Robust, gutsy flavours, sophisticated and subtly spiced sauces, the tang of fresh herbs: this is the original Mediterranean cuisine.

In Sicily you can still find a puree of broad beans essentially the same as eaten by the ancient Greeks and Romans and the same strips of candied zuccata that once would have been offered at a fifteenth-century banquet. The pan-Mediterranean dish of fried fish in a vinegary sauce goes back to the time of Apicius and the Roman Empire.

In The Original Mediterranean Cuisine, you will discover intriguing delights such as ginger and almond sauce, lamb with quinces and Platina’s herb salad. Acclaimed culinary historian Barbara Santich tells the story of authentic medieval Mediterranean food, and brings to the table recipes translated and adapted for modern kitchens from fourteenth- and fifteenth-century Italian and Catalan manuscripts.