Harleian MS. 4016, (~1450) Guisseƚƚ.

Harleian MS. 4016, (~1450) Guisseƚƚ. Bread Dumplings

Baronial 12th Night 

Guisseƚƚ.-- An interesting dish which makes very thrify use of bread that has been turned into bread crumbs, eggs and broth flavored with parsley and sage and colored with saffron. Sounds a lot like dressing, yes? My recipe creates many small, irregularly shaped "curds", or dumplings. Bonus? The broth thickens as the bread cooks leaving you with a gravy that you can use elsewhere. I do not recommend using it with your dumplings. They become very sticky and unappetizing! The instructions can be found in Two fifteenth-century cookery-books : Harleian MS. 279 (ab 1430), & Harl. MS. 4016 (ab. 1450), with extracts from Ashmole MS. 1439, Laud MS. 553, & Douce MS. 55 by Thomas Austin. Harleian MS. 4016, ab. 1450 A.D.

The instructions are just vague enough that I wasn't very certain of what I would end up with once it had been interpreted and cooked. I was half expecting a wet mucky (and unappetizing) unbaked dressing. What I ended up with was something that closely resembled a dumpling. I wonder if it's the precursor to boiled puddings?

The process reminded me very much of making the "rivals" for potato soup with rivals. The difference being that you "pinch off" pieces of the rival dough and put it into the boiling soup, whereas here we are instructed to "cast the stuff to the broth into the pan". Rather than pinch off pieces of dough, I made the dough somewhat crumbly, and then dropped by handfuls into the boiling broth and cooked till they came to the surface. Then using a slotted spoon, I fished out the dumplings and went on to the next batch and the next...this made A LOT of dumplings. As mentioned previously, I made a slight mistake when cooking the very last batch and didn't drain them as well as I wanted to :-/ There wasn't a lot of the thickened broth left but there was enough that the entire batch became bit sticky and gummy. I thought I had ruined it--but guess what? Treating them like spaetzle, I cooked them up in some bacon fat (which makes everything better).

Harleian MS. 4016, ab. 1450 A.D. Guisseƚƚ. [supplied by ed.] *. [Taken from Douce MS. ] [folio 15.] ¶ Take faire capon̄ brotℏ, or of beef, And sette hit ouer the fire, and caste þerto myced sauge, parcelly and saffron̄, And lete boile; And streyn̄ the white and þe yolke of egges thorgℏ a streynour, and caste there-to faire grated brede, and medle hit togidre with thi honde, And caste the stuff to the brotℏ into þe pan̄; And stirre it faire and softe til hit come togidre, and crudded; And þen̄ serue it forth hote.

Guissell. (Note: Taken from Douce MS.) Take faire capon broth, or of beef, And sette hit ouer the fire, and caste therto myced sauge, parcelly and saffron, And lete boile; And streyn the white and the yolke of egges thorgh a streynour, and caste there-to faire grated brede, and medle hit togidre with thi honde, And caste the stuff to the broth into the pan; And stirre it faire and softe til hit come togidre, and crudded; And then serue it forth hote

Guissell. (Note: Taken from Douce MS.) Take faire capon broth or of beef, and set it over the fire and cast thereto minced sage, parsley and saffron, and let it boil; and strain the white and the yolk of eggs through a strainer, and cast thereto grated bread and meddle it all together with your hand, and caste the stuff to the broth into the pan; and stir it fare and soft till it come together, and curded; and then serve it forth hot.

Interpreted Recipe

2 cups bread crumbs
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs

4 cups water
1 tsp. sage
1 tbsp. parsley
Pinch of saffron

Put your breadcrumbs and salt (which was added for modern taste) into a bowl, create a well and add in your eggs one at a time until it starts to form lumps. Mean wile, heat up the water, sage, parsley and saffron till it comes to a boil and then lower the heat so that the water is simmering. Add the dough in small batches until the irregularly shaped, curded dough floats like delicious pillowy dumplings. Using a slotted spoon remove from the broth and let drain while you are cooking your next batch.

