[MR] History Blog: Oldest English Book About Cheese

[Garth Groff and Sally Sanford]

Noble Friends, Especially Cooks,

Today the History Blog reports on a book called "The Pamflyt Compiled of
Cheese, Contayninge the Differences, Nature and Goodnes, of the Same", the
oldest surviving English work about cheeses or any other specific food.

The vellum manuscript was compiled about 1580 and has 112 pages. The book
was unknown until it came up for auction in 2023. It was acquired by the
University of Leeds for £45,000 and added to their extensive collection of
books and manuscripts about foods.

The story is found at https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/73045 ,

A digitized version of the work is available at
https://explore.library.leeds.ac.uk/special-collections-explore/750167 .

Those not fluent in olde Englishe scripts, can find a modern transcription
at the almost impossibly long URL of
https://explore.library.leeds.ac.uk/multimedia/78324/A%20Pamflyt%20compiled%20of%20Cheese_Transcription%20by%20Ruth%20Bramley.pdf
.

Cheddar or Stilton, anyone?

Yours Aye,

Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge and Cheese Lover Extraordinaire  🦆
Continuing a crusade to keep the original Merry Rose relevant and in
business.