Conyng in Cyuey (Hen/Rabbit/Duck in Onion Sauce) – Harleian MS. 279 | Medieval Recipe + Modern Interpretation

Hen in Cyve – Medieval Chicken (or Rabbit/Duck) in Onion & Wine Sauce (Harleian MS. 279)

Conyng, Mawlard, in gely or in cyuey – Hen, Rabbit, or Duck in Onion Sauce (Harleian MS. 279)

What is “Cyve / Cyuey”? A savory medieval onion sauce thickened with bread and sharpened with vinegar and wine—balanced with warm spices like ginger, mace, cinnamon, and cloves. Wonderful with poultry, rabbit, or duck.

Updated 5/21/2021: This post now includes related recipes: .lxxiij. Conyngys in cyveye and .lxiij. Harys in Cyueye.

Medieval Stew in Onion Sauce

One of my favorite finds from The Ordinance of Pottage was “Hare in Cyve,” a richly flavored onion-based sauce that quickly became a feast favorite in my early SCA days. When I later discovered a related recipe in Harleian MS. 279 (c.1430), I knew it had to go on my cooking list.

Conyng means rabbit; Hare its larger cousin; and Mawlard means duck. The recipe offers flexibility—showing how cooks adapted this onion-thickened sauce (or cyuey) to whatever meat was available.

📖 A cyuey is a spiced medieval onion sauce thickened with bread and vinegar, balancing savory, sweet, and tart notes. It’s delicious with poultry, rabbit, or game.

Original Text (Harleian MS. 279)

.xlij. Conyng, Mawlard, in gely or in cyuey – Take Conynge, Hen, or Mawlard, and roste hem alle-most y-now, or ellys choppe hem, an frye hem in fayre Freysshe grece; an frye myncyd Oynenons, and caste alle in-to þe potte, & caste þer-to fayre Freysshe brothe, an half Wyne, Maces, Clowes, Powder pepir, Canelle; þan take fayre Brede, an wyth þe same brothe stepe, an draw it þorw a straynoure wyth vynegre; an whan it is wyl y-boylid, caste þe lycoure þer to, & powder Gyngere, & Salt, & sesyn it vp an serue forth.

Modern Translation

42. Rabbit, Hen, or Duck in Onion Sauce – Take rabbit, hen, or duck, and roast them almost enough, or else chop them, and fry them in good fresh fat. Fry minced onions and add all into the pot with fresh broth and half wine, along with mace, cloves, pepper, and cinnamon. Then take good bread, soak it in the same broth, and strain it with vinegar. When it is well boiled, add this mixture, plus ginger and salt. Adjust seasoning and serve hot.

Cook’s Notes:

• Protein swaps: chicken thighs (easiest), rabbit (lean), or duck (richer).
• No wine? Use extra broth + 1–2 tsp red or white wine vinegar (or grape juice + splash of vinegar).
• Thickening: breadcrumbs are period; for gluten-free, try a small amount of ground oats or almond flour.
• Make-ahead: improves on day 2; thin with a splash of broth when reheating.

Redacted Recipe (Modern Adaptation)

Serves 1 as a main, 2+ as a side

• 1/4 lb chicken, rabbit, or duck (I used chicken thighs)
• 1 tbsp oil, butter, or lard
• 1/4 small onion, minced
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 3/4 cup broth (chicken preferred)
• 2–3 whole cloves
• 1/8 tsp each pepper, cinnamon, mace
• 2–3 tbsp breadcrumbs
• 1 tbsp vinegar (red wine vinegar works well)
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• Salt, to taste

1. Heat fat in a pot, then add onions and meat. Cook gently until onions are translucent (do not brown).
2. Add broth, wine, mace, cloves, pepper, and cinnamon. Simmer until meat is tender.
3. Meanwhile, mix breadcrumbs with vinegar to form a paste.
4. Add breadcrumb mixture to the pot, stirring to thicken the sauce.
5. Before serving, season with ginger and salt. Adjust thickness to taste—thicker for a stew, thinner for a broth-style dish.

Serving Tip: Excellent over noodles, rice, or sops (bread). The sauce is the star here, so give it something to soak into!

