Saint Hildegard Von Bingen’s Recipe for Medicinal Nutmeg from Physica. Liber subtilitatum diversarum naturarum creaturarum.
Prepared by Alienor Hathaway
Ingredients: Whole-wheat flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and water
Recipe
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground cloves
1 cup of water on hand (only add as needed)
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix the dough until it forms. Roll out into cookie-shaped cakes. Bake as the oven requires approximately 15 minutes. Yield will depend on the size of the cakes.
My method was influenced by a blog post by Lady Lynne Fairchild of the Middle Kingdom. She identified the section by translation and used a similar proportion. (Fairchild 2020) I used different temperatures and water amounts and cooked for less time. Despite the original recipe calling for equal parts of spice, through testing, I found that clove overpowers all the other flavors, it could even be adjusted to ⅛ a teaspoon.
Historically Inspired
The recipe offered to sample is as close to the original as I could in a modern kitchen. Hildegard would have had servants to either bake her cakes or take them to a bakery. Temperature and measurements in a medieval kitchen would have been done by a seasoned home cook or professional based on a lifetime of experience with their oven. The spices would have been hand-ground.
Lessons Learned During Experimentation:
The first time I made this recipe I modified it by adding some honey to make it sweet. If using a liquid sweetener, make up for the liquid by flour volume. I also weigh larger volumes of dry ingredients instead of relying on a cup, medieval bakers would have relied on their own experiences with the equipment available to them, including just their hands as a measure.
I also tried a version with about ¼ cup sugar, which brought out the spices' taste. I also made a version of the modern cookie with eggs, butter, and sugar. It tasted like a spice cookie. The various modern versions of the cookie are all within the spirit of the original because it has the essential ingredient of nutmeg. I did not use the exact equal measure that Hildegard calls for in this recipe. I did experiment with a version that was in equal measure, but the taste of the cloves overpowers the rest of the spice. Available clove may be far more powerful than what was available to Hildegard.
Process and Reasoning:
There are dozens of recipes inspired by the original. The modern versions are called Hildegardplätzchen in Germany in honor of the creator. They can be purchased as a mix in many countries. There are many versions of this cookie suited for a modern palate. Sweeteners and fat, usually butter, are added to these versions. Some use spelt flour, all-purpose flour, or almond flour. These cookies are referenced as a “Cookies of Joy.” (O'Brien 2021) When I began the project for the Shire of Panther Vale’s Medieval Bakeoff, I thought it would be a cookie in the more modern sense and found I needed to add at least some honey to make that reality. Lady Lynne Fairchild’s blog post included a brief citation that allowed me to identify that the recipe was from Physica, Liber simplices medicanae, written by Hildegard von Bingen, possibly with the aid of an assistant. It described the medicinal values of material from the natural world and the original was written between 1151 and 1158 in Ecclesiastical Latin with some German. (International Society of Hildegard von Bingen Studies 2014)
The research avenues introduced me to Hildegard von Bingen, a dynamic and incredible woman. She was a musical composer, scholar, anchorite, mystic, and healer. In her lifetime, she corresponded with Popes and Kings, but common pilgrims regarded her as an “inspired visionary and spread her fame throughout Christendom.” (International Society of Hildegard von Bingen Studies 2014) She was formally canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on May 10, 2012, and was made a Doctor of the Church on October 10 of that same year. This came after centuries of veneration, especially within the Benedictine Order to which she belonged. (Benedict XVI 2012)
Many other recipes consulted used sweetener and chose to use spelt flour because Hildegard extolled the virtues of spelt in Physicia. “The best grain is spelt. It is hot, rich, and powerful.” (Throop and Hildegard 1998) However, the recipe in the original called for wheat, so I have chosen to use whole wheat. This project wasn’t intended to be an examination of Hildegard and her life, but an exercise of getting to the closest original recipe of the “Joy” cookie; however, it was an opening to further exploration of Hildegard as a woman worthy of study.
Future Goals from this Project:
I have continued to research other healing recipes from Physicia and other sources since I first baked this. I also use the modern version with added sweetener as a regular addition to my holiday baking. I continue to work on my Latin and German reading knowledge.
