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| {{Mergeto|entremet|date=May 2007}} | |||
| A '''subtlety''' (also ''sotelty'' or ''soteltie'') was an entertainment dish used in the ]. It was a type of ] used in medieval England, though it is somewhat unclear if it was actually an edible dish or merely a type of allegorical table ornament. | |||
| A '''subtlety''' (also ''sotelty'' or ''soteltie'') was an elaborate form of dish common during the ] in ], particularly in ] and ]. Its function was to demarcate main courses from one another while also entertaining diners. A subtlety could be anything from a ] with exotic ]s to an elaborate ] of a ] made of pastry. Subtlety dishes were reserved for the ]es who could afford the huge costs of exclusive ingredients, talented ]s and huge staffs to create lavish meals. Subtleties were often used during ] days or ] to alleviate the restrictions in diet imposed by ] ] laws. | |||
| ==Elaborate illusions== | |||
| Among the popular ingredients for subtleties were various kinds of ], especially ] and ]s. These birds would often be plucked and skinned and their meat seasoned, and then baked, grilled, or boiled; stuffed with fillings of all kinds; and finally redressed with their own skins. Supported by concealed wooden struts and decorated with their original plumage, the birds would be served in lifelike poses. | |||
| Culinary renditions of popular ]s and religious ] were common. ] ]s describe how to prepare a ], a fantasy animal, by roasting a ] and some form of fowl separately, then sewing their skins together so that the final creation would look like the fabled creature. Tableaux depicting various human activities familiar to the medieval dinner guests were popular, such as "]s" made from grilled or fried ]s, ]s decorated to look like pilgrims holding roast ]s as staffs, miniature ]s made from grilled, stuffed fowl riding roast piglets, or ] scenes.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.r3.org/life/articles/food1.htm |title= Dining in State: A High Cuisine Guide |author= Thomas L. Coles |format= html |work=], American branch |quote= With great ceremony and flourish, the subtlety is presented. Tonight, it is a spun and hardened sugar hunting scene. }}</ref> | |||
| Allegorical scenes with titles like "Castle of Love" and mythical and religious scenes and figures like "Lady of the Unicorn," "Knight of the Swan," and even "Lamb of God" ('']'') were also mentioned. Other popular arrangements were models of castles made from ], ] or ], a specialty of English chefs during the late Middle Ages. Over time, subtleties became ever more decorative and less suitable for eating, and eventually evolved into pure decorations produced by ]s, ]s, and ]s rather than by chefs. | |||
| The need to dazzle and amaze the ] impelled chefs to resort to ]s. Medieval sources describe how to make pies that would be filled with live ]s and covered with crust immediately before serving so that birds would fly out and astonish the guests when the pie was cut open. There was also advice on how to make cooked meat or fish appear raw by sprinkling dried ]'s or ]'s blood on it, or even to cover it with strips cut from ]s to look like maggots. | |||
| ==Examples of subtleties== | |||
| *Though not enjoying international prestige and fame for culinary sophistication today, ] during at least the High and Late Middle Ages was considerably more refined by continental standards. A specialty of ] cooks was to disguise ]s as ]s. | |||
| *A dish that can be found in many cookbooks in ] and ] was "Turk's head" or "monk's head" which was intended to resemble the face and hair (or even ]) of a ], and in some recipes a ] where the the dark hair or turban would instead have the likeness of the dark ] of ]. | |||
| *In a feast dedicated to ], a castle model was constructed and filled with ], wild ], ], ] and ], with all animals having been skinned, cooked, redressed and placed in lifelike postures before serving. | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| * ] | |||
| ⚫ | * ] | ||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
| <div class="references-small"><references/></div> | |||
| *Adamson, Melitta Weiss (2004) ''Food in Medieval Times'' ISBN 0-313-32147-7 |
*Adamson, Melitta Weiss (2004) ''Food in Medieval Times'' ISBN 0-313-32147-7 | ||
| *Henisch, Bridget Ann (1976) ''Fast and Feast: Food in Medieval Society'' ISBN 0-271-01230-7 | |||
| *Scully, Terence (1995) ''The Art of Cookery in the Middle Ages'' ISBN 0-85115-611-8 | |||
| ==External links== | ==External links== | ||
| {{wiktionarypar|subtlety}} | {{wiktionarypar|subtlety}} | ||
| * - A guide on how to make medieval cuisine and subtleties |
* - A modern guide on how to make Western European medieval cuisine and subtleties | ||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| ] | |||
| {{food-stub}} | |||
Revision as of 14:22, 4 June 2007
 | It has been suggested that this article be merged into entremet. (Discuss) Proposed since May 2007. |
A subtlety (also sotelty or soteltie) was an elaborate form of dish common during the late Middle Ages in Europe, particularly in England and France. Its function was to demarcate main courses from one another while also entertaining diners. A subtlety could be anything from a pie with exotic spices to an elaborate model of a castle made of pastry. Subtlety dishes were reserved for the upper classes who could afford the huge costs of exclusive ingredients, talented chefs and huge staffs to create lavish meals. Subtleties were often used during fast days or Lent to alleviate the restrictions in diet imposed by Catholic fasting laws.
