Egredouncye (Harleian MS. 279, c. 1430) — A Tangy “Sewe” & Feast-Day Companion to Beef y-Stywyd

Egredouncye — A Tangy Medieval “Sewe” (Harleian MS. 279, c. 1430)

Egredouncye served over a trencher, broth “running,” fresh parsley bright on top.

Slice, broil, mince “like venison,” then stew with broth, herbs, saffron, and a tart splash of vinegar or wine. This dish is served forth rennyng—its broth pourable, its herbs fresh.

This dish represents the “sewe” family of medieval stews — broth-forward, brightened with herbs and spice, thinner than gravies and brewets.

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Original Text & Translation

Original (Middle English)

.Cxl. Egredouncye.—Take Porke or Beef, wheþer þe lykey, & leche it þinne þwerte; þen broyle it broun̛ a litel, & þen mynce it lyke Venyson; choppe it in sewe, þen caste it in a potte & do þer-to Freyssh brothe; take Erbis, Oynonys, Percely & Sawge, & oþer gode erbis, þen lye it vppe with Brede; take Pepir & Safroun, pouder Canel, Vynegre, or Eysel Wyne, Broþe an Salt, & let ȝet boyle to-gederys, tylle þey ben y-now, & þan serue it forth rennyng.

Modern Translation

Take pork or beef, slice thin across the grain; broil until lightly browned, then mince like venison. Stew it in fresh broth with herbs, onions, parsley, and sage. Thicken lightly with bread crumbs. Season with pepper, saffron, cinnamon, and vinegar or eisel wine, plus broth and salt. Boil until done, then serve “running” — as a loose, pourable stew.

Harleian MS. 279 (ab 1430) - .Cxlix. A Potage. - A Pottage

A Potage – Harleian MS. 279 (c. 1430)

Sometimes a recipe resists easy interpretation, and this one has long puzzled cooks. “A Potage” from Harleian MS. 279 begins with an unusual step: cooking eggs in red wine before straining them with almond milk. At first glance, it might resemble wine clarification, but comparisons to similar recipes in Le Ménagier de Paris and other sections of Harleian MS. 279 suggest the intent was closer to a custard technique — lightly curdled eggs beaten into wine, strained, and then enriched with almond milk. The result is a sweet-savory almond custard-pottage, thickened with rice flour, colored red with sandalwood, and optionally garnished with chopped veal on flesh days. This dish sits somewhere between rice pudding, mincemeat, and almond custard, showcasing the medieval love of spice, fruit, and color in festive pottages.

Modern redaction of a 15th-century almond milk pottage, enriched with dried fruits, pine nuts, honey, and sweet spices.

The Original Recipe

Cxlix. A Potage.
Take an sethe a fewe eyron̛ in red Wyne; þan take & draw hem þorw a straynoure with a gode mylke of Almaundys; þen caste þer-to Roysonys of Coraunce, Dates y-taylid, grete Roysonys, Pynes, pouder Pepir, Sawndrys, Clouys, Maces, Hony y-now, a lytil doucete, & Salt; þan bynde hym vppe flat with a lytyl flowre of Rys, & let hem ben Red with Saunderys, & serue hym in flatte; & ȝif þou wolt, in fleyssℏ tyme caste vele y-choppid þer-on, not to smale.

Cxlix. A Potage.
Take and seethe a few eggs in red wine; then take and draw them through a strainer with a good almond milk. Then cast thereto currants, chopped dates, large raisins, pine nuts, powdered pepper, sandalwood, cloves, mace, honey enough, a little doucete, and salt. Then bind it up flat with a little rice flour, and let it be red with sandalwood, and serve it in flat. And if you will, in flesh time cast veal chopped thereon, not too small.