A Medieval Food List from the Monastery of Cluny

Author(s): kirk ambrose

Source: Gastronomica, Vol. 6, No. 1 (Winter 2006), pp. 14-20
Published by: University of California Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/gfc.2006.6.1.14
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 archive | kirk ambrose

A Medieval Food List

from the Monastery of Cluny

The rule of saint benedict , handed down by Pope
Gregory the Great in the sixth century, places a premium
on silence and proscribes speaking at various times, includ-
ing during meals. If a monk should need to communicate
while dining in the refectory, Benedict enjoins him to do so
with a sound other than a voice.1 In keeping with the spirit
of this mandate, the monks of Cluny, an extremely wealthy
and powerful monastery in southern Burgundy, placed a
premium on silence from a very early date. A biography of
Abbot Odo (962–1049) relates that when Vikings captured a
group of Cluniacs, one of them attempted, without success,
to force the clerics to break their vow and speak.2 According
to this account, divine favor for the monks’ steadfast obser-
vance was displayed when their tormentor was miraculously
struck down. Elsewhere in this same text, we learn that the
monks of Cluny were already using hand signals in the
tenth century to communicate information during periods
of silence, although a precise description is not provided.3
The earliest descriptions of the signs used at Cluny
were recorded in two of the monastery’s customaries, which
were compiled by the monks Ulrich and Bernard during
the last quarter of the eleventh century.4 A host of signals
WI NTE R 200 6
The present translation of the signs of direct interestto
food historians relies on W. Jarecki’s edited Latin text
(Arabic numerals to the left of each translation correspond
to his notation).6 Similar lists circulated throughout Europe
and generally added to the core vocabulary found in this
early enumeration,7 such as the one compiled by William of
Hirsau at the end of the eleventh century.8 Reminiscences
of Cluny’s early sign language are, in fact, found in a ges-
tural language used by Cistercians today.9
It seems likely that the Cluny list of 118 signs represents
only a skeleton of the sign language used by monks. Because
the signals described here are almost exclusively substantives,
it would be nearly impossible to communicate any but the
most rudimentary thoughts. That entire conversations were
possible by means of gestures is suggested by criticisms of
monks chattering away with hand signals.10 An anonymous
eleventh-century writer, for example, noted that the monks
of Cluny were often so exhausted by the rigors of liturgical
performances that they resorted to communicating by signs.11
For our purposes, this observation would confirm the likely
suspicion that the medieval monk enjoyed an even greater
variety of foods than is indicated here. Nevertheless, this

are described, but tellingly, both lists begin with signs for remarkably detailed list offers a fascinating glimpse into the
food. Although there were practical reasons for this empha- diet at an important monastery in the early Middle Ages.
sis—namely the silence mandated in the refectory—it also

the last supper , ca. 1030-1040 (ottonian). courtesy of the j. paul getty museum.
might evidence the relish with which the monks enjoyed
14 their food. Indeed, the following list suggests that the Cluny
monks ate very well.5
GASTR O N O M I CA

gastronomica: the journal of food and culture, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 14–20, issn 1529-3262. © 2006 by the regents of the university of california. all rights reserved. please direct all requests for
permission to photocopy or reproduce article content through the university of california press ’ s rights and permissions web site, at www.ucpress.edu / journals/ rights.htm.

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 WI NTE R 200 6
15
GASTR O N O M I CA

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 1 For the sign of bread Pro signo panis fac unum circulum
make a circle with the thumb and cum utroque pollice et his duobus
its two adjacent fingers, because digitis, qui secuntur, pro eo, quod
bread is customarily round. et panis solet esse rotundus.

2 For the sign of bread, which is Pro signo panis, qui coquitur in aqua
cooked in water and which is better et melior solet esse quam cotidianus,
than that served on most days, generali signo panis premisso hoc
after making the general sign for bread, adde, ut interiora manus super
place the palm of one hand alterius manus exteriora ponas et ita
over the outside of the other as if superiorem manum quasi ungendo
oiling or wetting. vel imbuendo circumferas.

3 For the sign of marked bread, which is Pro signo panis sigalini et, qui torta
commonly called torta, after vulgariter appellatur, iterum generali
making the general sign of bread, signo premisso hoc adde, ut crucem
make a cross through the middle of the per medium palme facias pro eo,
palm, because bread of this type is quod id genus panis dividi solet per
generally divided into quarters. quadrum.

