As someone who sees the quantitative method as a superb way of doing historical research, I have to admit I get excited when I find a book that contains a lot of lists with numbers. It's kind of hard to argue numbers in my opinion. I should know, especially after all the times I tried debating the numbers on my math exams that were marked wrong. All the teacher had to do was pull out a calculator and prove that I was indeed wrong and i could no longer talk my way out of the situation. That's the reason why I love history so much, you can debate it and opinions vary. Not everything is black and white when it comes to past events.
So anyways, back to that book I was talking about. The title of the work is, A Collection of Ordinances and Regulations for the Government of the Royal Household, Made in Divers Reigns. From King Edward III to King William and Queen Mary. Also Receipts in Ancient Cookery. The title of the book is a mouth full, but the information it holds is endless and useful to those who want to know who worked in the royal palace or what the royal pantry was stocked with.
The most interesting part of this book to me however is not the lists and the numbers. Instead what captured my attention is hidden in the very back of the book. Tucked within pages upon pages of lists is a reprint of the Ancient Cookery. The cookbook was first published in the 13th century and contains a number of recipes written in Old English. The recipes were interesting to say the least. The writing style and the ingredients used made the cookbook a very entertaining read. However, I wouldn't recommend it to those with a weak stomach. Some of the recipes remind us why British food is not seen as the best cuisine in the world.
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