Llibre d’Aparellar de Menjar

Llibre d’Aparellar de Menjar

Catalan cuisine was already considered to be a byword for delectation in the Middle Ages. Numerous chroniclers and other authors corroborate and praise the mastery of Catalan cuisine and its variety. A few medieval cookbooks attesting to this famous culinary tradition are in existence: the Llibre de Sent Soví originates in the first half of the 14th century inter alia, followed a short time later by the famous Llibre d’Aparellar de Menjar.

An Anonymous Recipe Collection of Historical Significance

Composed by an anonymous author, the Llibre d’Aparellar de Menjar is stored today in the National Library of Catalonia in Barcelona. It contains a comprehensive collection of nearly 300 recipes. The precious manuscript is thereby one of the oldest Catalonian cookbooks and one of the oldest testimonials to the gastronomic culture of Catalonia. The recipes, while certainly historical, are still very tasty today and are recorded in Catalonian with elegant script in two columns.

The Legendary Culinary Culture of Catalonia

Llibre d’Aparellar de Menjarconveys an unadulterated inside view into the culinary culture of wealthy Catalans in the 14th century – only the upper class benefited from reading books at the time. Part of the recipes contained come from various older cookbooks, e.g Llibre de Sent Soví. Thus, the Llibre d’Aparellar de Menjar is a testimonial to the impressive culinary culture that already existed in medieval Catalonia with great significance up to the present. Llibre d’Aparellar de Menjar is considered to be a milestone of culinary history – particularly, but not only, for Catalonia!