4 For the sign of flat cakes, Pro signo tortule, que preter solitam
of which over a pound is generally given libram datur in quinque principalibus
on the five principal feasts, place the two festis, duos digitos, qui pollicem
fingers closest to the thumb diagonally over sequntur, paululum divisos pone
the same fingers of the other hand. oblique super duos alteros digitos
eorum similes de altera mau similiter
divisos.

5 For the sign of beans, Pro signo fabarum primo pollicis

place the first joint of the thumb under articulo sequentis digiti summitatem
the index finger and project that same thumb. subpone et ita fac ipsum pollicem eminere.

6 For the sign of eggs Pro signo ovorum cum digito in

WI NTE R 200 6

bend one finger with another in the shape alterio digito simula testam ovi
of an eggshell. vellicantem.

7 For the sign of food cooked with oil Pro signo pulmenti oleribus confecti
16 draw one finger over another, as if cutting trahe digitum super alterum digitum,
cooking herbs. quasi qui coquendas inciderit herbas.
GASTR O N O M I CA

8 For the general sign of a fish Pro signo generali piscium cum
move the hand like the tail of a fish in water. manu simula caude piscis in aqua
commotionem.

9 For the sign of a cuttlefish Pro signo sepiarum divide omnes

separate all fingers alternately and move digitos ab invicem et ita eos
them, because the cuttlefish seems to conmove, quia et sepie ita
have many parts. multiplices esse videntur.

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10 For the sign of an eel Pro signo anguille cumclude
close both hands, as one holds utramque manum, quasi qui ita
and squeezes an eel. tenet et premit anguillam.

11 For the sign of a lamprey Pro signo lamprede in maxilla cum

simulate on the cheek with a finger three or digito simula punctos tres vel
four stingers, which the lamprey has quatuor propter ipsos
under its eyes. punctos, quos
lampreda subtus oculos habet.

12 For the sign of salmon or sturgeon Pro signo salmonis vel sturionis
in addition to the general sign for fish, premisso generali signo piscium hoc
place a hand with an erect thumb under adde, ut pugnum erecto subponas
your chin, by which the dorsal fin is indicated, mento, quo superbia significatur,
because fish of this sort generally have quia, superbi maxime et divites tales
large dorsal fins. pisces solent habere.

13 For the sign of a pike Pro signo lucii iterum generali signo
you make the sign for fish quickly with premisso piscium hoc adde, ut cum
the hand, because the pike swims faster than manu signum facias celeritatis, quia
other fish. lucius celerius quam alius piscis
natat.

14 For the sign of a trout Pro signo trute hoc adde, ut digitum
add this: drag a finger de supercilio ad supercilium trahas
from one eyebrow to the other propter ligaturas, que hoc in loco
similar to the band women feminis, et quia truta femineo
wear in this place, because trout are said genere pronuntiatur.
to be a feminine species.

15 For the sign of millet Pro signo milii fac girum cum digito
make a circle with a finger in front of pro eo, quod et ipsum milium ita
yourself, because millet is turned in oil vertitur in olla cum cocleari.

WI NTE R 200 6
with a spoon.

16 For the sign of crispellae12 Pro signo crispellarum, ut alii dicunt,

or what others call frigdolae, take the frigdolarum cum pugno accipe
hair with a hand, as if you wish to make crines, quasi cupias ita eos facere 17
it curly. crispos.
GASTR O N O M I CA

17 For the sign of cheese Pro signo casei utramque manum

bring together both hands diagonally, as if cumiunge per obliqum, quasi qui
pressing cheese. caseum premit.

18 For the sign of cheese cakes Pro signo fladonum premisso

in addition to the signs of both bread and generali signo et panis et casei de
cheese, bend the fingers of one hand and una manu omnes digitos inflecte et
cover them with the hollow of the other. manu cava in superficiem alterius
manus pone.

