Castilian Manjar Blanco with Capon and Almond
A sweet and pearly velouté of shredded capon breast, bound with rice flour and almond milk, perfumed with sugar, cinnamon and rose water. Half-dish, half-sweet, it was the most refined dish of medieval Spanish banquets.
A sweet and pearly velouté of shredded capon breast, bound with rice flour and almond milk, perfumed with sugar, cinnamon and rose water. Half-dish, half-sweet, it was the most refined dish of medieval Spanish banquets.
Know, you who read these lines, that no dish befits a Christian and royal table better than this manjar blanco. One chooses the whitest flesh of a fine capon, shreds it into filaments as fine as silk, and bathes it in the milk of pounded almonds. The spoon must stand upright before serving: such is the rule I taught my cooks. A pinch of cinnamon from the merchants, a hint of rose water, and behold a gift worthy of honoring God and our guests.
- •Boiled capon breast — the flesh of a fine fowl (shredded protein base)
- •Pounded sweet almonds — a good bowlful (almond milk, binder and flavor)
- •Rice flour — a few spoonfuls (thickener)
- •Sugar — to taste (sweetness)
- •Cinnamon and rose water — to taste (perfume)
Castilian Manjar Blanco with Capon and Almond
A sweet and pearly velouté of shredded capon breast, bound with rice flour and almond milk, perfumed with sugar, cinnamon and rose water. Half-dish, half-sweet, it was the most refined dish of medieval Spanish banquets.
Why this dish? Manjar blanco was the ceremonial dish served at weddings and grand receptions in Iberian courts; Isabella, who received ambassadors and grandees of Spain, offered it on her table as a mark of royal magnificence.
Know, you who read these lines, that no dish befits a Christian and royal table better than this manjar blanco. One chooses the whitest flesh of a fine capon, shreds it into filaments as fine as silk, and bathes it in the milk of pounded almonds. The spoon must stand upright before serving: such is the rule I taught my cooks. A pinch of cinnamon from the merchants, a hint of rose water, and behold a gift worthy of honoring God and our guests.
Ingredients (period version)
- Boiled capon breast — the flesh of a fine fowl (shredded protein base)
- Pounded sweet almonds — a good bowlful (almond milk, binder and flavor)
- Rice flour — a few spoonfuls (thickener)
- Sugar — to taste (sweetness)
- Cinnamon and rose water — to taste (perfume)
Ingredients
- Poached chicken or capon breast — 300 g (finely shredded base)
- Unsweetened almond milk — 750 ml (liquid and flavor)
- Rice flour — 60 g (thickener)
- Sugar — 80 g (sweetness)
- Ground cinnamon — 1/2 tsp (perfume)
- Rose water — 1 tsp (floral note)
Method
- Poach the chicken, then shred it as finely as possible (almost into threads).
- Dissolve the rice flour in a little cold almond milk to avoid lumps.
- Heat the remaining almond milk with the sugar, add the flour mixture and whisk constantly.
- Stir in the shredded chicken and cook over low heat until a thick cream coats the spoon.
- Off the heat, flavor with cinnamon and rose water; serve warm sprinkled with cinnamon.
How it was made : Manjar blanco appears in medieval Catalan and Castilian cookbooks (including the Llibre de Sent Soví). Its uniqueness lies in uniting meat, sugar and almond without a boundary between savory and sweet, a typical concept of the late Middle Ages.
The contemporary twist : Served in a verrine, topped with toasted almond slivers and a veil of saffron, it becomes a startling signature dessert: "and it was chicken?"
Sources : Llibre de Sent Soví (14th c.) · Ruperto de Nola, Libro de cozina / Llibre del Coch (ed. 1525)
Isabella I of Castile · Charactorium
