Experts believe that the cookbook was compiled by Geoffrey Fule, who worked in the kitchens of Philippa of Hainault, Queen of England (1328-1369). Geoffrey had a reputation for blending unusual flavours – one scholar has called him “the Heston Blumenthal of his day” – and everything points to his hand being behind the compilation.

After recipes for herring, tripe and codswallop (fish stew, a popular dish in the Middle Ages) comes that beginning “Taketh one unicorne”. The recipe calls for the beast to be marinaded in cloves and garlic, and then roasted on a griddle.

[The] long-lost medieval cookbook, containing recipes for hedgehogs, blackbirds and even unicorns, has been discovered at the British Library.

Professor Brian Trump of the British Medieval Cookbook Project described the find as near-miraculous. “We’ve been hunting for this book for years. The moment I first set my eyes on it was spine-tingling.”

I can’t help but wonder if this explains why there aren’t any unicorns left today. Must have made for one incredibly tasty steak.

Sadly, it seems medievalists are not immune to inappropriate exercises of humor at the expense of hopeful epicureans. With a publication date of April 1st, one may only hope that the true recipe for unicorn is still out there, somewhere, waiting for a brave scholar to uncover it.

Via British Library.