Appendix
Throop, Priscilla, and von Bingen Hildegard. 1998. Hildegard von Bingen’s Physica: The Complete English Translation of Her Classic Work on Health and Healing. Healing Arts Press.
Page 21
von Bingen, Hildegard, Reiner Hildebrandt, and Thomas Gloning. Physica: Liber subtilitatum diversarum naturarum creaturarum: Textkritische Ausgabe. Berlin: De Gruyter, 2014. Ed.
https://www.google.com/books/edition/_/iAwg2M_KruwC?hl=en&gbpv=1
.
Unfortunately, no original versions of the manuscript survive, and any surviving copies are not digitized by their repositories, or they are behind paywalls.
Works Cited
Fairchild, Lynne. 2020. "St. Hildegard's Joy Cookies from the 12th Century." Baking Delightes. September 4. Accessed December 2, 2023. https://bakingdelightes.blogspot.com/2020/09/st-hildegards-joy-cookies-from-12th.html?m=1&fbclid=IwAR2_ruRayU-N7_yM6qjBK-Xq5w-TGXO9YDnSRnHwoTOzIfI99vejEQ9ujIs
International Society of Hildegard von Bingen Studies. 2014. "FAQ." Accessed December 28, 2024. http://www.hildegard-society.org/p/faq.html.
O'Brien, Sam. 2021. "Eat Like a Medieval Saint With Her Recipe for ‘Cookies of Joy’." Atlas Obscura. September 20. Accessed January 15, 2023. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/medieval-cookie-recipe.
Throop, Priscilla, and von Bingen Hildegard. 1998. Hildegard von Bingen’s Physica: The Complete English Translation of Her Classic Work on Health and Healing. Healing Arts Press.
XVI, Pope Benedict. 2012. "Apostolic Letter Proclaiming Saint Hildegard of Bingen, professed nun of the Order of Saint Benedict, a Doctor of the Univesal Church." The Holy See. October 7. Accessed January 26, 2023. https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/apost_letters/documents/hf_ben-xvi_apl_20121007_ildegarda-bingen.html
Works Consulted
Adam, Maria. “Hildegard of Bingen Nerve cookies.” Maria Adam, 30 Jan. 2020, https://www.maria-adam.com/hildegard-of-bingen-nerve-cookies
Alvarez, Sandra. “You Are What You Eat: Hildegard of Bingen’s Viriditas.” Medievalists.Net, 21 Oct. 2012, https://www.medievalists.net/2012/10/you-are-what-you-eat-hildegard-of-bingens-viriditas/.
AngiesWeb.com. “A 1000 Year Old Cookie Recipe That Calms Your Nerves • European Cuisine, Culture & Travel©.” European Cuisine, Culture & Travel©, 3 Jan. 2023, https://angiesweb.com/a-1000-year-old-cookie-recipe-that-calms-your-nerves/.
Goode-Allen, Jeannine. “The Healing Spice That Inspired St. Hildegard’s Joy Cookies.” Doctor Of The Soul, http://www.doctorofthesoul.com/1/post/2018/03/the-healing-spice-that-inspired-st-hildegards-joy-cookies.html. Accessed 26 Jan. 2023.
“Hildegard’s Happy Cookies.” The Inn at the Crossroads, 29 Jan. 2015, https://www.innatthecrossroads.com/anti-sadness-cookies-2-2/.
Online Medieval Sources Bibliography. http://medievalsourcesbibliography.org/authors.php?id=484. Accessed 26 Jan. 2023.
SYMHC Classics: Hildegard von Bingen | Stuff You Missed in History Class Transcripts | Podgist. https://www.podgist.com/stuff-you-missed-in-history-class/symhc-classics-hildegard-von-bingen/index.html. Accessed 15 Jan. 2023.
Von Bingen, Hildegard, Reiner Hildebrandt, and Thomas Gloning. Physica: Liber subtilitatum diversarum naturarum creaturarum: Textkritische Ausgabe. Berlin: De Gruyter, 2014. Ed.
https://www.google.com/books/edition/_/iAwg2M_KruwC?hl=en&gbpv=1