Le Ménagier de Paris

Written in the (fictional) voice of an elderly husband addressing his younger wife, the text offers a rare insight into late medieval ideas of gender,[3] household, and marriage.

But the book's section of horticulture (some ten pages in printed editions) is also an exceptionally rare glimpse into the medieval gardens of those below the castle-owning class.

The book contains three main sections: how to attain the love of God and husband; how to "increase the prosperity of the household"; and how to amuse, socialize, and make conversation.

Le Menagier includes a variety of different types of recipes: soups, preparations for meats, eggs, fish, sauces, beverages, pastry, tarts, and so on.

"[21] This is not entirely true, however, as the Russian household guide, Domostroy, (while believed to originate from 16th century, the source can still be traced to the 15th) likewise addresses the topics of family, marriage, servitude, and cooking in a manner that resembles that of Le Ménagier.