The Forme of Cury of Italian influence. Some recipes in "The Forme of Cury" appear to be influenced by the "Liber de Coquina," which had contributions from Arabic cuisine. For example, the recipe for "mawmenee" (see illustration) corresponds to the Arabic "mamuniyya". The confectionery-like "payn ragoun" confirms the connection with Sicily (which had been Arab, Catalan and Norman), as it uses the Arab technique of cooking in soft ball syrup. The following is an example of a recipe taken from the modern critical edition of the text: In modern English: The Café at the Rylands, in Manchester's John Rylands Library, cooked "Tart in Ymber
John Rylands Library has a crypt above which the building has two unequal storeys giving the impression of three. The ornate Deansgate facade has an embattled parapet with open-work arcading under which is a central three-bay entrance resembling a monastery gatehouse. Its two-centred arched portal has doorways separated by a trumeau and tall windows on either side. Above the doors are a pair of small canted oriel windows. Surfaces are decorated with lacy blind tracery and finely-detailed carving. The carving includes the "J. R." monogram, the arms of Rylands, the arms of Rylands' native town, St Helens, and those of five English, two