Constance B. Hieatt

I read a different translation of this, but this is the one I am adding. Sue me.

I also apparently picked the absolute worst translation in existence. It was *very* difficult to read for no good reason, and I read it aloud for comprehension, which took significantly longer than I expected it to -- there was a definite 'what have I gotten myself into' involved. I found it vaguely ironic that my very favorite bit was the part where Grendel was creeping up on the alehouse. Yep, rooting for the show more villain.

Anyway. Glad I read it, even if I hated myself for doing so. show less

I like the format - print the original recipe (complete with the wild 14th cent. spelling), a brief commentary, and then a modern version.

The downside is that the "modern" part is very 20th century. For instance, the book states that finding long pepper in the US is "impossible."Yet with Amazon you can have some in 2 days for not a lot of money. Therefore some of the adaptations and substitutions aren't really necessary. In particular, there is an over reliance of using a blender instead of show more a grinder or grater or chopping bowl, all of which would yield a much more authentic texture.

I haven't tried any of the recipes yet so cannot comment on taste, but plan to do so. show less

In its day, this was regarded at the best available source of intelligently modernized genuine medieval recipes, though I believe now it has been superseded in the eyes of really serious neomedieval cooks. Constance Heiatt was a friend of my mother's, and I believe I took part in a medieval feast she did for the Kalamazoo Medieval Congress many years ago. This book includes the original sources (printed in Gothic script) as well as the modern adaptations.

A very free retelling of the Gawain episodes in the Percival romances of Chretien de Troyes and Wolfram von Eschenbach -- Heiatt adds MOrgan le Fay and various other motifs from other romances. The illustrations in woodblock style are striking.