I imagine since these appear to be very similar to Spaetzle that you could, if you wish to prepare them in advance, put them on a sheet pan, freeze and then thaw and cook with a little bit of butter or bacon fat before serving, although that is cook's prerogative and has nothing to do with the original recipe.
Now I totally cheated and used leftover herb stuffing mix, so my bread crumbs taste a bit like ummmm ~whispers~ stuffing mix that has been made into crumbs in the blender (Hey! They were *on sale* and turning stuffing into crumbs requires very little effort). The dumplings were perfectly lovely until I didn't drain that last batch very well. What a happy mistake...fried up in bacon fat they are nothing short of magical.

In reality, these dumplings were very likely served *in* the broth, and not outside of it. So bear that in mind, you may need a lot more broth then I created. I am planning on serving these as a side dish with a roasted chicken, and therefore choose not to serve them in the broth at this time.

Similar Recipes

Forme of Cury (England, 1390)

Jusshell. XX.II. III. Take brede ygrated and ayrenn and swyng it togydre. do erto safroun, sawge. and salt. & cast broth. þerto. boile it & messe it forth

A Noble Boke off Cookry (England, 1468)

To mak jusselle tak the swet brothe of a capon or of other good flesshe and set it on the fyere in a large vesselle colour it with saffron put ther to saige cut gret and salt it then tak eggs and drawe them through a strener and temper grated bread and eggs and stirre it to gedure till they be ronn and let the erbes be well mellid to gedur and when yt begynnythe to boille tak out the pot stik and turn the curd about with a scorner and let not the fyere be to hasty when it is throughe knyt tak it from the fyere and couyr it and serue it

Thomas Awkbarow's Recipes (MS Harley 5401)


Jussell. Recipe brede gratyd & egges & swyng þam togydere, & do þerto sawge & saferon & salt; þan take gode broth & cast it þerto, & bole it enforesayd, & do þerto as to charlete, & serof.

Harleian MS. 279 (ab 1430) - .xxxxix. Sardeyneȝ - Sugared and Spiced Nuts

xxxxix. Sardeyneȝ - Sugared and Spiced Nuts

Occasionally you run across a set of instructions that are so vague they  are difficult to interpret.  This is one such recipe.  I must admit I did attempt to locate similar recipes from peers and fellow cooking scholars, but to no avail.  I finally jumped in feet first and created my own interpretation.  If my interpretation is correct it creates something similar to a praline, a spiced and sugared caramalized nut  candy that is D E L I C I O U S!  I am unashamed to admit that I am thoroughly addicted to this interpretation.

This strikes me as unusual because this recipe is found in the "pottage" section of the Two fifteenth-century cookery-books : Harleian MS. 279 (ab 1430), & Harl. MS. 4016 (ab. 1450), with extracts from Ashmole MS. 1439, Laud MS. 553, & Douce MS. 55 by Thomas Austin, so I would expect a pudding, cereal, broth like consistency.  Something magical happens when you add a large amount of sugar to rice milk (make a gode Mylke of Flowre of Rys + a fayre parte of sugre, & boyle hem wyl) --it becomes a caramel. Since we aren't really told what to do with our almonds--I lightly crushed them and  added them to this mixture and voila! A candy I served at Collegium Feast and hid from the taste testers after initial tasting. 

.xxxxix. Sardeyneȝ.—Take Almaundys, & make a gode Mylke of Flowre of Rys, Safroun, Gyngere; Canelle, Maces, Quybibeȝ; grynd hem smal on a morter, & temper hem vppe with þe Mylke; þan take a fayre vesselle, & a fayre parte of Sugre, & boyle hem wyl, & rynsche þin dysshe alle a-bowte with-ynne with Sugre or oyle, an þan serue forth.

49. Sardeyney - Take almonds, and make a good Milk of Flour of Rice, Saffron, Ginger, Cinnamon, Mace, Cubeb; grind them small on a mortar, and temper them up with the milk; than take a fair vessel, and fair part of sugar, and boil them well, and rinse your dish all about within with sugar or oil, and then serve forth.

