Jottings from a Monastic Kitchen

Abstract:This article explores a description of the foodstuffs and daily eating habits of a monastery as recorded in MS Codex 1081 (currently housed at the University of Pennsylvania). The authors provide a translation of the marginal note and examine the choice of terms, concluding it is from the eastern third of the Iberian Peninsula, written in Castilian, but with interference of Aragonese dialect. This note offers a delightful vignette, illuminating the daily routine of fifteenth-century Aragonese religious life: frugal, but not unappetizing fare, generous hospitality to the weary traveler, pleasant evening strolls, and finally a hearty nightcap of fruit and full-bodied wine, as recommended by a generous housekeeper.