Transcribed cooking instructions as a concept can be observed way back into history, in truth as far back into recorded history as the ancient Egyptians, and possibly even further than that. However, mostly, these ancient cookbooks were just very simple pictorial recipes for preparing food.
In an interesting twist, the most ancient recipe discovered, according to Professor Solomon Katz, is a collection of tablets in ancient Sumeria which recount the baking of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made anyone who drank it feel `wonderful`.
Much later, in Roman times a Roman called Apicius compiled a collection of scripts which described recipes enjoyed by wealthy Romans. In his works, Apicius recounts how the meals of wealthy Romans were divided into hors d`oeuvre, entrees and afters, known in Latin as “Gustatio, Primae Mensae and Secundae Mensae”. Additionally, he describes how the cooks of Roman times used many herbs, including a few that are still present in modern kitchens such as thyme, rue and dill.
There were a couple of interesting cookery books dating from the 14th Century : one book entitled `Forme of Cury`, and another, similarly entitled `Curye on Inglish`. Amusingly, these have no connection with the spicy food that is served today, but instead accounts of the types of meals cooked for the upper classes of the period.
Later on, in the 15th century, knights returning from the crusades brought back many new spices and herbs from the holy land, such as basil and rosemary. These new herbs and spices prompted an outbreak in cookery books, the majority of which are now in private cookery archives.
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