Foodie Lit
Sherry Ostroff's Remember Me Not
The year was 1412. Henry IV of England was ailing. None of his physicians were able to alleviate his pain or illness. A renown doctor from Milan was summoned to the King’s bedside.
There was one problem: the physician, Elias Sabot, was Jewish and Edward I had expelled all Jews in 1290. This did not prevent Henry IV, other European monarchs or Church leaders from calling on esteemed Jewish physicians to cure their families. In this historical novel, Elias’ sister, Gracia, a healer, accompanied him and we see 15th century London through her eyes.
In the years before the Expulsion, the king’s edicts forced Jews to live in ghettos, wear badges and be restricted in their livelihoods. When they were forced out, their property became the king’s, certainly a motivating reason. Jews weren’t allowed back into England legally until 1656. Author Sherry Ostroff shared it took 200 more years, until 1858, that Jews and others were allowed to vote and be seated in Parliament. However, “even to this day, the Edict of Expulsion of the Jews in 1290 has not been revoked.”
Jews did not have many choices in the 15th century. A lack of choice was nearly universal for those in the medieval world, a theme among the author’s characters. While choices were significantly narrowed for Jews and for women, even kings and queens could be rulers one moment and imprisoned the next. The era had little stability, almost constant warfare, court murder and intrigue and early deaths from natural causes.
Education for most men and women was minimal. Even upper class women had few laws to protect them. Gracia, coming from Milan, a Jew and a healer, was quite an exception as a learned, literate woman, fluent in several languages and in the medicine of the era. I was fascinated to learn from Sherry that women could study medicine in Italy in the Middle Ages.
“Female healers were a natural extension of their role as midwives and mothers. Women needed help when they were birthing and mothers treated their children with herbs from their gardens. It was quite logical for women to offer healing advice to others, share herbs and be labeled as a healer. This was especially true in England. However, in the east, in Italy, for example, there were female doctors and even female teachers at the University of Salerno, the most renown medical school at the time. One of the most famous was Trota. She wrote a three- volume text, the Trotula Texts, on female health…. relied on… for 400 years…
There was one issue with being a healer. A woman had to be careful that her healing practices weren’t considered witchcraft.”
Medieval illiteracy was due to many factors: poverty, no public education or libraries and, before the invention of the printing press in Europe, a paucity of books. Generally it was held that a high level of learning among women would hurt their roles as wives and mothers, a view held by many until the early 20th century and believed in parts of the world today.
The lack of education helped maintain views in 1412 that we oppose today—the subjugation of women, the treatment of the poor and blaming illness on a punishment from God. The Church helped maintain these views as well, as we see in the character of Father John, suspicious both of healing and any new medical techniques.
Elias warns Gracia about discussing modern medical methods, “New ideas can be threatening.” Sherry has done her research thoroughly regarding the medicine of the era. We learn of the herbs and procedures that Gracia uses, with some that we still use today. We shudder at much, such as bleeding the patient, not allowing proper ventilation, little sanitation and surgery with no anesthesia. We see London through Gracia’s eyes: the heads of the executed displayed on London’s Tower, smell the stench of the Thames, see the impoverished children on the street and the contrast of elaborate palaces and royalty’s riches.
We also shudder at antisemitism, embedded in English society, reinforced by the absence of Jews and the hatred taught by the Catholic Church, the legal religion of England and most of Europe. Many of the characters express hatred towards Jews, although few citizens would have met Jews. An example is Maggie, a servant at the inn where Elias and Gracia stay when they first arrive in London. Maggie is convinced that Jews poisoned wells during the plagues and used blood from Christian children to make matza, called the Blood Libel. “My mother, rest her soul, said that she was thankful that great King Edward shunted the Jews out of England. This is what I was taught since I was a babe. That the Jews were to be feared.” Maggie even felt for horns on Gracia’s head.
The hatred towards Jews lasted for centuries. Elias comments on the conversions of Jews to Christianity, many forced. “The Jew does not choose because the Jew has no choice….You cannot change the hatred some have been taught since the time of their birth.”
I asked Sherry if she agreed with what Elias said. “I believe antisemitism can be lessened, or go underground, but it will never be stopped because it is based on ignorance, superstition, greed, jealousy, and fear. There is a saying…if you want to learn about world history, follow the weave of antisemitism.” This is a sobering analysis, especially in light of the current escalating hatred against Jews and much of the same ignorance, such as blood libels, propagated today.
Sherry has written five excellent historical novels; her first book is a memoir of her mother. Sherry’s books are wonderful choices for book clubs with the added benefit of a zoom conversation with her. For fans of historical novels, each of Sherry’s books is a fascinating glimpse into lives from former eras.
In much of history, bread was a food that everybody depended upon, a focus of people’s daily lives, revealed in our language. There are English words whose etymological roots are in the word bread. The word lord is from the Anglo-Saxon hlaford, meaning “loaf ward” and lady from hlaefdige, or “loaf kneader,” companion and company come from the Latin companio which means “sharing bread,” the word for bread in Latin being pan.
Stale bread was not discarded but made into delicious transformations such as Bread Pudding. This recipe for Bread Pudding was popular in 15th century England and is still a favorite today. Here is my version of it—with Grand Marnier-soaked raisins for great flavor.
