Documentation:
The stage included studying the “Cookbook of the master-chef of the Prince of Transylvania” written in the second half of the 16th c., the oldest document of its kind known on the territory of today’s Romania, but also of the recipes and related documentation found at the Astra Library in Sibiu (how the tables were set, dishes, tableware, buffet structure).
Remarks:
The chefs of the 16th century described extensively the ingredients, the method of slaughter and portion of the animal, the way of optimizing and using all the anatomical parts of the slaughtered animal, etc. Unfortunately less attention was paid to the concrete way of preparation and its stages.
Recipes are not accurate. No quantities or other cooking instructions are specified.
On the other hand we encountered a very rich kitchen in spices and herbs.
Choosing the menu and adjusting recipes to current standards:
In choosing the menu we tried to consider the availability of raw material, wanting it to be seasonal and mainly of local origin.
We wanted both hot and cold snacks and dishes, but also desserts, taking into account the high temperatures in July.
Finally, we decided to present a menu of over 40 dishes and desserts, wishing to capture as much as possible the richness and variety of the princely court of that period, within the limits imposed by the sanitary rigors of what food preparation means
For example, meat pies, which in the 16th c. were filled with blood, flesh and organs from different animals and then strongly aromatized and baked in stoves ... we decided to prepare them only from a mixture of flesh and weigh the use of aromas and spices in order for them not to be a "cultural shock" according to what we define as flavors and textures nowadays.
We have also eliminated the preparations on the border of contemporary tastes such as: crunchy sheep intestines, pork head on the tray, stuffed sheep stomach, ripe ears of animals, etc. We chose not to have birds ripe in feathers, nor animals baked in fur...
Between the discoveries that gathered the most votes of the team involved in the gastronomic research were the chickpeas boiled beforehand, then baked in duck lard with spices, left until expand a little mixed and served with caramelized carrots flavored with coriander powder.
Presentation
For the presentation of the dishes we wanted to have the right decor and the dishes as close as possible to that epoch.
We searched for silver, brass or copper dishes – studying the paintings of that age, and tried to choose, for every dish, the serving bowl as appropriate and as close to the style as possible.
So we searched for silverware, porcelain trays, tableware, oversized wooden chopping boards.
We used the personal collections of silverware and ceramic pots and also the collections of our friends.
Floral arrangements have also tried to capture the spirit of the period as faithfully as possible.
Conclusions
The conclusions of this approach are numerous:
The roots of local gastronomy are strong, exciting and full of substance.
Recipe sophistication is much older than most of the people nowadays imagine.
It is more than necessary to intensely promote this heritage of gastronomic culture that make us proud and Jules Restaurant has been honored to be an active part of this project.
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