Written by Bartolmeo de Sacchi di Piadena, The Temperate Voluptuary is a collection of recipes, sort of, from an early cookbook, 1475. THe recipes are vague and require a lot of imagination on the part of the chef to produce. Is it art, poetry and just a sort of cook's almanac? You decide. Keep in mind this is the same era when people thought the earth was flat, the sun revolved around the earth and must not have invented pesto.
Chef Michael
Basil
It is bad for the stomach,
it dulls the eyes,
brings on madness and
blocks the liver:
even goats avoid it.
Moreover, ground then covered
with the grindstone, basil gives birth to scorpions.
It sprouts worms when it is mashed and exposed
to the sun; it nourishes lice.
One who both eats basil and is stung by a
scorpion the same day will surely die.
