Refinements of 17th-Century Vegetable
CookingChoose the largest asparagus, scrape them
at the bottom, and wash. Cook them in
some water, salt them well, and do not let
them overcook. When done, let them drain,
and make a sauce with some good fresh
butter, a little vinegar, salt, and nutmeg,
and an egg yolk to bind the sauce; take care
that it doesn’t curdle. Serve the asparagus
well garnished with whatever you like.
— La Varenne, Le Cuisinier françois, 1655
...by reason of its soporifous quality,
lettuce ever was, and still continues the
principal foundation of the universal tribe
of Sallets, which is to cool and refresh,
besides its other properties [which
included beneficial influences on “morals,
temperance, and chastity”]. We have said
how necessary it is that in the composure
of a sallet, every plant should come in to
bear its part, without being overpower’d by