Cooking

2009 Calontir Arts and Sciences Championship competition - A single course from “menus for the month of August” as printed in ‘The Opera of Bartolomeo Scappi’.

These pictures show one of my 3 entries for the 2009 Calontir Arts and Sciences Championship competition. I chose to reproduce a single course from “menus for the month of August” as printed in ‘The Opera of Bartolomeo Scappi’. In particular, the “Lunch on a lean day” menu is the one from which I’ve taken this course. This menu can be found in Book IV of Scappi’s Opera among others for the month of August:

Scappi's August Menu (Original)

Pranzo in giorno magro nell’antedetto mese d’Agosto, con due servitii di Credenza, & due di Cucina, servito a sette piatti, con sette Scalchi, & sette Trincianti

Scappi's August Menu (Translated)

Lunch in a fast day in the aforesaid month of August, with two services from the sideboard and two from the kitchen, served in seven plates with seven butlers and seven carvers

(menu translated by Helewyse de Birkestad, OL, June 2002)

Primo servitio di Cucina

…

First service from the kitchen

…

Secondo servitio di Cucina

…

Second service from the kitchen

…

Secondo & ultimo servitio di Credenza

Torte d’herbe alla Lombarda nu 7 piatti 7

Torte bianche nu 7 piatti 7

Gambari cott in vino, & spetierie, serviti con aceto & pepe nu 300 piatti 7

Persiche duraci monde in vino bianco nu 64 piatti 7

Noci monde state in vino rosso, servite con zuccaro sopra nu 200 piatti 7

Mozzarelle fresche Romanseche nu 21 piatti 7

Pere, & mele di piu sorte nu 126 piatti 7

Provature marzoline nu 14 piatti 7

Neve di latte, servita con zuccaro sopra piatti 14

Cialdoncini fatti a scartocci nu 300 piatti 7

Ciambellette di monache nu 200 piatti 7

Second and last service from the sideboard

Tart of herbs in the Lombard style no 7 plates 7

White tart no 7 plates 7

Prawns cooked in wine and spices, serve with vinegar and pepper no 300 plates 7

Cling peaches peeled in white wine no 64 plates 7

Walnuts peeled, kept in red wine, served with sugar above no 200 plates 7

Fresh Roman mozzarella no 21 plates 7

Pears and apples of many kinds no 126 plates 7

Marzoline provatura no 14 plates 7

Snow of milk, served with sugar above plates 14

Wafers made like paper no 300 plates 7

Little cakes of monaco no 200 plates 7

Additional Information

Scappi’s menus are split into services (courses). The meal begins with “the first service from the sideboard”. This course is often referred to as the antipasti (appetizers). The sideboard (or credenza) was essentially a cupboard where non-perishable foods and foods that could be served cold or at room temperature (and were prepared ahead of time) were kept. The meal ends with “the last service from the sideboard”. This course is also called the postpasti (digestives). Between the antipasti and postpasti, services (courses) “from the kitchen” are served. The foods in the credenza courses can be either cold or hot, depending on the wishes of the cook.

Researching the Italian Picnic

Bartolomeo Scappi, when speaking of a "collatione" refers to foods that would be taken standing or walking about - finger foods. It did not originally refer to a formal meal, but came to be associated with what we would modernly consider a picnic.

Book 4 of Scappi's Opera contains menus for each month of the year. Many months include menus for Collationes. Here's one for November:

Menu (Original Text)

Collatione fatta ali’ ultimo di Novembre in giorno di graffo, V n’hora di note, doppio chef u recitata una Comedia, initolata gl’Inganni, contre servisy, servica a fette piatti, con sette scalchi, e sette trincianti.

