Chicken – CYNTHIA D. BERTELSEN

Pignagoscé sur chapons (Pignagoscé on Capons), Plus Some Words on Paleography

April 25, 2019

In my latest book, “A Hastiness of Cooks”, I deliberately skimmed over France and her culinary heritage. Not because I thought her culinary heritage not worth acknowledging, but because I wanted to savor that heritage in a different medium or venue. With that sentiment in mind, I pulled Terence Scully’s treatise – The Vivendier – … More Pignagoscé sur chapons (Pignagoscé on Capons), Plus Some Words on Paleography

The Lost Arabs of Marseille: Food, Family, and France

June 17, 2011

In his timely Arab France: Islam and the Making of Modern Europe, 1798-1831 (2011), Ian Coller writes of the Arab families associated with Ya’qub Hanna, an Egyptian, a Copt and first non-French general who’d served with Napoleon Bonaparte in his military campaigns in Egypt. The cover, I believe, was chosen to highlight the idea of … More The Lost Arabs of Marseille: Food, Family, and France

Scenes from La France Profonde

January 23, 2011

[Unless otherwise noted, all photos by C. Bertelsen]

Summer Fare, or, Steamroller Chicken

August 17, 2009

Today, when the throbbing heat of a summer day might mean grabbing a salad at the local deli, it is hard to realize that in the past people conjured up other solutions for food on the days when sweat poured off of brows like tiny streams rushing to meet a river. Everyone knows that the … More Summer Fare, or, Steamroller Chicken

Anyone Can Build a Whizbang Chicken Scalder (Even You!)

June 13, 2009

From the back cover of Herrick Kimball’s book, Anyone Can Build a Whizbang Chicken Scalder: Every small-farm and backyard poultry producer needs a good scalder to quickly and efficiently scald their homegrown poultry prior to plucking. Precise scalding translates to fast, complete, and easy plucking of feathers. But high-performance ready-made scalding equipment is much too … More Anyone Can Build a Whizbang Chicken Scalder (Even You!)

Adding More Spices to Your Life

May 15, 2009

Jessica B. Harris, chronicler of many things African, at least when it comes to cooking anyway, includes a recipe for “Traditional Peppersoup Spice Mixture” in her book, The Africa Cookbook: Tastes of a Continent (Simon & Schuster, 1998). She says, “I have included this recipe so that you can see the world of new tastes … More Adding More Spices to Your Life

Dame Alice de Bryene’s Household Book: Easter 1413

April 8, 2009

One of the most spectacular “finds” related to English medieval history, The Household Book of Dame Alice de Bryene (1931 edition) provides a detailed glimpse into the daily life of an English gentry household over the period 1412 – 1413, down to the exact food purchases and the price paid. It tells of widowed Dame … More Dame Alice de Bryene’s Household Book: Easter 1413

All the Presidents’ Tables: Ronald Reagan’s First Inaugural Lunch Menu 1981

January 12, 2009

Reagan’s first inauguration boasted the honor of being the first inauguration celebrated on the west front of the U.S. Capitol. Held in Statuary Hall, Ronald Reagan’s 1981 luncheon featured a “California Cuisine” menu. The U.S. Air Force String Quartet and U.S. Army Strings performed for the 200 guests. Each guest received a series of frameable … More All the Presidents’ Tables: Ronald Reagan’s First Inaugural Lunch Menu 1981