Giovanni Bockenheym, was the cook of Pope Martin V and, on his death, he collected the papers on which he had pinned his recipes in a book written in late Latin. The book is named, simply, Registro de Cocina and its original version is located in the National Library of Paris (BNF FOND LATIN 7054).

Martino V lived and held the pontificate some years after the death of Dante Alighieri, therefore we are not sure that the recipes in the Registro de Cocina are exactly the ones that Dante ate when he visited Rome. Yet, we can safely assume that they were not that different as the culinary revolution brought about by the “Columbus exchange” had yet to come. One of the peculiarities of Giovanni Bockenheym’s book, is that for each recipe he points out the recipient.

According to the cook/writer, some preparations are good for tired pilgrims others for Lords, others for foreign sovereigns etc. The list of humankind in the book of Bockenheyms shows how many, different people travelled to Rome in the occasion of pilgrimages. There is therefore a great variety of both ingredients and preparations. As we mentioned many times, medieval cuisine is both cosmopolitan and international and this book is a further proof of it.

The recipe that I share here, is easy and very aromatic. It has to be reminded that sugar in early XV century was still pretious and oranges were a delicacy, travelling to Rome from the deep south of Italy.

Let’s read it now (english translation below by the author of this blog):

Ad faciendum fritatam de pomerantiis pro hystrionibus
Recipe pomerantias ad libitum tuum, et extrahe inde succum, et mitte oua cruda bene percussa cum zucharo, bene temperato, post hoc recipe sagimen, et fac calefieri in patella, mitte illa omnia intus, et fac plane coquere, Et erit bonum pro hystrionibus.

Recipe 50, Giovanni Bockenheym, Registro de Cocina (early XV century)

To make orange omelette for beople of the showbusiness: take oranges to your liking, squeeze the oranges and mix the juice with well beaten raw eggs and sugar. Then take olive oil or fat, heat it in the pan, put the eggs and then cook everything slowly …. It is good for people of the showbiz

This is how I make it, with great happynes of my guests (not many show biz representative, though!)

4 eggs, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, 1 teaspoon flour, 1 organic orange, 30 g butter

I squeeze the orange and then grate part of its skin. I dissolve flour in orange juice, I beat eggs and sugar and then mix orange juice and greated orange skin. I then cook in oiled frypan like an omelette. (NOTE: sometimes I also add cheese, may Giovanni Bockenheym forgive me!)