Juan Valles

"Regalo de la vida humana" (Gift of human life) written in the mid-16th century by Juan Valles, Treasurer of the Kingdom of Navarre in northern Spain. It was never published, and for many years the only copy was held by the National Library of Austria. A facsimile was given to the regional government of Navarre, and in 2009, it was published as a 2-volume set: one, a facsimile, and the other, a transcription with notes by Fernando Serrano Larreyoz.

There are 7 "books" contain recipes and instructions for medicine, cosmetics, perfumes, essential oils, preserves, confections, and assorted foods from salads to sausages.

Translation by Brighid ni Chiarain / Robin Carroll-Mann

Book VI, chapters 79-84

79.. ENSALADA MUY BUENA (Very Good Salad)

Take lettuce, two parts, borage and purslane, one part each; mint and parsley and onion, half a part each. Do not cut them with a knife, except for the onion, but rather strip these herbs so they become rather small, and wash them very well after stripping them, and put them in a very clean linen napkin, and squeeze them a little and shake the napkin so that it doesn't retain water, and put the herbs on a plate, and cut the onion and cast it in, and a little ground salt, and cast on them sufficient oil, which should be light and sweet, and mix them well so that they all carry the oil, and then cast in a little vinegar in such a way that it has a little touch of sourness, and stir them again, and cast on ground sugar that which will suffice so that the salad has a touch of sweet and sour. And if there are borage flowers, cast them on top of the salad, and if there is no sugar, moderate the touch of vinegar with a little honey dissolved in the vinegar.

80. OTRA ENSALADA BUENA (Another Good Salad)

Take lettuce and borage and purslane, or sorrel in its place, or cucumber or snake cucumber cut in thin little slices, mint and parsley, and onion and borage flower, and make it as it was said.

81. OTRA ENSALADA MEJOR (Another Better Salad)

Take lettuce and borage and purslane, or sorrel instead, and mint and parsley and desalted capers, onion and borage flower, and seeds of sweet-sour pomegranates, and make it as has been said.

82. OTRA ENSALADA (Another Salad)

Take lettuce and borage and cucumbers, or snake cucumbers instead, nasturtium and leaves of radish, mint and parsley, onion and borage flower, and make it as has been said.

83. OTRA ENSALADA (Another Salad)

Take lettuce and borage, and apples and pears cut into thin little slices, and mint and parsley and onion and borage flower, and make it as has been said.

84. OTRA ENSALADA (Another Salad)

Take lettuce and borage, rampion, bastard-parsley, apricots cut very small, nasturtium, mint, parsley, onion and borage flower. Make it as has been said.

Brighid has translated 'quixones' (modern spelling 'quijones') as 'bastard parsley'. Richard Percival's 1591 Spanish-English dictionary says: "bastard parsley or wilde chervile, caucalis scandix". John Stevens' 1706 dictionary also says 'bastard parsley'. Various pre-1900 Spanish dictionaries identify quixones as caucalis; some refer the reader to see 'Pie de Gallina' (Hen's Foot). I am not a botanist or herbalist, and I know that common names of plants can change over the years, and can often be used to refer to more than one species. Do not use any plant unless you know for sure that it is safe to eat.

223. OLLA PODRIDA  Capitulo 115

Tomen buen carnero y Buena vaca gorda y un buen capon y algunos palominos y orejas de Puerco y un pedaço de la cabeça y manos de Puerco y si hoviere longaniças, por lo major de todo es echar un cuajar o obispo relleno de carne de puerdo y echen berças y nabos y cueza deespaçio

Take good mutton and good cow fat (lard or butter?) and a good capon and some young dove and pigs ears and a piece of pig head and pig trotters and if available longaniza, the best of all is to eat a curd or bishop stuffed with pork meat and throw in cabbage and turnips and cook slowly.