Libro de la Cocina: Medieval Tuscan Recipes (Historical Italian Cooking)

Written in the 14th century by an anonymous Tuscan author, the Libro de la Cocina is one of the first cookbooks in Italian vernacular and records the beginning of a culinary tradition that still survives today in many recipes of Central Italy, especially Umbria and Tuscany. Creative and colorful with many vegetables, spices, and herbs, this book shows us a whole world of recipes for meat, fish, pasta, pies, and other dishes with variants for the fat and lean days, with plenty of details and suggestions that make it a complete handbook essential to understand the principles at the basis of medieval cuisine and learn how to create authentic, historical plates. With its 175 recipes, the Libro de la Cocina is one of the most interesting medieval cookbooks, simple to follow and practice, perfect for our journey into history through the origin of Italian cooking. To make this source easier to read, we accompanied our translation with notes that compare the text with others written in the same period, in particular the Liber de Coquina, a glossary, and an introduction about the ingredients and preparations, which includes an explanation of the basic methods taken for granted by the medieval author.