The Viandier of Taillevent: An edition of all extant manuscripts

Introduction

This page intentionally left blank Introduction The Manuscripts The collection of culinary recipes that is known as the Viandier of Guillaume Tirel or "Taillevent" is extant today in four manuscripts. A fifth was recently destroyed. VAL Sion (Switzerland), Archives cantonales du Valais, S. 108. A parchment roll from the second half of the thirteenth century; 13 cm wide x 194.5 cm long; written on both sides, although the text occupies only two­thirds of the verso. This roll contains only the Viandier. A fragment which must have measured some 8 to 10 cm has been cut away from the top of the roll; on the recto this missing portion may have held the title of the work as well as several of the first recipes; on the verso it probably held the recipes that in other copies are called Soupe en moustarde (§83) and Give d'oeufs (§84), as well as the beginning of the Broutt d'Alemagne (§85). Capitals, which vary between one and two lines in height, are in red, as are some whole recipe titles. Incipit: Boully larde prenez vostre grain lardes bouilli larde / et metez cttire en yaue .... Explicit: ... en huille boullez tresbien metez du formage auec qui ueult / Explicit / Nomen scriptoris est petrus plenus amoris. [Two lines below this and centred on the page are a group of letters—perhaps gein—which appears to be a signature.] See Andre Bonnet, "Inventaire de la Bibliotheque Supersaxo," Vallesia, 29 (1974), p. 84. This manuscript was reproduced in photo­facsimile by Jerome Pichon and Georges Vicaire in their edition of Le Viandier de Guillaume Tirel dit Taillevent (Paris, 1892), pp. 227­252. An edition of it was published by Paul Aebischer, "Un manuscrit valaisan du Viandier attribue a Taillevent," in Vallesia, 8 (1953), pp. 73­100. Aebischer points out that the early date1 of the Valais manuscript indicates that the Guillaume Tirel who was studied by Pichon and Vicaire could not have been the author of the original version of the Viandier. MAZ Paris, Bibliotheque Mazarine, 3636 (olim 1253), ff. 219r­228 r. Fifteenth century. In­folio, paper. In the Catalogue general des manuscrits des biblio­ theques publiques de France. Paris. Bibliotheque Mazarine, vol.3, this volume is qual­ ified as a "Recueil d'extraits, de notes de medecine, de tableaux de mathematiques et d'astrologie, etc." The Viandier does not occupy a full gathering of the manuscript. 1 "L'ecriture de notre manuscrit sedunois est tres soignee, d'une belle gothique de la seconde moitie du Xllle siecle, ou au plus tard des toutes premieres annees du siecle suivant": Paul Aebischer, "Un manuscrit valaisan du Viandier attribue a Taillevent," Vallesia, 8 (1953), p. 74. 4 The Viandier of Taillevent Incipit: Taillevent maistre queux du roy de France par cy enseigne a toutes gens / pour apparoillier a maingier en cusine de roy due conte marquis barons / prelas & de tous aultres seigneurs, bourgois merchans et gens douneur / Pour dessales tous pontages . . . . Explicit: ... et la graisse de vostre / rost puis vercel sur vostre rolz adressiez par escuelles. In their edition of the Viandier, Pichon and Vicaire present only fourteen recipes from the Mazarine manuscript, those recipes "qui se trouvent dans ce manuscrit et ne figurent pas dans celui de la Bibliotheque Nationale."2 This version of the Viandier has not otherwise been published. BN Paris, Bibliotheque Nationale, fonds franc.ais, 19,791. Fourteenth century. In­4°, vellum, bound in parchment with several sheets of paper next to this binding. The text is written in a single gathering of nine sheets of vellum beginning on the recto off. 1 and ending in the middle off. 18v. The folios were not originally numbered. Cue letters are indicated for the rubricator, and space is left for capitals, though these were never inserted. At the foot of f. lr the name (?) A. Delpriey can be read; and at the foot of f. 18v the following notation appears: Cest viandier fu achete a Paris par moy Pierre Buffaut Ian m.ccc.iiijxxxij ou pris de vj s. par. Incipit: Cy comence le Viandier Taillevent maistre queux du Roy nostre sire .... Explicit: ... fleur de canelle saffron garingal noys mugaites / Explicit. This manuscript provided the basis for the edition of Le Viandier de Guillaume Tirel dit Taillevent by Pichon and Vicaire; their reading of the BN text is found at pp. 1­34 of that publication. VAT Rome, Vatican City, Biblioteca Vaticana, Regina 776 (olim...