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 19 For the sign of cakes or, as they are Pro signo rufeolarum vel, ut
called by the Germans, craphoi, theutonici loquntur, craphoium
make the general sign of bread and then premisso generalii signo panis
with two fingers simulate the little simula cum duobus digitis illas
spirals that are formed when the parts minutas involutiones, que in eis
of these cakes are folded together in a sunt facte, ex ea parte, qua sunt
circular fashion. conplicate et quasi rotunde.

20 For the sign of milk Pro signo lactis minimum labiis

press the little finger on the lip inpinge pro eo, quod ita sugit
because that is how an infant suckles. infans.

21 For the sign of honey Pro signo mellis paulisper linguam

make the tongue visible for a short while fac apparere et digitos applica, quasi
and apply fingers, as if to lick them. lambere velis.

22 For the sign of apples, by far Pro signo pomorum, maxime piri vel
the worst and most evil sign, enclose the mali, pollicem cum aliis digitis
thumb with the other fingers.13 conclude.

23 For the sign of cherries Pro signo cerasearum hoc adde,

add this: place a finger under an eye. ut digitum subtus oculum ponas.

24 For the sign of uncooked leeks Pro signo porri crudi pollicem et
join and extend the thumb and index digitum proximum simul coniunctos
finger. extende.

25 For the sign of other onions Pro signo allii seu rafe extende
extend a finger against a slightly digitum contra buccum paululum
puffed cheek because of the type of apertum propter id genus odoris,
smell which is sensed from these. quod sentitur ex illis.

26 For the sign of water Pro signo aque omnes digitos

WI NTE R 200 6

join all the fingers and move them coniunge et per obliqum move.
diagonally.

27 For the sign of wine Pro signo vini digitum inflecte et

18 bend a finger and touch the lip. ita labris adiunge.
GASTR O N O M I CA

28 For the sign of a tinctured drink14 Pro signo potionis pigmentate

close the hand and then simulate grinding. conclude manum et ita simula
molentum.

29 For the sign of the drink which is
flavored with honey and wormwood,
separate two fingers, that is the index
and middle, from the rest and move them
apart, because wormwood’s leaves are so
divided.
Pro signo potionis, que est melle et
absintio temperata, duos digitos, id
est indicem et medium, a ceteris
disiunge et ipsos quoque ab invicem
disiunctos ita move, quia et
absintium in suis ita foliis est divisum.

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 30 For the sign of mustard Pro signo sinapis articulo anteriori

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place the distil joint of the little minimi digiti pollicem subpone.
finger under the thumb.
cluny capital, “ adam and eve ” ; courtesy of the art department, williams college

31 For the sign of vinegar Pro signo aceti frica cum digito
rub the throat with a finger, because gutur, quia et in guture eius 19
it feels acrid in the throat. acrimonia sentitur.
GASTR O N O M I CA

32 For the sign of a saucer Pro signo scutelle manum latius

extend the hand horizontally. extende.

33 For the sign of the container Pro signo cyphi, qui capit cotidianam
which holds the daily measure of wine, vini mensuram, inclina manum
incline the hand downwards and hold the deorsum et ita cavam tene digitis
fingers, considerably bent, in the palm of aliquantulum inflexis.
the hand.

