Medieval Strawberry Tart

A 14th-century tart of woodland strawberries in a spiced custard of eggs, honey and verjuice, baked in a short-crust shell: delicate, slightly tangy and fragrant with cinnamon, ginger and the tiny wild berries that Roman poets praised and medieval monks cultivated in their gardens

Origin: Medieval Europe (France / England), c. 14th century

From the journey of Strawberry.

Fragaria vesca, the wild woodland strawberry, has been gathered across Europe since prehistoric times. Virgil and Ovid both mention it; Pliny the Elder wrote of its scent. But it was medieval monks who first cultivated it systematically, growing it in physic gardens for its medicinal properties (it was believed to cool fevers and purify the blood). By the 14th century, the strawberry had moved from monastery to aristocratic table. King Charles V of France ordered 1,200 strawberry plants for the Louvre gardens, and French cookbooks of the period, including the Ménagier de Paris (c. 1393), record strawberries as an aristocratic ingredient. Tarts combining fresh fruits with a spiced egg custard were extremely common in medieval haute cuisine, and the woodland strawberry, with its intense perfume, was one of the most prized fillings. Verjuice (the acidic juice of unripe grapes) was the standard souring agent before lemons became common, giving the custard a gentle tartness that balanced the sweetness of honey.

Ingredients

Pastry

250 g plain flour
125 g unsalted butter, cold and cubed
3 tbsp cold water
0.5 tsp fine salt

Filling

400 g fresh strawberries (small varieties preferred), hulled

Custard

3 large eggs
3 tbsp honey (runny)
100 ml verjuice (or a mix of white grape juice and lemon juice, 3:1)
150 ml double cream

Spice

0.5 tsp ground cinnamon
0.25 tsp ground ginger
0.125 tsp ground cloves
1 pinch saffron strands, dissolved in 1 tbsp warm water (optional, for colour)

Method

Make the pastry: rub the cold butter into the flour and salt with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add cold water a tablespoon at a time, mixing until the dough just comes together. Wrap in cling film and rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan). Roll the pastry to 4mm thickness and line a 23cm tart tin. Prick the base with a fork, line with baking parchment and fill with baking beans. Blind bake for 15 minutes, then remove beans and bake for a further 5 minutes until pale gold.
Halve the strawberries if large, leave small ones whole. Arrange evenly over the base of the blind-baked tart shell.
In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, honey, verjuice, cream, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and saffron water (if using) until smooth and homogeneous.
Pour the custard carefully over the strawberries in the tart shell. The custard should come to about 5mm below the rim of the pastry.
Bake at 170°C for 25–30 minutes until the custard is just set; it should have a very slight wobble in the centre when the tin is gently shaken, but no liquid movement.
Allow to cool to room temperature before slicing. Serve at room temperature, dusted lightly with cinnamon. A drizzle of honey over the top is entirely in keeping with the period.

Notes

Verjuice is available from specialty food stores and online; it is made from unripe grapes and has a gentle, clean acidity quite different from vinegar or lemon juice. It is worth seeking out for this recipe. If unavailable, use 70ml white grape juice mixed with 30ml lemon juice as a substitute. The spice quantities here are moderate by medieval standards; historical recipes often used considerably more spice, as spices were status symbols. Increase the cinnamon and ginger if you want a more period-authentic flavour.

The Gastrographer

Name: Medieval Strawberry Tart
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: c. 14th century
Ingredients: 250 g plain flour; 125 g unsalted butter, cold and cubed; 3 tbsp cold water; 0.5 tsp fine salt; 400 g fresh strawberries (small varieties preferred), hulled; 3 large eggs; 3 tbsp honey (runny); 100 ml verjuice (or a mix of white grape juice and lemon juice, 3:1); 150 ml double cream; 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon; 0.25 tsp ground ginger; 0.125 tsp ground cloves; 1 pinch saffron strands, dissolved in 1 tbsp warm water (optional, for colour)

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Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control