Interpreted Recipe

1 c. raw almonds
1 c. rice milk (or any nut milk, in a pinch I used almond milk)
Pinch of saffron
1/2 tsp. pouder douce-sugar, ginger, cinnamon, mace (I have a powder given to me as a gift I used)
1/4 tsp. cubebs finely ground
3/4 c.  sugar

A couple of points before we move forward into the actual interpretation of the recipe. Rice milk is something you can easily make at home.  To make your rice flour simply take a quantity of rice and grind it to flour in your blender.  Add liquid of your choice (just like you would for almond milk), grind some more, strain, and you have rice milk.

There are no specific instructions on how to create pouder douce.  The pouder I am currently using was a gift given to me after I cooked the Curia Brunch.  The instructions I use to make my sweet spice pouder (pouder douce) though, can be found in Le Menagier de Paris (ab 1393):

FINE POWDER of spices. Take an ounce and a drachma of white ginger, a quarter-ounce of hand-picked cinnamon, half a quarter-ounce each of grains and cloves, and a quarter-ounce of rock sugar, and grind to powder.

Interpreted into terms we can all understand becomes the following mix:

2 1/2 tbsp. ginger
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. each grains of paradise and cloves
1 1/2 tsp. sugar

Moving forward--we are told to take almonds, then given a set of instructions to make rice milk.  Unusual in that the more common milk used is almond milk in this particular manuscript.  We are told to season the milk with the spice mixture and then given another set of instructions which I believe allude to what we are supposed to do with the almonds, specifically "grynd hem smal on a morter, & temper hem vppe with þe Mylke", then the remainder of the recipe gives us instructions to boil them with sugar and then serve them in a bowl which has had additional sugar or oil added to it.

Here is my interpretation based on my understanding of the instructions.

Take rice milk and season it with your spices, add your sugar and crushed almonds and bring to a boil.  Cook approximately ten minutes and then turn your nut mixture onto a cookie sheet which has been coated with additional sugar.  It will harden almost immediately, break apart as you can and serve.

I made two deviations when I served these at Collegium.  The first is that I used a mix of walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts, the second is that I kept them as whole as possible when I added them to the spiced rice milk mixture. They were extremely well received and have gone on my list of sweet goodies to make at the end of a meal.

The picture above is of the almonds a bit more ground. I was without rice or rice milk so I used almond milk--equally delicious.

Eisands with Otemeale grotes - A Book Of Cookrye (1591)

Eisands with Otemeale grotes - A  Book Of  Cookrye (1591) 

Eisands of otemeal grotes is one of those recipes that I knew I had to create when I first ran across it while doing research for a cook’s gathering in 2015. This interpretation was a very long time in coming. The Cook’s Gatherings were my first attempt at trying to bring about cook’s gild in the area where I live. It was a very short lived adventure and that saddens me. There does not seem to be as much interest in cooking in my area as I would like there to be. Interpreting this recipe required a lot of research. My first stumbling block evolved around *how* to cook it. My second was where to locate the main ingredient (oatmeal grotes).

I tackled my second roadblock first. I needed to determine what oatmeal grotes were and determine what the closest thing to them was I could purchase. Fortunately I had done some basic research into oatmeal when I interpreted the recipes from Harleian MS. 279 (ab 1430)  for .xxiiij. Drawyn grwel and vij. Gruelle a-forsydde. Oatmeal has a long history and you can read about it in both of those articles. During my research into oatmeal I discovered there are a variety of ways that oatmeal can be prepared. Oat Groats are the hulled whole oat berry. They appear to be very similar to grains of rice, barley or wheat berries. The oats that I used were steel cut oats, which is essentially the whole oat berry that has been chopped into pieces but not rolled. Steel cut oats are sometimes referred to as Scottish or Irish oats, but these oats tend to be ground rather then cut.

