
Originally published 6/23/2015.
Updated: October 20, 2025 – expanded with historical context on fish days, greens vs. root beet.
During research for large, serve-warm-or-room-temp banquet dishes, I fell in love with this meatless tart from John Murrell’s A New Booke of Cookerie (London, 1615). It’s a savory-sweet “Friday” pie—perfect for fast days—combining beet greens (i.e., chard) with apples, raisins, ginger, and a squeeze of orange.
Why “Fridayes” Pye?
In early modern England, Friday was on of the traditional "fish days" or fasting days required by the Church — meaning no flesh meat (beef, pork, lamb, etc.) could be eaten. This custom was rooted in Catholic tradition and continued well into the reigns of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, even after England’s break from Rome.
By the early 1600s, when John Murrell published A New Booke of Cookerie (1615), the observance of Friday and Lent fasts was still common across all social classes. Cooks compiled specific “Friday” or “Fish Day” sections in their books, filled with meatless dishes made from:
- Fish, eggs, dairy, and vegetables
- Pastries and pies enriched with fruit and spice instead of meat
- Almond milk, butter, and oil as substitutes for animal fats
So when Murrell labels this as a “Fridayes Pye,” he’s signaling that the recipe is appropriate for a fast day:
- It’s meatless, using greens, fruit, butter, and spice instead of animal flesh.
- It fits the pattern of “Lenten pies” — dishes made for observant days that were still elegant and flavorful.
- The ingredients (greens, raisins, orange) reflect the seasonal spring diet tied to Lent and Easter preparation.
Fish Days and Fast-Day Cookery
In early modern England, “Friday” dishes like this one belonged to the long tradition of fish days—weekly abstinences from flesh meat inherited from the medieval Church. After the Reformation these customs never disappeared; instead, Elizabeth I and her Parliament re-cast them as patriotic observances that protected England’s fishing trade. On a fish day, cooks avoided beef, pork, or fowl but freely used fish, eggs, cheese, and butter. Only during the stricter Lenten fast were all animal products forbidden, replaced by almond milk or oil. Thus Murrell’s “Fridayes Pye,” rich with greens, fruit, and spice but still containing butter, fits the ordinary fish-day table perfectly—pious enough for Friday, but indulgent compared with true Lenten fare.
Why Greens, Not Roots?
When early English cooks wrote of “beetes,” they almost always meant the leaves—what we now call Swiss chard or leaf beet. The swollen red root beet familiar today was a later development. Medieval and early-modern gardeners grew white and red beetes mainly for their greens, prized for winter hardiness and gentle sweetness. Continental varieties that emphasized the root (the forerunners of today’s beetroot) reached England in the later 17th century and did not become common until the Georgian period.
John Murrell’s instruction to “picke out the middle string, and chop them small” clearly describes de-ribbing leaves rather than peeling roots. In humoral terms, greens were considered more cool and moist, balancing the hot and dry spices like ginger and pepper—making this dish suitable for Friday fasts and Lenten abstinence alike.
Original Recipe (1615)
Fridayes Pye. WAsh greene Beetes cleane, picke out the middle string, and chop them small with two or three well relisht ripe Apples. Season it with Pepper, Salt, and Ginger: then take a good handfull of Razins of the Sunne, and put all in a Coffin of fine Paste, with a piece of sweet Butter and so bake it: but before you serue it in, cut it vp, and wring in the iuyce of an Orenge, and Sugar.
— John Murrell, A New Booke of Cookerie, 1615; ed. T. Gloning
Modern Interpretation
Ingredients (1 × 9" pie)
- 1 large bunch Swiss chard (or other hardy greens), ribs removed, finely chopped OR 2 lb beet-root, peeled & ½-inch dice
- 2 firm-ripe apples, peeled & diced (match green size)
- ¼ cup raisins or currants
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- ½–1 tsp black pepper, cracked
- ½–1 tsp kosher salt (to taste)
- ¼ cup butter, melted (or plant butter)
- Juice of 1 orange (≈ ¼ cup)
- 1–2 tsp sugar (to taste)
- 1 blind-baked 9" pie shell (or 18–24 mini tartlets)
Method
- Heat oven to 400°F (205°C). Blind-bake the shell 10 minutes; reduce to 350°F (175°C).