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 34 For the sign of the dish from which
one drinks, bend three fingers considerably
and hold them upwards.
35 For the sign of a glass drinking vessel
add this to the previous sign: you place two
fingers around the eyes, to signify the
splendor of the glass to the eye.
notes
1. “Sonitu cuiuscumque signi potius petatur quam voce,” rb 1980: The Rule of St.
Benedict in Latin and English with Notes, T. Fry, ed. (Collegeville, mn, 1980), 236
(chap. 38.7).
2. Vita sancti Odonis (Patrologiae cursus completus. Series latina), J.-P. Migne, ed.
(Paris, 1844–1865), 133:67. See B.H. Rosenwein, Rhinoceros Bound: Cluny in the
Tenth Century (Philadelphia, 1982), 98.
3. Patrologiae, 133:57. See W. Jarecki, Signa loquendi: Die cluniacensischen
Signa-Listen eingeleitet und herausgegeben (Baden-Baden, 1981), 11.
4. For dates see K. Hallinger, “Klunys Bräuche zur Zeit Hugos des Großen
(1049–1109).” “Prolegomena zur Heuherausgabe des Bernhard und Udalrich von
Kluny,” in Zeitschrift der Savigny-Stiftung für Rechtsgeschichte, Kannonistische
Abteilung 45 (1959): 129–138.
5. See the imaginative reconstruction of a Cluniac feast in C. Young, Apples of
Gold in Settings of Silver: Stories of Dinner as a Work of Art (New York, 2002), 3–13.
6. Jarecki, Signa loquendi, 121–141. Jarecki’s edition is based on the following man-
uscripts: Liège, Bibl. Univ. 1420 (12th century); Paris, B.N. lat 2208.2 (12th century);
Paris, B.N. lat. 13874 (12th century); Paris, B.N. lat. 11732 (17th century); Paris, B.N.
lat. 13877 (17th century); Paris, B.N. lat. 18353.2 (11th century); Paris, Bibl. Ste.-
Geneviève 1614 (c. 1200); Trier, Stadtbibl. 497 [1238] (15th century). In addition,
Jarecki consulted the following printed sources: L. d’Archery, Spicilegium veterum
aliquot scriptorum…(Paris, 1661), 4:119ff; M. Hergott, Vetus disciplina monastica
(Paris, 1726), 169–173; E. Martène, De antiquis monachorum ritibus (Lyon, 1690),
882ff.; rpt. (Antwerp, 1738), 827ff. For a French translation of this list based on a
different edition of the text, see G. de Valous, Le monachisme clunisien des origines
au xve siècle: Vie intérieure des monastères et organisation de l’ordre (Paris, 1935),
1:391–396. See also the concordance found in G. van Rijnberk, Le langage par
signes chez les moines (Amsterdam, 1953). See also S. Bruce, “Uttering No Human
Sound: Silence and Sign Language in Western Medieval Monasticism” (Ph.D. diss.,
Princeton University, 2000). The latter study will appear shortly in book form.
WI NTE R 200 6
20
GASTR O N O M I CA
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Pro signo patere, ex qua bibitur,
tres digitos aliquantulum inflecte
et sursum tene.
Pro signo phiale vitree premisso
signo precedente hoc adde, ut duos
digitos circa oculum ponas, ut
splendore oculi splendor vitri significetur.g
7. A rough contemporary to the early Cluny list is found in a manuscript composed
in Anglo-Saxon (London, Brit.Lib. Tiberius A.iii), the signs of which stongly
resemble the list translated here. There are, nevertheless, some important differ-
ences. For a discussion, transcription, and translation of this text, see D. Banham,
Monasteriales Indicia: The Anglo-Saxon Monastic Sign Language (Middlesex,
Eng., 1991). See also the insightful comments of N. Barley, “Two Anglo-Saxon
Sign Systems Compared,” Semiotica 12 (1974): 227–237.
8. Jarecki, Signa loquendi, 29–32. A fourteenth-century copy of an eleventh-
century list from Fleury strongly resembles the Cluniac list; A. Davril “Le langage
par signes chez les moines: Un catalogue de signes de l’abbaye de Fleury,” Sous
la règle de saint Benoît: Structures monastiques et sociétés en France du moyen âge
à l’époque moderne (Geneva, 1982), 55.
9. The sign for “fish,” for example, is the same in both lists; Robert A. Barakat,
Cistercian Sign Language (Kalamazoo, 1975), 147; rpt. in Monastic Sign
Languages, J. Umiker-Sebeok and T.A. Sebeok, eds. (New York, 1987), 245. W.
Jarecki has recently edited a versified sign list, which he suggests may have its ori-
gins at the end of the thirteenth century; “Die ‘Ars signorum cisterciensium’ in
Rahmen der metrischen Signa-Listen,” Revue bénédictine 93 (1988): 329–399.
10. See G. Constable’s review of Jarecki’s Signa Loquendi in Mittellateinisches
Jahrbuch 18 (1983): 331–334.
11. Patrologiae, 145:874. Passage cited by I. Resnick, “Peter Damian on Cluny,
Liturgy, and Penancy,” Studia liturgica 18 (1988): 172.
12. Probably a type of pan bread made with herbs and oil.
13. This sign resembles the obscene gesture known as the “fig.”
14. This presumably refers to the practice of adding ground herbs to drinks for
medicinal purposes.