The other variety of oats and the one that most people are familiar with are rolled oats, which are whole oats that have been steamed, rolled flat into flakes and then dehydrated. This method of making oats did not appear until long after our period and should not be used if other kinds of oats are available. Quick oats are the cousin of rolled oats, but they are much quicker in cooking due to a longer steaming period before dehydration and being chopped into smaller pieces. These are the least nutritious of the varieties of oats that are available on the market today.

The first roadblock took a little bit longer to overcome. I needed to determine what cooking method was used. Was the dish baked? Steamed? Cooked on the stove top or boiled? Each of these cooking methods would produce a very different result. My first attempt was to cook it on the stovetop similar to an oatmeal custard, but the directions are very specific on liquid to oat ratio and there was not enough liquid to sufficiently cook the oats. The same problem revolved around baking the dish like bread. There simply was not enough liquid. Returning to the source, I discovered that the recipes prior to and after involved boiling the puddings. The result? A delicious pudding that is similar to your classic boiled Christmas plum puddings.

When I think of a pudding, I think of a custard like dish made of chocolate or vanilla or coconut. However puddings can trace their origins to approximately 1300 and meant “a kind of sausage” where meat and suet were stuffed into the stomach or intestines of an animal and boiled to be kept and served as needed. This recipe bridges the gap between those earlier dishes and the more modern ones that emerged in the mid 1600’s. It involves food that has been boiled or steamed in a bag or a sack. At the time this particular recipe was popular puddings could be either savory or sweet, meat or grain based.

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.

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.

Eisands of Oatmeal Groats.  Take a pint of cream and heat it, and when it is hot, put thereto a pint of oatmeal groats, and let them soak in it al lnight, and put thereto eight yolks of eggs, and a little pepper, cloves, mace, and saffron, and a good deal of suet of beef, and small raisins and dates, and a little sugar. 

Interpreted Recipe                                                                            Serves 8 (six if you aren't into sharing!)

1 pint cream (whole milk)
2 cups steel cut oats, or oat groats
¼ cup of shredded suet or butter (I used butter)
1/3 cup dates halved and quartered (My dates were kind of dried out so I placed a handful in the blender and added a 1/4 cup hot water and then blended them into a puree which is probably why my pudding is so dark. Mea Culpa!)
1/3 cup currants or raisins
8 egg yolks (or four whole eggs) beaten
1 tsp. Le Menagier's "Fine Spice Powder" 
Pinch of saffron
¼ cup granulated sugar

I heated the cream and butter together in the microwave and then poured it over my oats, mixing it together, along with the dates, raisins, sugar and spices and two of my four eggs and here I diverge greatly from the recipe.  I cooked it on the stovetop to hasten the absorption process until it became very thick.  At which point I beat the remaining eggs tempered them and added them to the "dough".  Make sure it is thick and dough like. 

If you choose not to take the "shortcut" heat up the cream and the butter and pour them over the oats and let them sit preferably overnight.  Add remaining ingredients and then move forward.

While I was precooking the oatmeal I had placed my cloth into approximately two gallons of water I was bringing to boil.  I was using my canning pot which has a metal trivet in the bottom to keep the pudding from the bottom and possibly burning.  Once the dough was made (and I say dough because that is the consistency you should be aiming for with your oat and egg mixture) I removed the cloth, placed it into a bowl, added the dough and then tied it up. I used rubber bands to keep it secured and you will want to secure the cloth as close to the pudding as you can.  

Make sure that your water is at a full rolling boil before adding your pudding.  Turn heat down to medium and cook for approximately four hours.  My pudding floated so I trapped it beneath a wire sieve so that it was fully submerged during the cooking period.  You will want to check your water about every hour (or less) to make sure that the pudding is still fully submerged.

Once the pudding is cooked, remove it from the boiling water; give it a quick soak in cold water so you can handle it right away or allow draining and cooling before untying. It can be served warm or cold, but if you try to cut it when it is too hot it will crumble on you.  Although the recipe does not call for it, you could serve it with a sauce made from butter and sugar. 

