The first recorded lasagna recipe was set down in what century?

The first recorded lasagna recipe was set down in the 14th century.

The recipe appears in the Liber de Coquina, or “The Book of Cookery,” a medieval collection associated with French and Italian culinary traditions. It was written in the early 14th century and describes a dish that resembles lasagna in its use of thin pasta sheets, but not the modern tomato-and-cheese casserole most people picture today.

The medieval preparation used a fermented dough rolled into thin sheets, which were boiled and then dressed with cheese and spices. It was a simpler dish, and the recipe’s lack of tomatoes is historically necessary: tomatoes had not yet arrived in Europe from the Americas. Later recipes recommended cooking the pasta in chicken broth and adding cheese and chicken fat; a Lenten adaptation used walnuts.

The date is sometimes confused with earlier references to lasagna-like food. Written mentions of lasagna appear in the late 13th century, including references from Bologna and Parma, but those are not complete recipes. The distinction matters: the 14th century identifies the earliest recorded recipe, while earlier sources establish that the name or dish was already known.