Manjar Blanco (White Dish)

Original

Manjar Blanco is one of the most widespread dishes in late medieval European cuisine, appearing in English (blancmange), French (blanc manger), Italian, and Spanish sources. The Nola version (Barcelona, 1520) uses chicken breast pounded and cooked with rice flour, sugar, and almond milk into a firm white pudding, sliced cold.

Text not freely available online in the Nola edition specifically. Nadeau, Cincinnati Romance Review (2012) discusses Nola's recipes. The dish also appears in Forme of Cury, Viandier, and multiple Italian sources.

Note: this uses almond milk and counts toward the almond limit. Only viable if Mirause de Carne is not used.

My Redaction

Blancmange/Manjar Blanco redactions are widely available across SCA cooking literature. The basic method: poach chicken breast until very tender, shred finely, cook with almond milk, rice flour, and sugar until thickened into a firm pudding. Pour into a mold, chill, and slice.

Cariadoc's Miscellany contains multiple blanc manger/blancmange redactions from various period sources. Source: pbm.com/~lindahl/cariadoc/recipes.html

For hospitality service: Make the day before, unmold, and slice. The stark white color is visually dramatic on a hospitality table. Needs cooler.