With the exception of the very long boiling period, this was a very easy dish to put together and the fact that it can be served cold is a saving grace.  If you wanted to serve this at a feast, I would suggest making it a day or two before in small batches and then either warm it up, or serve it cold.  I got approximately 16 slices out of this recipe, so it would easily serve eight people, or as part of a much larger feast, up to 16. This is a perfect breakfast food.  The oatmeal becomes rice-like in texture, and to me it tasted very similar to a rice pudding (which I love).  It slices like a cake or quick bread and I could see it being served with some butter as a portable breakfast meal. Did I mention I could not stop eating it?  Neither could my taste testers who have made me promise to make this again.  This would also make a very nice camp "dessert", requiring nothing more than to make sure that it is covered with water while it cooks. 

Harleian MS. 279 (ab 1430) - .lxxxvj. Rys - Rice

Harleian MS. 279 (ab 1430) - .lxxxvj. Rys - Rice

Because of its difficulty to grow and the cost to import, rice was considered a luxury product throughout the Middle Ages. Today rice is one of the most common cereal grains in use. This recipe found in n the Two fifteenth-century cookery-books : Harleian MS. 279 (ab 1430), & Harl. MS. 4016 (ab. 1450), with extracts from Ashmole MS. 1439, Laud MS. 553, & Douce MS. 55 Thomas Austin for medieval rice creates a sweet, creamy and delicious dish that reflects the simplicity of medieval cooking and its ability to create complex flavors with a few ingredients.

Where rice originated is hotly debated. One theory states that rice is a descendent of a wild grass which was cultivated in the Himalayas. Another theory suggests that rice originated in India and spread to Thailand and China. Rice spread from this region into the Middle East, where some of the oldest grains have been found in a grave dated to the first century A.D.

Alexander the Great introduced rice to Mesopotamia in the late 4th Century. It was Alexander who is credited with introducing the Greeks to rice sometime around 320BC. It was considered an exotic species and was used for medicine but not as a source of food. The Romans became acquainted with this grain through the Greeks, but chose to import their rice from Syria and Egypt. Apicius mentions that rice flour (fecula) could be used to thicken sauces.

Rice reached England in the late 13th, early 14th Century. Records indicate that Portuguese and Spanish ships included rice as one of its imports along with figs, raisins, almonds, pepper, sugar, saffron, wax, leather and Pomegranates. There is some debate on how and when this grain was introduced to Spain. One theory suggests that Moors invading from Africa brought rice with them in the eleventh century. Another theory suggests that rice was known in the Valencia region as early as the first century. It is known that Portugal had established and thriving fields of rice in the twelfth century. It is believed that both France and Italy were growing rice in the thirteenth centuries.

.lxxxvj. Rys.—Take a porcyoun of Rys, & pyke hem clene, & sethe hem welle, & late hem kele; þen take gode Mylke of Almaundys & do þer-to, & seþe & stere hem wyl; & do þer-to Sugre an hony, & serue forth.

Daniel Myers offers this interpretation on his website.

lxxxvj - Rys. Take a porcyoun of Rys, and pyke hem clene, and sethe hem welle, and late hem kele; then take gode Mylke of Almaundys and do ther-to, and sethe and stere hem wyl; and do ther-to Sugre an hony, and serue forth [correction; sic = f].

Interpreted Recipe Serves 1 as main, 2 as side

1/2 cup rice
1 cup water
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 tsp each (or to taste) sugar and honey

What kind of rice should one use for this dish? I used a long grained white rice because it is what I had, but, if I were to cook this dish for an event I would choose a short or medium grained rice (Arborio or Valencia). I believe that the shorter grained rice was the one that was imported from Portugal and Spain into Europe. Bomba Rice which is used for paella might also be a good choice.

Follow the package directions to precook your rice. Once the rice is cooked, allow it to cool and then add your almond milk, sugar and honey and cook until the almond milk is absorbed. Serve--it could not be simpler.

