The Pantropheon; Or, History of Food, Its Preparation, from the Earliest Ages of the WorldSoyer, Alexis
History
The Pantropheon; Or, History of Food, Its Preparation, from the Earliest Ages of the World
Soyer, Alexis
Cooking; Food; Gastronomy
Saint Louis made statutes for the bakers of Paris. He forbade them to
bake on Sunday or any festival day, under pain of a fine of eighteen
sous (about eight pence), and a certain quantity of bread. But he gave
them permission to open their shops and _sell_ every day of the year
without exception.[IV-78]
In the 17th century, a new regulation was made concerning bakers; they
were to bake “daily, and have always on sale three kinds of bread, viz.,
that known as _pain de chalis_, of twelve ounces; _pain de chapitre_, of
ten ounces; and brownish household bread, of sixteen ounces. The price
of each to be _douze deniers_ (a halfpenny), marked by the baker with
his own particular mark.” They were also permitted to make “rolls and
other sorts,” but not to expose them for sale “under pain of being fined
four hundred Paris livres (a little more than twelve pounds
sterling).”[IV-79]
Master-bakers were admitted at Paris, in the 14th century, in the
following manner:--
When a young man had been successively winnower, sifter, kneader, and
foreman, he could, by paying a certain amount to the king as legiance
money, become an aspirant-baker, and commence business on his own
account. Four years after, he was received as master by going through
certain formalities. On a given day, he set out from his house, followed
by all the bakers of the town, and repaired to the residence of the
master of the bakers, to whom he presented a new pot filled with nuts,
saying: “Master, I have accomplished my four years; here is my pot of
nuts.” Then the master of the bakers asked the secretary of the trade
whether that were true, and having received a reply in the affirmative,
the master of the bakers returned the pot to the aspirant, who broke it
against the wall, and was at once reckoned amongst the masters.
Let us reckon up the different kinds of bread that were in use at that
epoch:
The bread made simply with flour, water, salt, and yeast--the common
bread; the best was made at Chailly or Gonesse.
The bread cooked in hot water--_pain échaudé_ (in England, we should
call it baked dumpling).
The bread made of the finest flour, beaten a long time with two
sticks--pounded bread.
The bread made of the very finest and purest flour (biscuit flour)
slightly baked--roll bread.
The bread made of fine flour, kneaded with butter, and sprinkled with
whole wheat--sheep bread.
The bread made of fine flour, eggs and milk--Christmas bread.
And lastly, rye bread, kneaded with spice, honey, or
sugar--gingerbread.[IV-80]
V.
FRUMENTA.
Do not be alarmed, fair readers, at the Latin noun which heads this
chapter: tolerate it in consideration of our promise seldom to solicit a
like favour. It meant, among the Latins, all the plants which produce
ears of corn,[V-1] the seeds of which can be converted into flour.[V-2]
Clearly there never was a more innocent expression.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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