Eisands with Oatmeal Groats — A Book of Cookrye (1591)

Eisands with Oatmeal Groats — A Book of Cookrye (1591)

Eisands of otemeal grotes is one of those recipes I knew I had to tackle the moment I found it while researching for a cook’s gathering in 2015. It reads like a bridge between early “puddings” (often meat-and-suet mixtures boiled in an animal casing) and the later sweet, bread- or grain-based boiled puddings that show up in the 17th century—think the ancestors of Christmas plum pudding. The question was how to cook it (bake, steam, boil?) and what exactly the “otemeale grotes” should be in a modern kitchen.

On the oats: “Groats” are hulled whole oat berries. Steel-cut oats (oat groats chopped into pieces) are the easiest modern stand-in and give the right “rice-like” bite. Rolled/quick oats are much later and behave differently; avoid them for authenticity and texture.

On the method: The surrounding recipes in A Book of Cookrye point to boiling the pudding in a cloth. When made this way, Eisands slices beautifully, travels well, and can be served warm or cold—perfect for a Curia Regis Brunch or feast service.

Original & Translation

Original (1591)	Modern Sense Translation
Eisands with Otemeale grotes. Take a pinte of Creame and seethe it, and when it is hot, put therto a pinte of Otemeale grotes, and let them soke in it all night, and put therto viii. yolks of egs, and a little Pepper, Cloves, mace, and saffron, and a good deale of Suet of beefe, and small Raisins and Dates, and a little Sugar. Sources: jducoeur.org & MedievalCookery.com	Eisands of Oatmeal Groats. Heat a pint of cream; when hot, add a pint of oatmeal groats and let them soak in it overnight. Mix in eight egg yolks; season with a little pepper, cloves, mace, and saffron. Add a good amount of beef suet, along with small raisins and dates, and a little sugar.

Modern Recipe — Eisands (Boiled Oatmeal Groat Pudding)

Serves 8 generously (or up to 16 as slices on a buffet).

Ingredients

• 2 cups steel-cut oats (or whole oat groats)
• 1 pint (2 cups) cream (whole milk works; half-and-half also fine)
• 1/4 cup shredded beef suet or butter (I used butter)
• 1/3 cup dates, chopped small (or softened & pureed if dry)
• 1/3 cup currants or raisins
• 8 egg yolks (or 4 whole eggs), beaten
• 1 tsp “Fine Spice Powder” (Le Ménagier) or a blend of pepper, cloves & mace
• Pinch of saffron
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• Pinch of salt (optional, to balance sweetness)

Method

1. Soak oats: Heat cream with the suet/butter until steaming. Pour over the oats in a bowl; stir in dates, currants/raisins, sugar, spices, and saffron. Cover and let stand overnight (preferred). Shortcut: simmer gently on the stovetop, stirring, until the mixture thickens to a stiff, spoonable “dough.”
2. Finish the batter: Beat eggs. If your oat mixture is hot, temper eggs with a little of the hot mixture, then stir back in. Aim for a thick, dough-like consistency that holds shape.
3. Prepare the pot: Bring ~2 gallons of water to a boil in a large canning/stock pot with a trivet. Soak a clean pudding cloth (or sturdy cotton tea towel) in the hot water, wring out, then lay it in a bowl.
4. Bundle: Spoon the dough onto the cloth, gather, and tie tightly so the pudding is compact. Secure well so water can’t flood in; squeeze out excess air.
5. Boil: Return water to a full boil. Add the pudding. Reduce to a lively simmer and cook ~4 hours, ensuring the bundle stays fully submerged (weight it with a mesh sieve if it floats). Top up with hot water as needed.
6. Cool & serve: Lift out; dip briefly in cold water for easier handling, then rest until set. Unwrap and slice warm or cold. Optional: serve with a simple butter-sugar sauce.