I have in the past cheated at events by using the bagged, frozen rice, putting it into a pan, adding almond milk and popping it into the oven to thaw and heat. You can stir it occasionally while it is heating. The almond milk absorbs and the dish tastes similar. Using long grain rice that is frozen and adding the flavors nets a similar taste but, you miss the creamy consistency. However if you are cooking for a larger crowd, purchasing the frozen rice, means not having to fret cooking in quantity for a large crowd and possibly serving undercooked rice.

The taste testers and I "argued" over who got to eat the rest of the dish. This is definitely one of the times I wished I had made more instead of a "tasting sample.

Similar Recipes

Le Viandier de Taillevent (France, ca. 1380 - James Prescott, trans.)

Decorated rice for a meat day. Pick over the rice, wash it very well in hot water, dry it near the fire, and cook it in simmering cow's milk. Crush some saffron (for reddening it), steep it in your milk, and add stock from the pot.

Le Menagier de Paris (France, 1393 - Janet Hinson, trans.)

RICE, Another Way. Pick it over and wash in two or three changes of hot water until the water is clear, then do as above until half cooked, then puree it and put on trenchers in dishes to drain and dry in front of the fire: then cook it thick with the fatty liquid from beef and with saffron, if this is a meat day: and if it is a fish day, do not add meat juice, but in its place add almonds well-ground and not sieved; then sweeten and do not use saffron.

A Noble Boke off Cookry (England, 1468)

To mak ryse pik them clene and then wesshe them in two or thre waters and let the water be warm and sethe them in clene water till they begyn to boile and at the first boile put out the water and sethe them with brothe of fleshe or with the brothe of freche flesshe or of freche fisshe and put ther to sugur saffron and salt and serue it.

Dent-de-lion- The Dandelion - Buttered Wortes (Buttered Greens) & Joutes (Braised Spring Greens with Bacon)

“What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered.”

~Ralph Waldo Emerso

Family: Asteraceae

Usage: Culinary, Medical

Whether you are referring to the dandelion as blowball, lion's tooth, cankerwort, fairy clock, priest's crown, wild endive or pissabed, you are referring to a plant that has long been known for its culinary and medicinal properties. One of the earliest known greens, and a common and misaligned flower, dandelion's make very good eating and were not unknown in period.

The official name is Taraxacum officinale, which is a derivative of the Arabic tarakhshaquin, "wild chicory" or "bitter herb", and also refers to "wild endive". In Latin, the plant was referred to as Dens Leonis, the Greeks referred to it as Leotodum. The Welsh refer to it as Dant y Llew as early as the 13th century. The French, the dent-de-lion, and the English gave it the name we are now familiar with--the dandelion.

European dandelions were imported to North America by our ancestors because it was a familiar 'potherb'. It is thought that dandelions may have arrived as early as the arrival of the pilgrims on the Mayflower. It is believed that the seeds were deliberately scattered in order to establish a wild population and to provide food for honeybees which were also introduced from Europe (Ombrello).

What is a potherb? A potherb is defined as any leafy herb or plant that was grown for culinary usage and prepared by cooking in a pot. In fact, there are records of dandelion seeds being for sale in seed catalogs as early as 1874 (Rubel, 2015).

Dandelion greens are bitter, and the first mention of dandelions are for their medicinal usage rather than culinary. They are a good source of vitamins A, B complex and C and are rich in minerals such as zinc, potassium and iron. Using the roots of the plant roasted as a tea does have a diuretic effect. The first written records of dandelion can be found in 7th century Chinese records. In the 10th century the Arabs wrote about it. In 1485, the first referance in Europe can be found.

Medieval people ate a wider range of greens then we eat today. Many of the greens that were consumed are considered weeds today. The fresh leaves of the dandelion were served in salads or cooked as greens in period. The flowers may have been used as a coloring agent, as they do produce a yellow coloring and could have been used in place of saffron. I have not been able to determine if that is so. It is a guess on my part.

