Recipe Manuscript

Fungi Farnei Vel Boleti

Name: Fungi Farnei Vel Boleti
Prep time: PTPT10M
Cook time: PTPT15M
Yield: 4
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: 500g wild mushrooms (porcini, button, or cremini); 1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground; 2 tablespoons fish sauce (or anchovy essence with water); 1-2 tablespoons white wine vinegar; 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; Salt, to taste; 1 tablespoon fresh coriander or cilantro (or caraway, chopped); Large mushroom caps for stuffing, as needed; Optional filling: 100g ground pork or fresh breadcrumbs; 4 large eggs; 1 teaspoon dried or fresh lovage (substitute with celery leaf if unavailable); 1 teaspoon honey

"Fungi Farnei Or Boleti"

1475

From the treasured pages of Apicius - De re coquinaria (handwritten excerpts)

Written by Apicius

Renaissance (1400 - 1700)European Intermediate Dinner Lunch Snack

Original Recipe • 1475

Original Manuscript(circa Renaissance, 1400 - 1700)

As inscribed by the original author's hand, transcribed with care by Lost Kitchen Scrolls

Fungi Farnei Vel Boleti

"Vngi farnei elixi calidi & sectati staxo pip accipitur ita ut piper in liquamine teres. Infungis farneis pip carenu acetum & oleum. Aliter fungis farnei elixos ex sale oleo mero coriandro conciso inferuntur. Boletós fungos Carenus falxatili feriuerit exemplo farcito inferes. boletós aliter caliculos eos liquamine uel sale assos inferuntur. Boletós aliter. tirsos eos concisos in patellam oua pluribus addito pipere liquistico modico melle liquamine temperabis oleum modicum."

English Translation

"Parboiled and sliced Farnei mushrooms and boleti: Seasoned with pepper in fish sauce, grind the pepper in the condiment. Pour pepper, caraway, vinegar, and oil over the farnei mushrooms. Another way: serve farnei mushrooms boiled with salt, pure oil, and chopped coriander. Prepare boleti mushrooms stuffed by following the example for farnei mushrooms. Alternatively, serve boleti caps roasted with fish sauce or salt. Another way: chop the stalks, place them in a pan, add several eggs, pepper, lovage, a little honey, temper with fish sauce and a little oil."

Note on the Original Text

The recipe is written in abbreviated, almost shorthand Latin, typical of medieval and Renaissance kitchen manuscripts intended for experienced cooks. Instructions are modular, presenting variations in brief succession without precise quantities or times – cooks were expected to use judgment and taste. Spelling variants like 'vnngi' for 'fungi', or 'liquamine' for 'liquamen' (Roman fish sauce), reflect phonetic and regional Italian influence on the copying of Latin texts. Separating each preparation with 'aliter' (otherwise) signaled a new method or variant to the reader.

Modern Kitchen Interpretation

Recipe's Origin

Apicius - De re coquinaria (handwritten excerpts) - Click to view recipe in book

Title

Apicius - De re coquinaria (handwritten excerpts) (1475)

You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome

Writer

Apicius

Era

1475

Publisher

Venice

Background

A delectable compendium of ancient Roman cookery, this collection invites you to taste the flavors of antiquity through ten tantalizing sections based on Apicius’s famed De re coquinaria. Savor recipes, tips, and culinary wisdom penned in a fine Italian hand for the epicurean elite of the 15th century.

Kindly made available by

University of Pennsyllvania

Historical Background of the Recipe

Learn about old traditions

This recipe hails from a Renaissance-era manuscript of Apicius, the famed Roman cookbook, as copied and circulated in 15th-century Italy. During this time, texts like De re coquinaria provided an elite audience with guidance on the flavors and techniques of ancient Rome, often adapted to contemporary tastes and available ingredients. The manuscript demonstrates the lasting Roman fascination with mushrooms (fungi, boleti), emphasizing the importance of both seasoning and presenting humble ingredients like mushrooms in numerous, inventive ways. The recipes showcase the intersection of classical heritage and local Italian food culture during the humanistic revival of the late Middle Ages.

Culinary Tools when the Recipe was Crafted

Tools and techniques from kitchens of old

A large cauldron or pot for boiling mushrooms, a pestle and mortar for grinding spices and herbs, knives for slicing, a wide shallow pan or patella for frying, and earthenware or metal serving dishes. Roasting was likely done in a hearth or wood-fired oven using metal or clay baking trays. For stuffing or baking, molds and skewers could be used, and flat bread paddles assisted in placing and removing dishes from the coals or oven.

Modern Kitchen Adaptation

Ingredients and techniques for today's cooks

ounces, cups, Fahrenheit

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

15 mins

Servings

We've done our best to adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, but some details may still need refinement. We warmly welcome feedback from fellow cooks and culinary historians — your insights support the entire community!

Ingredients

1 lb wild mushrooms (porcini, button, or cremini)
1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
2 tablespoons fish sauce (or anchovy essence with water)
1-2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt, to taste
1 tablespoon fresh coriander or cilantro (or caraway, chopped)
Large mushroom caps for stuffing, as needed
Optional filling: 3.5 oz ground pork or fresh breadcrumbs
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon dried or fresh lovage (substitute with celery leaf if unavailable)
1 teaspoon honey

Instructions

Begin by cleaning and slicing about 1 lb of fresh wild mushrooms (such as porcini or button mushrooms if unavailable).
Parboil the sliced mushrooms in hot water for a few minutes, then drain well.
Grind a teaspoon of black pepper, then mix it with about 2 tablespoons of fish sauce (substitute with Thai fish sauce or a blend of anchovy essence and water).
Toss the hot, drained mushrooms with the pepper-fish sauce mixture.
Alternatively, dress the boiled mushrooms with pepper, a pinch of chopped caraway or coriander leaves, a splash of vinegar (1-2 tablespoons white wine vinegar), and a generous drizzle of olive oil (2 tbsp).
Another version allows you to serve them seasoned with salt, olive oil, and chopped cilantro.
For a stuffed mushroom variant: fill large mushroom caps with a mixture that includes salt and perhaps bread crumbs or ground pork as a filling, then roast and serve.
For small mushrooms, grill or roast the mushroom caps, then serve simply with fish sauce or a sprinkle of salt.
For yet another version: chop the mushroom stalks, mix them in a frying pan with multiple eggs (use about 4), a good pinch of black pepper, a spoonful of lovage if available, a touch of honey (1 teaspoon), and a spoonful of fish sauce.
Temper with a little olive oil and cook gently until set.

Estimated Calories

180 per serving

Cooking Estimates

You will spend about 10 minutes getting the mushrooms and other ingredients ready. Cooking and boiling or roasting the mushrooms takes about 15 minutes. Each serving has about 180 calories, and this recipe makes 4 servings.

As noted above, we have made our best effort to translate and adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, taking into account ingredients nowadays, cooking techniques, measurements, and so on. However, historical recipes often contain assumptions that require interpretation.

We'd love for anyone to help improve these adaptations. Community contributions are highly welcome. If you have suggestions, corrections, or cooking tips based on your experience with this recipe, please share them below.