In this issue, we learn about the importance of saffron as a key spice in the Middle Ages, and about how and where it was grown. We get a modern take on a medieval celebrity scoop – a wild Italian wedding extravaganza replete with sugar sculptures and peacock entrees. Death by bread and cheese? Yep, this was actually a thing. We explore the strange world of trial by ordeal, focusing on the use of bread and cheese as a means of determining guilt. We look at the origins of the Carmina Burana as a collection of some of the earliest bawdy drinking songs (something to try out the next time you get a chance to go down to the pub). Then, we head east and look at how art from the Kitab al-Diryaq (the Book of Antidotes) depicts elite dining customs in the Jazira. We learn about the medieval history of Maldivian cuisine, and we trace ancient Roman foods into the Byzantine Empire and see what remnants of antiquity survived well into (and onto the plates of) the Middle Ages. Lastly, outside of our theme, we look at the fateful siege of Acre in 1291 with a guest piece from Aspects of History.

Bon appétit!