How to Boil Puddings in a Cloth

1. Choose a cloth: Use an old but clean linen tea towel or cotton pudding cloth. Avoid terry towels (too absorbent).
2. Scald it: Boil the cloth for a few minutes, then wring out. This tightens the weave and prevents sticking.
3. Flour it: Lightly flour the inside before adding the pudding mixture—this makes unwrapping easier.
4. Bundle tightly: Gather the cloth close to the pudding, twist, and tie with string. The goal is compactness so it sets into a neat shape.
5. Boil properly: Place in a large pot of boiling water with a trivet at the bottom. Keep fully submerged (weight it down if needed). Maintain a steady simmer and top up with hot water as needed.
6. Unwrap with care: Once cooked, dip briefly in cold water, untie, and peel back the cloth gently. Slice when cooled slightly.

This technique—first using cloth instead of animal casings—marks the birth of the “modern” pudding, leading eventually to plum puddings and Christmas puddings.

🥕 Dietary Notes & Substitutions

• Vegetarian: Use butter (or vegetarian suet). Traditional beef suet = not vegetarian.
• Gluten-free: Oats are naturally GF but often cross-contaminated—use certified GF steel-cut oats and check spice/fruit labels.
• Vegan option (camp-friendly): Use full-fat coconut milk or almond milk + 2–3 tbsp refined coconut oil for the suet/butter. Replace 8 yolks with either 1 cup aquafaba (reduced slightly to thicken) or 4 tbsp ground flax mixed with 10 tbsp hot water. Texture will be softer but sliceable when fully cooled.
• Allergens: Dairy, eggs (omit/replace as above); contains dried fruit.
• Make-ahead: Keeps 3–4 days refrigerated; slices reheat gently in a steamer or skillet with a dab of butter.
• Camping: Boil in a cloth in a lidded pot over a steady fire; serve cold for a portable breakfast.

About A Book of Cookrye (1591)
This Elizabethan cookbook, printed in 1591, was aimed at household cooks rather than court chefs. It contains both practical everyday fare and elegant banquet dishes. Many recipes, like Eisands, still show their medieval roots (grain puddings, boiled in cloths), while also adopting Renaissance flavors such as saffron, dried fruits, and sugar. It is an important transitional text bridging medieval English cookery and the new tastes of Tudor England.

Suet vs. Butter
Traditional puddings call for beef suet, the firm fat surrounding the kidneys. Suet has a high melting point, giving puddings a light, open texture and helping them slice cleanly. Butter melts more quickly and gives a richer flavor but a denser result. Both work here—choose suet for historical accuracy and butter for convenience.

Menu Placement & Humoral Context

• Menu Placement: Grain-based puddings often appeared in the second course, alongside lighter meats, fruits, and sweets. Eisands, rich with cream and fruit, bridges savory and sweet, making it suitable for brunch tables or later feast service.
• Humoral Balance: Oats and suet are considered heavy and warming, balanced here with the cooling qualities of cream and dried fruits. Spices like mace, cloves, and saffron were thought to “open” the digestion and aid in making such rich foods more healthful.
• Culinary Evolution: This recipe illustrates the shift from early medieval “puddings” (meat and suet stuffed into casings) toward the sweet, boiled, cloth-bound puddings that later became plum pudding traditions.

🍽️ More from the Curia Lunch

• Curia Regis Brunch Hub
• Egges yn Brewte
• Savoury Tostyde
• Gammon of Bacon
• Eisands with Oatmeale Groats
• Funges
• Chawatteys (Harleian MS 279 (Austin), c. 1430)
• To Stew Shrimps (being taken out of their shells)
• A Fryed Meate (Pancakes) in Haste for the Second Course
• Compost
• To Dry Peaches
• Orange Marmalade
• Rose Conserve
• Comfits of Anise, Caraway & Fennel
• Quidinia of Quinces (Quince Paste)

Sources

• A Book of Cookrye (1591): transcription via jducoeur.org and MedievalCookery.com
• Oat processing notes informed by prior posts on medieval oat dishes (Harleian MS. 279).

Originally published: August 20, 2017  |  Updated: September 18, 2025