Libro de Cozina

Catalan cuisine was already highly esteemed during the Middle Ages, and this specimen is one of the most popular testimonials thereof, appearing in numerous editions in both Catalan and Spanish. Although relatively few specimens have survived, the text continues to be one of the most interesting documents concerning old Catalan and Aragonese recipes. The contents of the book are self-described in its extensive title, translating roughly to “of many stews and casseroles for the time when you can eat meat and during Lent, delicious food and sauces, soups for ill people of great sustenance, pan fruits and marzipans, without forgetting the details relating to the service and jobs of the houses of Kings, great men and gentlemen and above all things that are good”. The comprehensive text was written by Ruperto de Nola, who is remembered as a famous chef, but little is known about the personal details of his life. It is known that he was a cook for various kings of Naples from the Aragonese dynasty, Ferdinand I (1423-94) inter alia. The text first emerged ca. 1520 in Catalan and this Spanish codex was printed in Seville by Jacobo Cromberger (1472/73-1528) in 1538.