Medieval France · France
Le Ménagier's Blanc Mengier
From Le Ménagier de Paris · Anonymous · 1393
Verified from original source
A medieval sweet almond cream dish thickened with rice flour and rose water.
History
Blanc mengier (white dish) was a prestigious medieval pottage of shredded chicken or capon, rice flour or ground almonds, sugar, and spices, thickened to a white paste. Originating in Arab culinary traditions, it spread throughout medieval Europe by the 13th century. The Ménagier de Paris (1393), a Parisian household manual, includes several versions. This luxurious dish appeared at aristocratic tables and symbolised refinement through its pure white colour, achieved with expensive ingredients like almonds, rice, and sugar. It evolved into blancmange, which by the 18th century became sweeter and eventually transformed into the modern milk-based pudding.
Sources
- Le Ménagier de Paris, anonymous, edited by Georgine E. Brereton and Janet M. Ferrier, 1981
- Terence Scully, The Art of Cookery in the Middle Ages, 1995
- C. Anne Wilson, Food and Drink in Britain, 1973
- Barbara Santich, The Original Mediterranean Cuisine, 1995
- Constance B. Hieatt and Sharon Butler, Curye on Inglysch, 1985
Serves
4
Prep
40m
Cook
10m
Difficulty
Medium
Ingredients
- · 200 g ground almonds
- · 600 ml water
- · 100 g caster sugar
- · 50 g rice flour
- · 2 tablespoons rosewater
- · Pinch of salt
Method
- 1
Steep ground almonds in hot water for 30 minutes.
- 2
Strain through muslin, squeezing well to extract all liquid.
- 3
Heat almond milk with sugar until dissolved.
- 4
Mix rice flour with a little cold water to make a paste.
- 5
Whisk rice paste into almond milk and cook, stirring, until thickened; add rosewater and serve warm or cold.
