ABSTRACT
Jean de Lery was himself a refugee from La Charite-sur-Loire, where he had been a pastor during the violence of early fall 1572, following the massacre of Protestants on the feast of Saint Bartholomew on August 24, 1572. The siege of La Rochelle, the Protestant bastion, had occurred during the same summer, 1573, and Sancerre suffered the same fate in spite of its reputation as a place where such noteworthy Protestants as Francois Hotman, author of Franco-Gallia, had lived in peace since the Saint Bartholomew's Day massacre. Lery lavishes attention on "recipes" that emphasize cooking techniques, such as boiling, grilling, and making pate out of boar, not to mention the combination of fried dishes and stews he calls "fricassee". Lery notes that famine is more extreme on sea than on dry land for the reason that starving at Sancerre may be alleviated by roots, grasses, and leaves, whereas the mariner can eat only what the cupboards provide.