Primo Servitio

Biscotti Pisani & Romaneschi con baluagia in bichieri
Morselletti di marzapane
Pezze di marzapane
Mostaccioli Napletani & Romaneschi
Torte cannelate alla Venetiana
Offelle alla Milanese, servite con zoccaro sopra
Pastiecetti sfogliati pieni di bianco magnare
Salciccia Modonese cotta fu la graticola, servita fredda
Mortatelle Ferrarese alessate tagliate in fette
Lomboli di foccaticcia stati in adobbo, arrostiti allo spedo, tagliati in pezzi, serviti con fugo di melangole sopra
Mostarda amabile, per sapore piatti
Faggiani arrostiti allo spedo, serviti freddi
Pasticci di caprio di fei libre per pasticcio, serviti freddi tagliati in fette, nelle caffe
Insalate di carotte con aceto, mosto cotto
Insalate di capparini, vua passa, zuccaro, & aceto rosaro
Insalate di radice di cicorea cotte, servite con vua passa, & zuccaro sopra
Cedro tagliato in fette, servitor cosale, zuccato, & acqua rosa
Fiadoncelli pieni di pignoli mondi, & vua passa
Lonza di ruffaloto stato in adobbo, arrostita allo spedo, servite con olive senz’olio sopra
Sapore di visciole in piatti
Vua fresca di piu forte
Capponi sopramentati, serviti fredi, con limoncelli tagliati, e zucaro sopra
Gelo di piedi vitelli in tazzette

Seconde Servitie

Cardi annonci, serviti con pepe & sale

Olive di Spagna

Vua fresca di piu forte

Pre caavelle cotte aql calore del foco, servite con zuccaro sopra

Casci marzolini di due libre l’q no spaccati

Peve Fiorentini Papali, & Riccarde

Cascio Parmeggiano in fettucie

Mele rose, mel’appie, & altre mele

Marroni cotti alle bracie, serviti con sale, zuccaro, & pepe

Ravigioli Fiorentini

Ostreghe, trovandosene, cotte il le bracie, servite con pepe, sale, ^ sugio di melangole sopra

Tartufali stufati con olio, sugo di melangole, & pepe

Tartufali crudi, serviti con sale, & pepe

Cotogue cotte allo spedo, servite con zuiccaro, & s’bruffate de acqua rosa sopra

Pastiecetti di pere, di tre per pasticcio

Pere guaste, servite con folignata sopra

Pasticci di corogne, d’un cotogno d’una libra per pasticcio

Meleappie stufate, servite con anici confetti sopra

Torte di cogogne

Neue di latte, servita con zuccaro sopra

Cialdoni fatti a scartocci

Ciambellette di monache

Menu (Translated Text)

Snack made last November on a "giorno di graffo". 5 hours of note (?), the sous-chef recited a Comedy, indolent with deception, "contre servisy", served on flat plates, with seven scallops, and seven slicers.

First Service

Pisani & Romaneschi Biscotti with beluga caviar (?) in glasses
Little Morsels or Biscotti (see Mistress Helewyse's translation at http://www.medievalcookery.com/helewyse/biscotti.html )
Marzipan Pieces
Spicy Marzipan Cookies in the style of Naples and Rome
Torte cannelate in the style of Venice
Scalloped Disks of Flaky Pastry, filled with apricot jam, and sandwiched together with marzipan (Offelle alla Milanese), served with sugar over
Puff Pastries filled with white magnare
Grilled Modonese Sausages, served cold
Ferrarese mortadella alessate cut into slices
Lomboli di foccaticcia stati in adobbo (a type of sausage?), roasted on the spit, cut into pieces, served with a melangola (a fruit cross between Aurantium and Citrus) sauce on top
Mild Mustard, for the dishes' flavor
Roasted pheasants on the spit, served cold
Pasticci di caprio di fei libre per pasticcio, serviti freddi tagliati in fette, nelle caffe
Salad of Carrots with vinegar and cooked must
Salad of Radicchio, Lentils, Walnuts, Goat Cheese, Raisins, sugar, & pink vinegar
Salad of cooked chicory root, served with raisins, & sugar over
Citron cut into slices, servitor cosale, sugar, & rose water
Small flat cakes stuffed with hulled pine nuts, & raisins
Loin of ruffaloto stato in adobbo, roasted with all speed, served with olives without oil over
Visciola Cherries in plates
Vua fresca di piu forte
Spiced Capons, served cold, with lemon slices, and sugar over
Calves Feet Gelatin in Small Cups