James Beard has this to say of the much aligned dandelion: "A sea of golden dandelions thrusting up thorough the grass is a pretty sight--and inspires thoughts of gastronomic possibilities as well. Though familiar to us all, dandelions are not, as far as I know, native to this country. There is a legend that the first plants were brought here by a woman who greatly enjoyed the provocative, distinct taste of fresh dandelion greens in a spring salad. Being hardy little plants, dandelions then spread all over the country. True or not, the idea of transplanting a European weed for gastronomic delight is a romantic one. There was a time, both in England and here (especially through the Pennsylvania Dutch country), that dandelions were gathered and flowers picked off the stems to be made into dandelion wine. This was recognized as tonic by many people who eschewed alcohol, but would have a little nip of dandelion or parsnip wine for their health. It was worth nipping, though not a wine of such character or distinction that one would want it constantly. However, during Prohibition and during times when women thought it was not the thing to drink wine in public, a sip of dandelion wine was considered good and comforting....I have a book by Macmillan deLoup, published in New York in 1899, which lists three different recipes for dandelion salads, along with this remark: 'These are not yet popular in the United States, but the peculiar bitterness is relished by some people and is said to be most healthful.' Dandelion greens have long been popular in France and Italy, and remain so. There are even a couple of cultivated varieties that are not members of the species that pops up unannounced in one's garden. They are used in spring salads with a dressing of olive oil, vinegar or lemon juice, with salad herbs or mustard added. I love the slight bitterness and refreshing quality--it goes so well with a grilled chop or a steak. Years ago, when I was flirting with the idea of a career as an opera singer, I studied with a brilliant Italian coach in London. He also was a great connoisseur of food and a very respectable cook. He would gather dandelion greens, or find them in the markets, and concoct a most delectable mixture for Sunday lunch. This would be the first course, followed perhaps by some cheese and very good bread, or maybe chops or a chicken (Beard, 1981)."

THE BOOKE OF SIMPLES. (Bulleins Bulwarke Of Defence Against All Sicknesse, 1562)

Marcellus.

What is the vertue of Dandelion or Lyons teeth

Hilarius.

IT is temperate, cold, and drye: with Roses and Uineger tēpered togea∣ther, it helpeth the hed in hotte diseases, the sowthistle called Sonchos hath ye same vertue & so hath Cicory: if they be sodden, the loose the belly & quen∣cheth heat which burneth in the stomacke. and defendeth the head from hot smoking vapoures, and purgeth yellow choller, and rebateth venerous & fleshly heat, & is good to be sodden & dronk in hote burning Agues: though this herbe be commonly knowen and counted of many as a vile wede, yet it is reported of Dioscorides to be an excellent herbe, & is called Lyons teeth.

An excellent drinke for the Tissicke well approued. (The Good Husvvifes Ievvell, 1587)

TAke a handfull of fennell roots, as much persly roots, as many Alisander rootes, halfe a handfull of Borrage rootes, and put out the pith of all the saide rootes, then take halfe a handfull of Peniryall, as much of Uiolet leaues, and as much of cinckfoyle, as much Succary, Endiue, Holly hocke leaues, Mallow leaues, and redd gardene mints, of all these the like quantitie as of these next before, halfe a handfull of Lico∣ris sticks scraped, brused and beaten to fine powder, a gallon of faire running water, boyle therein all these simples, and boyle these séedes with them, that is, thrée spoone∣full of Anniséeds, as much Fennell seede, the like of Colliander seede and Commin séede, a good handfull of Dandelion rootes, and so boyle altogether from a gallon to a pottell, and let the patient drinke thereof first and last, and it will helpe him in short space. probatum est.

If you are looking for a free, period green to use in a salad, or in a dish of wortys, some may need look no further than the backyard. Please be sure if you are picking dandelion greens, that the area you are picking from has not been sprayed with herbicides or pesticides. I have known dandelion’s to stay green and growing in even the mildest of winters. A good dish for the SCA to try them would be “Buttered Wortes, found in Harliean MS 279, published approximately 1430.

