with practically everything in the Middle Ages. So just place a dish filled with mustard on the table when serving a meal with medieval or sixteenth-century dishes.

Ingredients

All descriptions of ingredients

Stum or must

This is fermenting grape juice. When ripe grapes are pressed, the juice will ferment (through natural or added yeast). Must can’t be kept in a closed container, the gasses must be able to escape. When the first, hefty yeasting is over the must will ripen into young wine. Must is only available just after the grapes are pressed after the harvest, for a short period. I once drank it in October in Wallis (the wine province of Switzerland). It was frizzy and refreshing in taste.

Mustard seed

White mustard seeds (Sinapis alba) are easier to find in the shops than black ones (Brassica nigra). White seeds are also softer, and can be crushed more easily. There is a difference in taste: white seeds are spicy, black seeds are really hot. In the Middle Ages both kinds of seeds were used to make mustard. Because Brassica nigra is difficult to harvest by machines, it is less and less cultivated nowadays. The Asian Brassica juncea has replaced black mustard seeds in the production of dark mustard.

Red sandalwood powderSandalwood

Yes, it is wood! Red (fromĀ Pterocarpus santolina) and yellow or white (both fromĀ Santalum freycinetianum) wood dust from fragrant sandal trees were used as food colouring in medieval and early modern Europe. Before tomatoes and red bell peppers were introduced in the European kitchens, it was difficult to give your dishes a red colour, so red sandalwood was used especially. You can buy it as wood chips, but for colouring you need the fine, deep red powdered wood. Sandalwood is also used in scents and incense.

Bibliography

The editions below were used by me. Links refer to available editions.

  • Maestro Martino,Ā Libro De Arte Coquinaria. Octavo Editions, 2005. (cd-rom with introduction, facsimile-edition and English translation).
  • M.E. Milham,Ā Platina: On Right Pleasure and Good Health: Critical Edition and Translation of ā€œDe Honesta Voluptate et Valetudineā€ (Medieval & Renaissance Texts & Studies, V. 168).Ā Med.&Ren. Texts & Studies vol.168, Tempe/Arizona, 1998.
  • E. Cockx-Indestege,Ā Eenen nyeuwen coock boeck. Kookboek samengesteld door Gheeraert Vorselman en gedrukt te Antwerpen in 1560. (‘A new cookbook by Gheeraert Vorselman’) Wiesbaden, 1971.

Recipe for Red Mustard
The recipe for this red-coloured mustard can be found in Italian cookbooks from the 15th century, but also in a 16th-century Dutch cookbook.
Ā© AuthorĀ Christianne Muusers

Filed Under: Middle Ages, 16th century, Italy, Netherlands, Condiment Tagged With: raisins, rozijnen, mustard, bread, cinnamon Gepubliceerd op 21 February 2018Laatste wijziging 9 December 2019

Previous Post: « Pickle Herring, the ‘forgotten fish’
Next Post: Tulip bulb soup »

Primary Sidebar

The latest historical recipe

The latest historical recipe

Cherry custard

The latest modern recipe

The latest modern recipe

Nostalgic summer salad

Het excellente kookboek

ISBN 9789056156497, € 29,95

If you appreciate Coquinaria …

Coquinaria is not a commercial website, all information and recipes are free. If you appreciate this, it would be great if you show this by making a small donation!

Categorieƫn

  • Technique (50)
  • PERIOD (213)
    • Prehistory (1)
    • Roman (12)
    • Middle Ages (56)
    • 16th century (30)
    • 17th century (26)
    • 18th century (24)
    • 19th century (33)
    • 20th century (14)
    • Traditional (32)
    • Modern (22)
  • ORIGIN (196)
    • Belgium (9)
    • Canada (1)
    • Arabian (7)
    • China (6)
    • England (27)
    • France (36)
    • Germany (10)
    • Indonesia (1)
    • Italy (29)
    • Japan (4)
    • Mauritius (2)
    • Netherlands (72)
    • Russia (5)
    • Spain (2)
    • Sweden (1)
    • United States (4)
  • MENU (212)
    • Lucheon dish (21)
    • Breakfast or brunch (1)
    • Snack (21)
    • Savoury pastry (14)
    • Pasta (11)
    • First course (48)
    • Soup (35)
    • Main dish (39)
    • Side dish (45)
    • Casserole (7)
    • Dessert (24)
    • Sweet pastry (28)
    • Beverage (10)
    • Condiment (10)
  • DIET (155)
    • Meat nor fish (vegetarian) (63)
    • With fish (pescetarian) (34)
    • With meat (70)
  • Uncategorized (1)

Onderwerpen

almond amandelen anchovy anise apple apricot asparagus aubergine barbecue barley basil bayleaf beef beer beet greens beets belgian endives bell pepper blackberries bread broad beans broccoli buckwheat bulb butter buttermilk cabbage capers carrot casserole celeriac celery cheese chestnut chicken chilli pepper chives chopped meat christmas cilantro cinnamon cloves cocoa cod coffee coriander cranberry crayfish cream cucumber cumin currants curry date deep-frying dill dough easter egg eggplant endives fennel fish flour fruit game garden peas garlic gedroogde pruim ginger goose gooseberry grape groats heat wave herring honey horseradish ice cream kale kastanje knoflook lamb meat lamsvlees lard leek lemon lemongrass lent lettuce lime lobster lovage mackerel mallard marrow mayonnaise medlar meloen milk mint mushrooms mussels mustard onion orange orange flower water parsley parsnip partridge pasta peacock pear peas pike pineapple pistacchio plums pomegranate pork potato prune pudding purslane quail quince rabbit raisin raisins red cabbage red wine rhubarb rice rose water rozijnen rue rutabaga rye saffron sage salad salmon salsify salt sardine sauce sauerkraut sausage scallions seaweed sherry shrimp sinterklaas smoked pork smoked sausage smoking sorrel sourdough spinach stalk celery strawberries sugar sweetbread sylvester tamarind tarragon tea thyme tomato tuna vanilla veal vegetables verjuice vinegar walnut wheat white wine wijnruit wine winter dishes witte wijn yoghurt

RSS RSS feed

  • Pompoenbrood, een recept uit de 17de eeuw 2 October 2021
  • Koffie zoals in Eritrea 1 October 2021
  • Griet met rode bessen 4 September 2021
  • Een makkelijk recept voor hypocras 7 July 2021
  • Gierstpudding uit Senegal 27 June 2021

© Copyright 2002–2023 Christianne Muusers - Coquinaria