- Prepare the greens: wash, dry, remove ribs (“middle string”), and finely chop for best texture.
- In a bowl, toss greens (or beet-root) with apples, raisins, ginger, pepper, salt, and melted butter.
- Fill the shell; bake 20–30 minutes until apples (or beet-root) are tender.
- To finish: cut the pie, then sprinkle with sugar and wring/squeeze in orange juice over the cut surface just before serving.
Cook’s Notes
- Texture: Finely chopping greens gives a smoother slice; coarser leaves look rustic but can trap steam.
- Flavor balance: A little orange zest intensifies aroma; period texts often mention “orenge pill.”
- Serving: Excellent cold the next day—ideal for SCA feasts or picnic fare.
Serve It With
- Bruet of Almayne – warm almond-milk broth pairs beautifully.
- A Dynere of Flesche – place Fridayes Pye as your first-course fast-day option.
- Fresh cheese, pickled vegetables, or buttered rastons for a contrasting texture.
Historical Context
John Murrell, a London cook and author active in the early 17th century, wrote A New Booke of Cookerie (1615) during the reign of James I. His recipes bridge late-Tudor and early-Stuart tastes—sweet-savory pairings, the growing use of citrus, and the increasing appearance of vegetable dishes for fish or “fasting” days. Friday was a required meatless day for observant households, hence the title “Fridayes Pye.” Dishes like this balanced economy with elegance: humble greens dressed with expensive spices and imported fruit signaled both thrift and refinement.
Variations & Service
- Tartlets for feast service: Bake as 2" tartlets or mini-muffin bites for easy plating on fast days (“Fridayes”).
- Greens mix: Chard + beet greens + spinach (well-dried) gives color and tenderness.
- Spice play: A pinch of cinnamon or long pepper is period-plausible; keep ginger forward.
- Orange: Bitter/sour orange is period; modern sweet orange works—adjust sugar to taste.
Humoral Notes & Menu Placement
Humors: Apples and greens tend toward cold/moist; ginger and pepper are hot/dry, butter adds warmth—so the seasoning balances the cool, moist nature of the greens and fruit. The orange’s acidity (drying) helps with post-bake freshness.
Placement: Suitable for a first course on fish/fast days or as part of a meatless spread. Serve warm or room temperature.
Substitutions & Allergen Notes
- Vegan: Use plant butter; vegan pie crust.
- Gluten-free: Use GF tart shells; filling is naturally GF.
- No citrus: Finish with verjuice or a splash of cider vinegar sweetened to taste.
- Camping / field kitchen: Par-bake shells at home; cook filling in a skillet, spoon into shells, and finish over covered heat. Or serve as a skillet “hash” with orange squeezed at table.
Comparative Dishes
Murrell’s Fridayes Pye echoes earlier fast-day recipes such as the 15th-century Herbelade and Italian vegetable tarts in Scappi’s Opera. All feature greens, fruit, and warming spices within pastry—a pattern of sweet-savory pottages evolving into portable pies by the 1600s.
Related Recipes & Context
- Herbelade (Herb Pottage) — another green-forward, meatless option.
- Bruet of Almayne — spiced almond-milk broth; excellent for fast-day courses.
- A Dynere of Flesche — menu planning & service context.

Sources
- T. Gloning (ed.), John Murrell: A New Booke of Cookerie; London Cookerie (London, 1615), online text: gloning.
- On historical beet “greens” vs. root: “First Beets Yielded Only Greens,” Texas A&M Horticulture.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment on this blog. Please note blatant advertisements will be marked as spam and deleted during the review.
Anonymous posting is discouraged.
Happy Cooking!
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.