Robert May

Born in 1588, Robert May was an English cook who trained in France and later served in aristocratic households in England. He is remembered above all for The Accomplisht Cook, first published in 1660, a major cookbook that gathered hundreds of recipes and reflected the scale and style of elite English kitchens.

May's book appeared just after the English Civil War and the Restoration, at a moment when older culinary traditions were being reshaped and recorded. It includes everyday preparations as well as highly decorative dishes, showing both technical skill and the theatrical side of seventeenth-century dining.

Because of that book, May remains an important figure in food history. His writing offers modern readers more than recipes: it gives a lively sense of the tastes, ingredients, and kitchen culture of his time.