“Buttered Wortes”. ^ Take al maner of good herbes that thou may gete, and do bi ham as is forsaid ; putte hem on \q fire with faire water ; put ]7ere-to clarefied buttur a grete quantite. Whan thei ben boyled ynogh, salt hem ; late none otemele come ther<;-in. Dise brede small in disshes, and powr<? on \q wortes, and serue hem forth (Austin).

Buttered Herbs. Take all manner of good herbs that thou may get, and do by them as is aforesaid; put them on the fire with fair water; put thereto clarified butter a great quantity. When they are boiled enough, salt them: let no oatmeal come therein. Dice bread small in dishes and pour on the herbs, and serve them forth.

Buttered Herbs – Makes about 4 Cups serves 6-8 (this is probably more than enough for two tables of 8 at any feast- it is a vegetable. Use your best judgment)

8 cups assorted greens (kale, spinach, cabbage, beet greens, arugula, lambs quarters, chard, dandelion, etc.)Several sprigs of fresh herbs such as thyme, marjoram, parsley, mint etc.
2 Tbsp. clarified butter
1 tsp. salt
2 1” thick slices of bread cubed

Bring the water to a boil in a pot. Rinse all greens and herbs well and place them in the boiling water for 5-1o minutes. Remove from heat. Take the greens and herbs out of the pot with a slotted spoon. Allow them to cool on a cutting board. When cool, press them with a paper towel or absorbent cloth to remove the excess water. Chop them into small pieces and place them in a clean pot. Add butter and salt. Mix well. Cook the mixture over medium heat until hot. Do not boil. Either pour the hot herb mixture over bread cubes in a serving dish, or top the herbs with the bread. Serve hot.


For an additional recipe visit the following link: Harleian MS 279 Joutes (~1430) Braised Spring Greens with Bacon

Sources

Austin, T. (n.d.). Two fifteenth-century cookery-books. Harleian ms. 279 (ab. 1430), & Harl. ms. 4016 (ab. 1450), with extracts from Ashmole ms. 1429, Laud ms. 553, & Douce ms. 55. Retrieved May 22, 2015, from Archive.Org: https://archive.org/details/twofifteenthcent00aust

Beard, J. (1981). Beard on Food: Dandelions Left Home ot Make Good. Los Angeles Times, K38.
Ombrello, T. D. (n.d.). Dandelion. Retrieved May 19, 2015, from Plant of the Week - Dr. T. Ombrello - UCC Biology Department: http://faculty.ucc.edu/biology-ombrello/pow/dandelion.htm

Name.umdl.umich.edu. 2020. Bulleins Bulwarke Of Defence Against All Sicknesse, Soarenesse, And Vvoundes That Doe Dayly Assaulte Mankinde: Which Bulwarke Is Kept With Hilarius The Gardener, [And] Health The Phisicion, With The Chirurgian, To Helpe The Wounded Soldiours. Gathered And Practised From The Most Worthy Learned, Both Olde And New: To The Great Comfort Of Mankinde: By Vvilliam Bullein, Doctor Of Phisicke. 1562.. [online] Available at: <http://name.umdl.umich.edu/A17156.0001.001> [Accessed 6 August 2020].


Rubel, W. (2015, April 23). The History of the Garden Dandelion . Retrieved May 19, 2015, from The Magic of Fire, Traditional Foodwas with William Rubel: http://www.williamrubel.com/2015/04/23/the-history-of-the-garden-dandelion/

Name.umdl.umich.edu. 2020. The Good Husvvifes Ievvell Vvherein Is To Be Found Most Excellent And Rare Deuises For Conceits In Cookerie, Found Out By The Practise Of Thomas Dawson. Whereunto Is Adioyned Sundry Approued Reseits For Many Soueraine Oyles, And The Way To Distill Many Precious Waters, With Diuers Approued Medicines For Many Diseases. Also Certaine Approued Points Of Husbandry, Very Necessarie For All Husbandmen To Know.. [online] Available at: <http://name.umdl.umich.edu/A19957.0001.001> [Accessed 6 August 2020].



**NOTE: Post Previously published on 5/22/2015 and updated on 8/6/2020**