This is an excerpt from An Anonymous Tuscan Cookery Book
(Italy, ~1400 - Ariane Helou, trans.)
The original source can be found at
Ariane Helou's website
Sauce for mallards and ducks. Make as described above for crane sauce; but do not use saffron for any river birds. In all these things that have been said, the discrete cook can be well educated according to the variety of the regions; and he can vary and color his dishes, according to the one for whom he prepares them.