imports from Asia, especially cinnamon,
ginger, and grains of paradise; and the nut of
choice for thickening was now the almond.
The mortar was joined by a second
indispensable utensil: the cloth sieve or
strainer (French étamine or tamis) through
which sauces were passed to remove coarse
particles of spice and thickener and produce a
finer consistency. Cooks had discovered the
principle of thickening meat broths by
concentration — by boiling off unwanted
water — and so developed both the consommé
and the solid jelly, part of whose value was
the way it could coat cooked meat or fish and
protect it from the air and spoilage. The
transparency of clear jellies in turn led by the
15th century to an improved strainer for
removing the tiniest particles from them: a
protein “fabric” of whipped egg whites that
clarified the liquid from within.
Refinements in Medieval Sauce Making