💡 Taste Test Notes: One of my tasters said, “I’d lick the bowl if I wasn’t trying to be polite!” It was the clear favorite of the day.

Timeline of Onion Sauces in Medieval Cooking

• c. 1390 – England: Forme of Cury records “Connynges in Cynee,” an early English rabbit dish in onion sauce thickened with bread.
• Early 1400s – Italy & France: Recipes for civero/civey appear in Tuscan and Parisian cookbooks, showing the sauce’s spread across Europe.
• c. 1430 – England: Harleian MS. 279 gives “Conyng, Mawlard in Cyuey,” flexible for hen, rabbit, or duck with onion, wine, and spices.
• 15th century – Variations: Onion sauces appear with hare, beef, or venison in English manuscripts, reflecting both everyday and feast uses.
• 16th century onward: Onion-based gravies evolve into Renaissance “civero” dishes, precursors to modern onion gravies and French civet.

Historical Background: Cyve and Onion Sauces in the Middle Ages

Onion-based sauces like cyuey (also spelled cyve or cynee) were a staple of late medieval European kitchens. Recipes appear not only in English manuscripts such as Harleian MS. 279 (c.1430) and Forme of Cury (1390), but also in French and Italian collections under the name civero or civey. This family of dishes shows just how essential the onion was in medieval cooking: affordable, abundant, and able to stretch small amounts of meat into a rich, flavorful meal.

🍷 Wine & Vinegar: These two ingredients appear together in many medieval sauces. Beyond flavor, they were valued for aiding digestion and preserving food, especially when paired with meats like duck or rabbit.

The recipe’s balance reflects medieval humoral theory. Onions were considered hot and dry; vinegar was cold and dry; wine was hot and moist. Spices like ginger, mace, and cinnamon were thought to “warm the stomach.” By combining these qualities, cooks sought not only good flavor but also a dish that promoted health according to contemporary medical beliefs.

📖 Bread as a thickener: Long before flour-based roux or cornstarch, medieval cooks strained bread into broths and sauces. This practical technique gave body to the dish while using up leftover loaves.

Choice of meat also reflected availability and status. Hen was the everyday option, while rabbit and hare were prized game meats. Ducks (mawlards) were farmed but still considered more luxurious than chicken. No matter the protein, the onion sauce tied the dish together, offering a savory-sour balance that was both comforting and elegant at the medieval table.

🥕 Dietary Notes

• Gluten-Free: Use gluten-free breadcrumbs or omit them and thicken with a little rice flour or cornstarch slurry.
• Dairy-Free: The original recipe uses fat (lard, oil, or butter). Choose oil or lard to keep it dairy-free.
• Alliums: This dish is onion-heavy. For those avoiding alliums, substitute with leeks or fennel bulb for a milder flavor.
• Alcohol-Free: Replace wine with additional broth plus a splash of grape juice or apple cider vinegar.
• Protein Swaps: Works with chicken, rabbit, or duck. For a vegetarian version, try mushrooms and lentils in place of meat.

Related medieval sauces & pottages:

• VJ Gruelle – oat & pork pottage (Harleian MS. 279)
• Comfits – candied spices & seeds
• Spice Measurement FAQ (ounces ⇄ tablespoons)

Related Recipes

• .lxiij. Harys in Cyueye (Hares in Onion Sauce)
• .lxxiij. Conyngys in Cyveye (Rabbit in Cyuey)
• Forme of Cury (England, 1390) – Connynges in Cynee
• An Anonymous Tuscan Cookery Book (Italy, c.1400) – Civero of hare and other meats
• Ancient Cookery [Arundel 334] (England, 1425) – Conynges in Cyne

Hen in Cyve – FAQ

Can I make this without wine?

Yes. Substitute extra broth and add 1–2 tsp vinegar (or grape juice + splash of vinegar) to keep the tart balance.

Is “Cyve/Cyuey” always thick?

Thickness varies. Add more breadcrumbs for a stew-like sauce or more broth for a thinner, pourable sauce over sops.

What meat works best?

Chicken thighs are forgiving and delicious; rabbit is leaner; duck is rich—adjust salt and vinegar to taste.