Elaborate illusions
Among the popular ingredients for subtleties were various kinds of fowl, especially peafowl and swans. These birds would often be plucked and skinned and their meat seasoned, and then baked, grilled, or boiled; stuffed with fillings of all kinds; and finally redressed with their own skins. Supported by concealed wooden struts and decorated with their original plumage, the birds would be served in lifelike poses.
Culinary renditions of popular fables and religious allegories were common. 14th century cookbooks describe how to prepare a cockatrice, a fantasy animal, by roasting a suckling pig and some form of fowl separately, then sewing their skins together so that the final creation would look like the fabled creature. Tableaux depicting various human activities familiar to the medieval dinner guests were popular, such as "pilgrims" made from grilled or fried capons, pikes decorated to look like pilgrims holding roast lampreys as staffs, miniature knights made from grilled, stuffed fowl riding roast piglets, or hunting scenes.
Allegorical scenes with titles like "Castle of Love" and mythical and religious scenes and figures like "Lady of the Unicorn," "Knight of the Swan," and even "Lamb of God" (Agnus Dei) were also mentioned. Other popular arrangements were models of castles made from sugar, pastry or marzipan, a specialty of English chefs during the late Middle Ages. Over time, subtleties became ever more decorative and less suitable for eating, and eventually evolved into pure decorations produced by painters, carpenters, and metalsmiths rather than by chefs.
The need to dazzle and amaze the nobility impelled chefs to resort to practical jokes. Medieval sources describe how to make pies that would be filled with live blackbirds and covered with crust immediately before serving so that birds would fly out and astonish the guests when the pie was cut open. There was also advice on how to make cooked meat or fish appear raw by sprinkling dried hare's or kid's blood on it, or even to cover it with strips cut from intestines to look like maggots.
Examples of subtleties
- Though not enjoying international prestige and fame for culinary sophistication today, English cuisine during at least the High and Late Middle Ages was considerably more refined by continental standards. A specialty of English cooks was to disguise meatballs as oranges.
- A dish that can be found in many cookbooks in Western and Southern Europe was "Turk's head" or "monk's head" which was intended to resemble the face and hair (or even turban) of a Saracen, and in some recipes a monk where the the dark hair or turban would instead have the likeness of the dark cowl of Dominicans.
- In a feast dedicated to Pope Clement VI, a castle model was constructed and filled with venison, wild boar, goat, hare and rabbit, with all animals having been skinned, cooked, redressed and placed in lifelike postures before serving.
See also
References
- Thomas L. Coles. "Dining in State: A High Cuisine Guide" (html). The Richard III Society, American branch.
With great ceremony and flourish, the subtlety is presented. Tonight, it is a spun and hardened sugar hunting scene.
- Adamson, Melitta Weiss (2004) Food in Medieval Times ISBN 0-313-32147-7
- Henisch, Bridget Ann (1976) Fast and Feast: Food in Medieval Society ISBN 0-271-01230-7
- Scully, Terence (1995) The Art of Cookery in the Middle Ages ISBN 0-85115-611-8
External links
- How to Cook Medieval - A modern guide on how to make Western European medieval cuisine and subtleties