Beasts & Wonders

The medieval food of the rich was highly extravagant and decorative in order to impress and entertain guests. Not only were tables adorned with imposing subtleties shaped like castles, eagles and other grand creations, centrepieces such as peacocks, swans and other large animals were often sewn back into their own feathers after roasting so that they appeared alive. Sometimes an entirely fictive creature would be created by sewing parts of different animals together. One of these curious dishes, ‘the cockatrice’, is one of the most intriguing dishes dating from this period.