Medieval Pea Soup with Ginger, Saffron, and Almonds

I came across this recipe in a reproduction of a 14th-century manuscript written by Guillaume Tirel, better known as Taillevent. Taillevent’s cooking—nothing like what’s served at the present-day Taillevent restaurant in Paris—was characteristic of medieval Europe because the dishes almost always contained spices.

Taillevent’s recipes don’t give quantities, so it’s hard to imagine exactly how the food tasted. Most writers about medieval cooking assume that the cooks of the era were