logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2024
32m 2s

How to Cook Like a Medieval Chef

History Hit
About this episode

Preparing, serving and sharing food has always played a critical role in human history. But what did people in the Middle Ages like to eat and what did their food say about their social status? What was the haute cuisine of medieval Bagdad or Moorish Spain? Victoria Flexner and Jay Reifel have recreated classic dishes for their book, A History of the World in 10 Dinners: 2,000 Years, 100 Recipes, allowing modern-day cooks of all abilities to try out meals that were created and enjoyed hundreds of years ago. 


So if you fancy blending spices from the Silk Road, juggling indigenous ingredients of the Americas, or sewing together a terrifying cockentrice - half pig, half chicken - then this episode, in which Matt Lewis finds out more from Victoria and Jay, will have you salivating and eager to try out the recipes for yourself.


This episode was produced by Rob Weinberg.


Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code MEDIEVAL - sign up here.


You can take part in our listener survey here.

Up next
Aug 22
The Battle of Bosworth
A King clinging to his right to rule. A young Tudor ready to snatch the crown and begin a new dynasty.With immersive sound design and cinematic story-telling; Matt Lewis brings to life one of the pivotal moments in English history—the Battle of Bosworth.On August 22, 1485, Richar ... Show More
1h 12m
Aug 19
Medieval Obscenity
This episode contains obscene and sexual language throughoutThe medieval world was far from prudish, it was positively bawdy. Writers, preachers, and even everyday neighbours used blunt, often hilarious language to talk about sex and the body—not just for laughs, but to make shar ... Show More
46m 26s
Aug 15
The Paston Letters with Helen Castor
Matt Lewis and Helen Castor uncover the romantic entanglements and perilous struggles of the 15th-century Paston family, whose personal correspondences reveal intimate details of love, ambition, and survival during the Wars of the Roses. Through the incredible archive of letters ... Show More
1h 5m
Recommended Episodes
May 2022
Food in the Ancient World
When we think of the modern Mediterranean, delicious and vibrant food is one of the first things that come to mind. But how much has the regional food changed over the last two millennia? In this episode, Tristan is joined by the host of 'The Delicious Legacy' Thomas Ntinas to di ... Show More
36m 24s
Mar 2024
What the Mesopotamian Kitchen Passed On to Modern-Day Iraqi Food Traditions | Nawal Nasrallah
To kick off the new season of Matbakh, we sat down with iconic and award-winning food historian, researcher and educator Nawal Nasrallah. We travel back in time to Medieval Iraq and talk about inherited food traditions, social histories, and 10th century understandings of cuisine ... Show More
1h 3m
Oct 2019
Episode 338: American Cuisine and How It Got This Way
What is American cuisine? Is there an American cuisine? It’s probably one of the most debated questions in food circles, certainly by food writers. Historian Paul Freedman, author of the recent best-selling book, Ten Restaurants that Changed America, explores the question in his ... Show More
45m 49s
May 2024
Al-Tujibi's 13th Century Andalusian Cookbook | Daniel Newman
Daniel Newman is the chair of Arabic Studies at the School of Modern Languages and Cultures in the University of Durham. His main areas of interest include Arab food history and Arabic geographical and travel literature. He is the founder of eatlikeasultan.com, a website dedicate ... Show More
1h 3m
Mar 2023
Cooking for Churchill: Georgina Landemare
Clear soup, Irish stew and steamed puddings - this was the war work of Georgina Landemare, the Churchills' longest-serving cook. Throughout the war years, Georgina served the Prime Minister, delegations of diplomats and the occasional royal, as well as the other staff of 10 Downi ... Show More
47m 1s
Aug 2021
Food history: everything you wanted to know
In the latest episode in our series on history’s biggest topics, Annie Gray tackles listener questions on culinary history, from Tudor breakfast and the oldest recipe books to long-forgotten foods and the surprisingly long history of vegetarianism. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/ ... Show More
1h 5m
Feb 2024
Ploughman's for the people: a culinary history of Britain
Did you know that the seemingly bucolic Ploughman's lunch actually came about because of a marketing ploy? Or that turnips were once thought to be an aphrodisiac? Pen Vogler takes Lauren Good on a culinary journey through Britain's history, exploring moments when food was at the ... Show More
27m 21s
Jun 2021
‘De re coquinaria’ - the Oldest Cookbook of the Western World
“De re Coquinaria,” also referred to as “Apicius,” is a cookbook featuring recipes that may have been collected as early as the first century. Who wrote it is a mystery, but it offers unique insight into the food culture of ancient Greece and Rome. Check out the Pinterest Page th ... Show More
40m 4s
Mar 2024
2. Machu Picchu: The Rise of the Inca Empire
Part 2/4. At their most powerful, the Inca had the largest empire in the world. Lasting just one century from the mid-15th century, it stretched across the South American continent from the Amazon to the Pacific. The Inca developed ingenious ways to grow food in some of the world ... Show More
39 m