Fylettys en Galentyne - Pork in Spiced Onion Sauce (Stew & Sauce Interpretations, Harleian MS. 279, c.1430)

Fylettys en Galentyne – Pork in Spiced Onion Sauce (Harleian MS. 279, c.1430)

Kitchen test photo from the original 2016 post, showing the stew interpretation of Fyletes in Galentyne.

Fyletes in Galentyne appears in Harleian MS. 279 (c.1430) and exemplifies a common medieval pairing: roasted or half-roasted meat finished in a rich, spiced sauce. The “galentyne” is thickened with bread and given depth either by blood (for savory richness) or by sanders (red sandalwood) to tint and flavor. Both are legitimate medieval options, so we present them side by side.

Note on interpretation: When this recipe was first published here on February 11, 2016, I presented it as a stew — simmered pork and onions in a spiced broth. On closer reading, however, the text more clearly aligns with the medieval understanding of galentyne as a sauce for meat: roast pork finished with a thickened, spiced, colored sauce. 

Both versions are plausible, so I’ve left my original interpretation here (Version A) and added the sauce-based version (Version B). The original post has been updated and republished on September 10, 2025 to reflect this correction.

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Original Recipe (Harleian MS. 279, c.1430)

Englishe:
“Take fayre porke of the fore quarter, and rost hit tyl hit be almost ynogh; then take and smyte hit in fayre pecys, and caste hit in a fayre potte; then take oynons and shredde hem small, and frie hem in fayre grece, and caste hem to the porke, and stew hit togydre; then take gode broth of beef or motton, and caste thereto; then take powder of peper and of gynger, and caste thereto; and take bred ystepid in vinegre, and strayne hit thorow a straynoure, and caste thereto; and colour hit with blode, or elles with sandres, and then lat hit boyle up wel, and serve it forth.”

Modern Translation:
Take good pork from the forequarter and roast it until nearly done; cut into pieces and place in a pot. Chop onions, fry them in fat, and add to the pork. Stew together with good beef or mutton broth. Add pepper and ginger. Take bread soaked in vinegar, strain it, and add. Color with blood—or else with red sandalwood—and let it boil well. Serve forth.

Version A – Fyletes in Galentyne (Stew Interpretation, 2016)

This was my original interpretation: a hearty pork-and-onion stew in a spiced broth, thickened with bread and colored either by blood or sanders. Though the text points more strongly to a sauce, the stew version remains tasty and historically plausible.

• 2 lb pork shoulder, cut into chunks
• 2 medium onions, sliced
• 2 tbsp pork fat, lard, or butter
• 4 cups beef or mutton broth
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 3 slices stale bread
• 3/4 cup vinegar (wine or cider)
• Option 1: 1/4 cup fresh animal blood (traditional) or ale as substitute
• Option 2: 1 tsp red sandalwood powder (sanders), or saffron/beet powder

1. Brown pork pieces in fat. Add onions and fry until golden.
2. Pour in broth, add pepper and ginger, and simmer until pork is tender (45–60 minutes).
3. Soak bread in vinegar, mash smooth, and stir into the pot.
4. Finish by stirring in blood/ale or sanders for color. Simmer gently until thickened. Serve as a stew.

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Version B – Fyletes in Galentyne (Sauce Interpretation, 2025)

The corrected reading treats this as roasted pork served with galentyne sauce—a thick, spiced, bread-based sauce finished with blood or sanders. This aligns better with medieval usage of “galentyne” as a sauce for carved meats.

• 2 lb pork shoulder or forequarter roast
• 2 medium onions, finely sliced
• 2 tbsp pork fat, lard, or butter
• 2 cups beef or mutton broth
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 2 slices stale bread
• 1/2 cup vinegar (wine or cider)
• Option 1: 1/4 cup fresh animal blood (traditional) or ale/wine as substitute
• Option 2: 1 tsp red sandalwood powder (sanders), or saffron/beet powder

1. Roast pork at 375°F until nearly done (internal temp ~145°F). Let rest and carve into slices.
2. Meanwhile, fry onions in fat until golden.
3. Add broth, pepper, and ginger. Simmer 15 minutes.
4. Soak bread in vinegar, mash, and stir in to thicken.
5. Finish with blood/ale or sanders to color. Boil gently until glossy.
6. Serve carved pork with the sauce spooned generously over top.

