The Boke of Keruynge is a handbook or manual for well-born boys in
Tudor times who had to learn how to behave at court. They were often
sent to court or to a great house at an early age to be instructed, as
was the experience of Sir Thomas More. The book provides instruction in
arranging feasts and grand dinners, rituals of table-laying, the
preparation, saucing and carving of meats and fish and servant's duties.
This was the equivalent of a 'public school education'--a boy needed to
know, for example, that clergy were to be served before noble lords, and
how to lace a doublet after first warming the lord's linen underwear
before a fire.
Wynkyn de Worde (Jan van Wynkyn, d. 1534) was born in Alsace and came to
England in 1476. He was a printer and publisher in London known for his
work with William Caxton, and was the first to popularize the products
of the printing press in England.
This reprint includes a facsimile of the original text from Cambridge
University Library with a modern interpretation facing each page and a
glossary. Preceding the facsimile is a lengthy introductory essay by
Peter Brears which explains the complicated rituals involved, including
the elaborate arrangements of cloths before and after the meal. The book
also includes drawings and explanations, an appendix consisting of a
table providing a direct means of determining the carving terms and
recommended accompaniments (syrups, sprinklings and sauces) for each
particular item of food, and a short summary of the life of Wynken de
Worde.
