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Peregrine's Lexicon

cinnamon
Court of Miracles
Halfway There
Louis XI
lute
parsnip
peppercorn
rebec
recorder
Romani
Spring
strozzapreti
Twelfth Night
verjuice
 

cinnamon

This spice, a shaved tree bark, was one of the most popular spices of Renaissance and medieval cooks. Some recipes call for cassia, a slightly bitter version of the more expensive true cinnamon. Recipe available for a cinnamon mixture to add "instant Renaissance" flavor to sweet or savory dishes.

Court of Miracles

The Parisian Gypsies' secret home. It was there that blind or lame beggars could be found seeing and walking, through the miracle of being "offstage" and out of sight of those they begged from.

Halfway There

Clopin heard part of this song the evening he first met Peregrine. I actually wrote it a few years ago for the Southern Renaissance Faire's Royal Guard's amusement. Full lyrics are available.

Louis XI

The King of France from 1461-1483. One of his officials, Philippe de Commynes, in his now-invaluable memoirs, described him as a tyrannical and paranoid, but in some respects brilliant, king.

lute

The most popular musical instrument of the Renaissance, though introduced earlier. It is a stringed instrument like a guitar, with a pear-shaped body. It derives its name and form from an Arabic instrument, the Ud (literally "wood").

parsnip

A root vegetable, very popular in medieval and Renaissance Europe, though rather underrated today. Recipe is available for parsnip salad.

peppercorn

Black peppercorns and other strong spices were popularly used in medieval and Renaissance times, not to disguise spoiling food but for the enjoyment of the flavor.

rebec

A stringed instrument which was the forerunner of the violin, and is played in a similar way.

recorder

A type of wooden flute related to both pan pipes and the transverse flute, very popular in folk and "serious" music during and after the medieval period.

Romani

The Gypsies are more properly known as Romani. Because of their divergent languages, there are several variations of the word, but all are similar to Romani or Rom.

Spring

This poem was written in the mid 15th century by Charles d'Orleans. Peregrine set it to music, as musicians of the time often did with popular poems. D'Orleans was the father of Louis XII, and died in 1465. He is considered the father of French poetry. Full poem is available.

strozzapreti

The name of these dense dumplings translates as "priest stranglers." Recipe is available both for the dumplings and a garlic sauce for them.

Twelfth Night

Also known as The Twelfth Day of Christmas or the Feast of the Epiphany, occurring on January 6. A relic of the ending of the Saturnalian orgies, the day also included the Festival of Fools. The French version of the celebration ended with La Galette du Roi, a cake containing surprises to determine the royalty of the party. Recipe is available for Twelfth Night cake.

verjuice

The juice of sour green grapes (either fresh or boiled and fermented) or sometimes sour gooseberries or plums, used as a cooking ingredient or condiment.