DE HONESTA VOLUPATE ET VALETUDINE (OF HONEST
VOLUPTUSNESS AND HEALTH) OR VIRTUOUS ENJOYMENT AND
GOOD HEALTH) BY BARTHOLOMAEUS DE PLATINA Printed in
roman Type in Venice 13 June 1475 THE title of
Platina's work, as is true of many books of the
period, appears in various forms. One variant, De
obsoniis ac honesta voluptate, can be freely
translated as: "On meat dishes and their virtuous
enjoyment." Platina stresses that his recipes do not
lead to the sin of gluttony. So you can enjoy your
three-inch charcoal-broiled steaks and still feel
virtuous. This book is important not only as the first
printed cookery text, but also as an excellent source
of knowledge of daily life in the mid-fifteenth
century, and particularly for insights into dietary
customs of the time. Platina, I discovered, was not a
cook. He is recorded first as a soldier and later as a
distinguished scholar. In 1474 he presented the
handwritten manuscript of his now famous Lives of the
Popes to Pope Sixtus IV. The original is still in the
Vatican Library. His reward was an appointment to the
extremely important post of Librarian to the Vatican.
How did this scholar come to write a cookbook? The
clue may be found in the book itself, where he
mentions his "good friend Martino" the chef of one of
the Chamberlains to the Pope. They must have become
acquainted at the Vati- can. A manuscript treatise on
food and cookery written by Martino is in the Library
of Congress. It is quite evident that Martino's
manuscript formed the basis for Platina's book, for he
says of his friend in Chapter VI, "which cook, by the
immortals, could compare with my companion Martino of
Como, by whom these things I write have for the most
part been considered? You will call him another
Carneades if you hear him discussing extemporaneously
the things put forth here." Platina's book is rather
casual in its approach to actual cooking, and the
entries in the long table of contents may not guide
the reader to any hint of a recipe. For instance, the
chapter on edible birds deals with swans and storks,
but only relates their living habits. It must be
remembered, however, that in the fifteenth century the
common people could neither read nor write. Books were
commissioned by rich patrons who collected handwritten
books with elaborate hand-painted illuminations. Any
cookery manuscript would have been a carefully guarded
secret, available only to professionals. I suppose the
student apprentices who had to pay for their training
were sworn to secrecy and learned not by reading but
by working with their masters, who probably couldn't
write out directions anyway. But Platina, a trained
scholar and experienced writer, turned out a
well-written book by the standards of his time, even
though the recipes lack specific information. What
fascinates me is that so many of the same foods we use
today were being used then in practically the same
way. Platina refers to eggs, pastry, bread and grains,
cheese, all the vegetables, practically all the
fruits, including cherries, grapes and eggs, chicken,
frogs, salted meat, squid, octopus and all our modern
spices. And his chapters of advice concerning
healthful habits seem amazingly timely today, when
exercise and recreation are considered of vital
importance for good health. All of Platina's recipes
are frustrating, for no quantities are given and no
definite cooking directions appear. You were just
supposed to be a "born cook" in those days. Have a
look at these old recipes, but, for goodness sakes,
don't try them unless you are the gambling type. Use
the modern versions--I can guarantee them, for we have
eaten them one and all. Source: Pepperidge Farm
Cookbook, by Margaret Rudkin -----
