Entremets, Illusion Foods & Subtleties

An Elizabetha n Book of Recipes for Confection s and Banqueting Stuff

Marzipan consists of ground almonds and ground sugar made into a paste with the addition of a small amount of liquid to prevent "oilin g" during the grinding process.

Photos of re-created bakemetes, and a 17th century recipe.

Class handout that has been augmented with the lecture notes for a class on garnishing dishes for presentati on through analysis of period culinary manuscript s. The analysis is based on the definition of garnishing : A garnish, or flourish, is something edible that has been added to a completed dish of food in order to enhance either its appearance or flavor, or both.

Re-creating a pastry castle from a 14th century description.

The extraordinary "beasts" created by these instructions never were seen on land or sea. A bestiary pair, these chicken and pork visual as well as edible delights were intended to startle as well as feed. The creation of such illusion foods was an important contribution of the medieval cook to the flamboyant art forms of the medieval feast.

Translation of a "book called Du fait de cuysine by Master Chiquart, cook for our most dread lord, the duke of Savoy, in the year of the birth of our savior Jesus Christ one thousand four hundred and twenty."

Descriptions of the dishes served at a feast concentrating on illusion-foods.

A boneless whole chicken, glazed in gold -- this entremet is based on two recipes from Le Viandier du Taillevent .

Our medieval ancestors adored coloring all sorts of foods in new and exciting ways. Medieval cooks often had to be part artist, part chemist (and sometimes even part pyrotechnics specialist) to create spectacular presentations.

In the Middle Ages and Renaissanc e, illusion foods were elevated to an art form, and were used for the amusement of the wealthy.

Illusion foods are those dishes which were designed to fool either eye or palate, but were not marvelously theatrical presentations or exotic masterpieces of culinary achievement. Illusion foods, or foods that were in some way made in imitation of other foods, could be both simple or complex but were always meant to be enjoyed primarily for their satisfaction in taste & edibility.

These incredible foods and amazing recipes represent the extremities and heights to which medieval cooking could aspire to, or hope to achieve.

A photo gallery of cakes decorated to look like medieval illuminate d manuscript s and books.

''The purviaunce made for King Richard, beinge with The Duc of lancastre at the Bisshoppes place of Durham at Londone, the xxiii day of September, the yere of the kinge forsaid xij,'' and ''Atte the stalling of John Stafford, Archibisshoppe of Caunterbury, the xxj yere of king Harry the vj.''

This list is a forum for (but not restricted to) SCA members dedicated to the research and recreation of subtleties (also referred to as sotelties, soltelties, etc.), entremets, and illusion foods within the SCA timeframe. We study documented recipes and examples of this food art from the Roman, Medieval and Renaissance sources as well as sharing our attempts at recreating our own versions.

In foods and confection s, certain terms started as meaning one thing in the fourteenth century and referred to something different by the seventeent h. Here are some of the words you might encounter with a few of their possible meanings.

Medieval foods disguised look like other foods. These are different from sotelties which may or may not be edible and do not necessarily look like other food. Sometimes called Warners.

A period confection often served with wafers usually composed of a stiff-whipped mixture of egg whites and heavy cream, sweetened with sugar and flavored with rosewater.

Useful tools when creating sotelties.

Making sugar paste sotelties, molds, gum tragacanth sources, sugar paste sources.

An introducti on to subtleties , including a glossary of commonly used terms and some of the different types of subtleties that were made in the Middle Ages.

Describes the different types of subtleties and illusion-foods, and defines some of the terms to describe them.

A gallery of sugar paste and other confection s for SCA feasts.

Sugar paste, molded and colored, formed an important part of a late period, medieval banquet.

Artworks made of food offered entertainm ent for the rich and a respite from hunger for the poor