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Blood Substitutes

In medieval kitchens, fresh animal blood was readily available and used for thickening and enriching sauces. In the United States, it can be difficult to obtain. Acceptable substitutes include:

• Ale or stout beer – provides body and depth.
• Red wine – adds color and acidity.
• Black pudding mix (if available) – gives authentic thickness and flavor.
• Extra vinegar-soaked bread – for body if avoiding blood entirely.

While these won’t replicate the exact character of fresh blood, they evoke the richness intended by the original recipe.

🥕 Dietary Notes

• Gluten-free: Use gluten-free bread.
• Dairy-free: Already dairy-free.
• Vegetarian/Vegan: ❌ (meat-based dish).
• Allergens: Gluten (bread), potential nut contamination if using true sandalwood substitute.

Menu Placement & Humoral Balance

Where would it appear? The placement of Fyletes in Galentyne depends on interpretation:

• Pottage course: In the 2016 stew reading, it fits among hearty pottages, thickened soups, and broths served early in the meal.
• Roasted meats / entremet: In the 2025 sauce reading, it belongs with the carved and sauced meats, often following the plain roasts as a more elaborate presentation.

Feast sequence in context:

• England & France (14th–15th c.): Feasts often began with the entree, and was followed by potages (soups/stews), then moved to roasts, then to more elaborate or sauced dishes. The dishes that came after the roast were often called entremets (“between courses”). These could range from sauced meats to spectacular subtleties like sugar sculptures, colored jellies, or pies with live birds. In French-influenced menus, entremetz was a flexible term for what came between or after the roasts.

• Italy (15th–16th c.): By the Renaissance, the “after the roast” sequence might be styled differently, but the concept of lighter, sauced, or symbolic dishes following plain roasts remained.

Humoral qualities: Medieval cooks balanced dishes not only for taste, but for health.

• Pork: Cold & moist; roasting helps “dry” it.
• Onions: Hot & dry; stimulate and provoke appetite.
• Pepper & ginger: Hot & dry; add heat and balance heaviness.
• Bread & vinegar: Vinegar is cold & dry, aiding digestion; bread is moderate and grounding.
• Blood: Thought to strengthen and warm.
• Sanders: Symbolic of luxury; considered warming and comforting.

Overall complexion: warm and moderately dry — a corrective to pork’s natural coldness and heaviness, helping the dish to “sit well” with diners.

See also: Arranging a Feast: Application of Medieval Menu Theory — for more detail on the sequence of medieval courses and where dishes like galentynes were served.

Historical & Culinary Notes

• Blood vs. Sanders: The choice reflects both availability and symbolism—blood evoked richness, while red sanders, an imported spicewood, conveyed luxury.
• Onion Sauces: Fried onions in fat were a hallmark of medieval meat dishes, providing sweetness and depth.
• Powders: This recipe calls for pepper and ginger, but other galentynes used Powder Forte or Powder Douce mixes.
• Status Foods: Pork was common, but the use of imported sanders, pepper, and ginger made this a high-status dish.

From Sauce to Aspic: The Evolution of Galentyne → Galantine

• 14th–15th c. (England & France): Galentyne = hot, spiced onion and bread-thickened sauce for roasted or half-roasted meats (as in Harleian MS. 279).
• 15th–16th c.: Still a sauce in England and France, though in France it begins to overlap with elaborate entremets.
• 17th c.: In haute cuisine, galantine starts to mean not only a sauce but refined, sauced presentations.
• 18th c.: Galantine comes to mean boned, stuffed, and poached meat dishes, sometimes served cold and glazed.
• 19th c.: Firmly redefined as a cold, aspic-set dish — stuffed meat or poultry, cooled and sliced, centerpiece of French service à la française.

In short: from hot medieval sauce to elegant cold terrine — a 400-year culinary transformation.

Sources

• Harleian MS. 279 (c.1430), British Library digital facsimile.
• Hieatt, Constance B., and Sharon Butler. Curye on Inglysch. Oxford: EETS, 1985.
• Redon, Sabban, and Serventi. The Medieval Kitchen: Recipes from France and Italy. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1998.