Book of coc
Author: Mestre Robert
Curator: Joan Santanach i Suñol
Collaborator: Antoni Riera i Fundació Alícia
Collection: Col·lecció 7 Portes (English)
Theme: Medieval cuiisne i Gastronomy
Language: Anglès
Edition Number: 1ª, 2026
ISBN: 978-84-16726-72-1
Synopsis
This English translation brings to new audiences one of the most important works in the history of Catalan and European gastronomy. First published in Barcelona in 1520, it was the first printed cookbook in the Iberian Peninsula and marked a turning point in the dissemination of culinary knowledge, which until then had circulated primarily in manuscript form.
Attributed to Master Robert, cook to King Ferdinand of Naples, the work contains more than two hundred recipes closely linked to the tastes and customs of the royal court and nobility of the period. Many of these recipes belong to the rich medieval Catalan culinary tradition represented by works such as the Sent Soví, the Llibre d’aparellar de menjar, and the Llibre de totes maneres de potatges. At the same time, the cookbook reflects the emergence of new culinary influences and preferences that gradually took hold during the sixteenth century, making it a key transitional work between the medieval world and the Renaissance.
Its remarkable importance is demonstrated by the numerous editions published throughout the sixteenth century and by the wide circulation achieved through its early translation into Castilian. This English edition offers contemporary readers the opportunity to rediscover a landmark text for understanding the evolution of Catalan and Mediterranean cuisine, as well as the social, cultural, and gastronomic transformations of a pivotal period in European history.
The Set Portes Collection of Historical Catalan Cookbooks traces the evolution, transformations, and continuities of Catalan cuisine through some of its most significant culinary texts, providing valuable insight into the origins of many enduring culinary traditions.
