I went through more options than I should have for that title. We call these monthly potlucks the Montengarde Culinary Night, but I wanted something that would explain it a bit easier for people who are new.

The SCA, an international medieval recreation group, has a local branch here in Calgary called the Barony of Montengarde. 90% of people who read this blog probably know that already, but I put it there for the 10%.

The Montengarde Culinary Group is a great group here in Calgary where one Monday a month we gather together at someone’s house for a potluck and each bring a pre 17th century dish. We primarily meet at Craig and Kat’s house, known in the SCA as Caiaphas and Francis, but occasionally meet elsewhere. This group had been going for years before I moved here, and it was amazing to get to meet up with so many people who also love historical cookery. I’ve met some very good friends through the group. One of them is Allie, known in the SCA as Alice. She’s been the driving force behind the culinary nights and keeps it going.

The whole point of the potlucks is to try something new and learn a bit more about culinary history. Some people make recipes based on pre 17th century cookery books while others use recipes they find from culinary history books or websites, while still others just make something they like that isn’t pre 17th century. Every one and every skill level is welcome.

Here are some photos of the spreads we’ve had over the years:

We’ve also occasionally done other things, like spending a day making meatballs, or putting on a feast at one of our local SCA events.

If you’re interested in checking it out we’ve got a facebook group where we plan the potlucks: https://www.facebook.com/groups/793942163993727/

Here’s what Allie has to say about the group:

We are a collective of SCAdians interested in cooking, brewing, baking, curing, preserving, and redaction of pre-16th century recipes. We are located in the barony of Montengarde, in the kingdom of Avacal (Calgary, Canada.)

Most of our activities centre around a monthly “culinary night,” which is basically a potluck on a theme. Everyone brings an attempt at pre-16th century food or drink to share. Each of us has a different level of skill and interest in accuracy of reproduction, and we like it that way! Every culinary night, contributions range from family recipes without a known date of origin to carefully followed redactions of recipes from pre-16th century texts.

Everyone is welcome! Our membership is informal and non-hierarchical, and we have many occasional participants. Meetings are casual and not in garb (the medieval clothing we wear at SCA events), and held at a member’s private residence. Please get in touch with us via the Facebook page for more information, or comment here.


1 Comment

Christa Bedwin · October 11, 2018 at 4:00 pm

I am so delighted to see this photo! 🙂 <3

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