Sometime toward the end of September, Richard and John hosted a wonderful feast together for reasons not quite clear to historians. Some speculate that it was held to assure the nobles that there was no discord between the young king (then only 20 years old) and his Uncle. More likely it was an end-of-harvest feast for a particularly good year. The reasons behind the manuscript’s creation are more certain. Banquets and feasts were symbols of power and prestige. They allowed kings and nobles to show off their wealth by displaying fine cutlery, extravagant dishes, and a ridiculous amount of food. For the 1387 feast, King Richard II’s team of over three hundred cooks commissioned a grocery list that included:
在1387年9月末，理查二世和他叔叔John Gaunt举办了一场联合宴会。有人猜测举办宴会是为了向众人表示两人之间并无不和，但实际上可能只是为了庆祝丰年。宴会象征着力量和尊贵，王公贵族可借此炫富。在这场盛宴前，理查二世手下超过300人的厨师队伍制作了一份购物清单，下面是其中一部分：
“Fourteen salted oxen, two fresh oxen, one hundred and twenty sheep, twelve boars, fourteen calves, one hundred forty pigs, three hundred kegs of lard and grease, three tons of salted venison, fifty swans, two hundred forty geese, fifty high-fat capons, eight dozen capons, sixty dozen hens, four hundred large rabbits, four pheasants, five herons, six young goats, five dozen pullets for jelly, twelve dozen pullets for roasting, one hundred dozen pigeons, twelve dozen partridges, eight dozen rabbits, twelve dozen curlews, twelve cranes, wild fowl, one hundred twenty gallons of milk, twelve gallons of cream, twelve gallons of curds, twelve bushels of apples, and eleven thousand eggs”
“14头腌牛，2头鲜牛，120只羊，12头野猪，14头小牛，140只猪，300桶猪油，3吨腌鹿肉，50只天鹅，240只鹅，50只肥腌鸡，96只腌鸡，72只母鸡，400只大兔子，4只野鸡，5只苍鹭，6只小山羊，60只用于做肉冻的小母鸡，144只用于做烤肉的小母鸡，1200只鸽子，144只鹧鸪，96只兔子，144只麻鹬，12只野鹤，120加仑牛奶，12加仑奶油，12加仑凝乳，12蒲式耳苹果，以及11000个鸡蛋”。
The Forme of Cury was written on a scroll made of vellum, an expensive parchment made of fine calfskin.
《The Forme of Cury》写在珍贵的牛皮纸上。
King Richard II was eventually deposed by Henry of Bolingbroke, the Duke of Lancaster’s eldest son. The 33-year-old King died of hunger in prison in the year 1400. Many modern adaptations of the medieval recipes can be found, including this one of a dessert known as Pears in Confection, taken from Cook Books a-la-Carte.
理查二世最终还是被叔叔的长子废黜，1400年在狱中死于饥饿，时年33岁。目前人们发现了《The Forme of Cury》的许多改良版本，包括以下这份名为“糖梨”(Pears in Confection)的甜点：
Pears in Confection
糖梨
6 large firm cooking pears, peeled, cut in half, and cored
6个又大又硬的梨子，去皮，切成两半，去核;
2 cups water or red wine
2杯水或红酒;
½ teaspoon red sandalwood powder [turns pears dark read and gives them a pleasant flavor]
1/2茶匙的紫檀粉[让梨变成深红色，使其风味怡人];
1/8 cups good-quality Muscatel, Vernaccia, or any sweet heavy wine
1/8辈麝香葡萄酒、维奈西卡或其他甜烈酒;
½ - ¾ teaspoon powdered ginger
1/2- 3/4茶匙的姜粉;
2 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar (or more for a thicker syrup)
2大勺糖粉(若想要更多糖浆可加量)；
garnish: pomegranate seeds
装饰品：石榴籽。
1. Boil pears in the water or red wine and sandalwood in a covered pot about 15 minutes or until soft but still firm. Drain.
1. 将紫檀粉倒入水或红酒之中，放入梨，盖上锅煮15分钟左右，直到梨子变得稍软。沥干;
2. Combine sweet wine, ginger, and sugar. Bring to a boil and cook until syrup is slightly reduced and thickened.
2. 将甜酒与姜粉和糖粉混合，煮沸，直到糖浆稍稠;
3. Pour syrup over pears. Serve warm or cold, garnished with pomegranate seeds.
3. 将糖浆倒到梨子上。作为热菜或冷菜均可，以石榴籽作装饰;
Serves 6.
供6人食用。
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