Ancient – A Harvest Day Lunch with the "Vikings" (Bronwyn's Kettle Worms to be Eaten Cold with Mustard)

 

What did early medieval Scandinavians eat? It is an intriguing question that is difficult to answer. Part of the difficulty is that what has been written about them, was written after their time period, and is considered by many modern historians to be inaccurate.

Some information is available through what has been written within the Icelandic Sagas. Another resource that has provided a wealth of information is the excavation of midden pits, latrines, and old fireplaces. By recovering the remains of plants and animals as well as the various kinds of cooking vessels archeologists and food historians are able to hypothesize what could have been eaten based on what has been discovered.

This is an example of such a recipe. I took two recipes, one for Kettle Worms from Daniel Serra's "An Early Meal" and the other for Guest House sausages, and combined them to create my own sausage.

If you have not purchased Daniel Serra and Hanna Tunberg's "An Early Meal; A Viking Age Cookbook and Culinary Odyssey", do so. It is full of plausible recipes based on extensive research. I also recommend visiting the Ribe Viking Center website to learn a little more about early Scandinavians.

Bronwyn's Kettle Worms to be Eaten Cold with Mustard- Serves 8

1/2 pound ground pork

1/2 pound 80/20 ground beef

2 slices of uncured bacon minced

1 small apple cut into small dice

1 shallot (you could use ramps, leeks or wild garlic)

Thyme, salt, and pepper to taste

Plastic wrap

Instructions

1. Mix together the first three ingredients along with a couple of tablespoons of water until the meat becomes sticky

2. Add apples, shallot and your seasoning, and continue to mix until all are well incorporated

3. Divide the meat mixture into fourths. Roll each out into a log of similar size and shape.

4. Wrap each in plastic wrap and tie off the ends. NOTE: The plastic wrap will be taking the place of sausage casings you would need to remove if serving cold.

5. While you are wrapping your meat, place a pot of salted water on the stove and bring it to a simmer.

6. Place your sausages into the water and allow to simmer until they are cooked through. Remove from the heat.

NOTE: If you have a smoker, prepare it, and smoke your sausages instead. Instead of cooking them thoroughly in the water, cook them only long enough that they will hold together. Remove the plastic wrap, and then smoke overnight or for several hours. I personally find that simmering them first in the water keeps them moist.

I used commercial whole grain stone ground mustard, but if you are looking for one that is slightly more fitting, I recommend this recipe for mustard.

For more information on what has been discovered (food and cooking ware), I recommend the following resources:

• Hurstwic - Food, Diet, and Nutrition in the Viking Age

• Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, Volume 31, June 2020, 102361 - Fragments of meals in eastern Denmark from the Viking Age to the Renaissance: New evidence from organic remains in latrines

• Nationalmuseet i København - Prehistoric period (until 1050 AD) / The Viking Age / Food

• Sons of Vikings - Viking Diet: Why you should eat like the Vikings did!

Sources:

Hald, Mette Marie et al. "Fragments Of Meals In Eastern Denmark From The Viking Age To The Renaissance: New Evidence From Organic Remains In Latrines". Journal Of Archaeological Science: Reports, vol 31, 2020, p. 102361. Elsevier BV, doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2020.102361. Accessed 12 Sept 2022.

Hurstwic: Food, Diet, And Nutrition In The Viking Age". Hurstwic.Org, 2022, http://www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/daily_living/text/food_and_diet.htm. Accessed 12 Sept 2022.

København, Nationalmuseet. "Meat And Fish". National Museum Of Denmark, 2022, https://en.natmus.dk/historical-knowledge/denmark/prehistoric-period-until-1050-ad/the-viking-age/food/meat-and-fish/. Accessed 12 Sept 2022.

Ribe Viking Centre: Viking Cooking At Home". Ribevikingecenter.Dk, 2022, https://www.ribevikingecenter.dk/en/learn-more/viking-slow-food/recipes/guest-house-sausages-served-with-root-vegetables.aspx. Accessed 12 Sept 2022.

Viking Diet: Why You Should Eat Like The Vikings Did!". Sons Of Vikings, 2021, https://sonsofvikings.com/blogs/history/eat-like-a-viking. Accessed 12 Sept 2022.

Kitchen Adventures – Pickled Cabbage ((German) Wilthu machenn eynngemacht Crautt)

As part of Appolonia's vigil feast, this recipe for pickled cabbage was included. It was chosen because it could easily exist on a dayboard and did not require refridgeration. This recipe can be found in "Ein Kochbuch aus dem Archiv des Deutschen Ordens" (A Cookbook from the Archives of the Teutonic Order), a culinary manuscript published in the 15th century.

Original Text:

"So seudt weysse Heuptt und ein zweythell Sennffs und das dritthell Hoengs und die selbing mach undereinander mitt Wein und thu darein Koemel und ein des genug und leg dan des gesotten Kraut darein und gibe es kalt. also magst auch priesen die Seudt mitt Wrczenn und gyb sy hin."

Translated Text: If you want to make pickled cabbage: "Boil white cabbage heads, take two parts mustard and one part honey, mix them with wine and add caraway. It's enough, put the boiled cabbage into it and serve it cold. You can also season the broth and serve it."

Ingredients:

• 1 large head of cabbage (or 2 smaller ones)
• 9 oz stone-ground mustard
• 4 oz honey
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 tsp caraway seeds

Instructions:

1. Boil the cabbage until just tender. It should be soft but not mushy.
2. In a saucepot, mix the stone-ground mustard, honey, white wine, and caraway seeds. Bring to a slow boil for about 5 minutes.
3. Peel leaves from the cabbage head.
4. Pour the sauce over the cabbage and chill.
5. Serve cold and enjoy this delightful fusion of history and flavor.

Glossary:

• Weysse Heuptt: White cabbage
• Sennffs: Mustard
• Hoengs: Honey
• Koemel: Wine
• Wrczenn: Caraway

Sources

"Königsberg Cookery Book." Florilegium.org, Florilegium.org, https://www.florilegium.org/files/FOOD-MANUSCRIPTS/Konigsberg-art.html

(German) Rote Ruben (Pickled Beets)

 First Published on Patreon Oct 4, 2022

Ein New Kochbuch, Marx  Rumpolt, 1581

Pickling is a form of fermentation that includes placing food into an acid, for example, sour wine (vinegar) or beer to preserve it. The use of vinegar is ancient, it is mentioned numerous times in the bible, and traces of vinegar were found in Egyptian urns (3000 B.C.).  When mixed with water, it was known as posca or poor man's wine in ancient Rome.

How does vinegar preserve food?

Vinegar contains acetic acid, which is known to have antibacterial and antifungal properties which inhibit the growth of microorganisms that would spoil food.

What kinds of acids are found in wine?

Wine has tartaric, malic, and citric acids.

Tartaric acid lowers the PH level of food to a level that bacteria cannot live. It also acts as a firming agent and adds a tart flavor to wine and food.

Both malic and citric acids inhibit the growth of bacteria, fungi, mold, and yeast while helping food retain its color, flavor, and texture.

Original Recipe

3. Rote Ruben eyngemacht mit klein geschnittenen Merrettich/ Aniß/

Coriander/ vnd ein wenig Kuͤmel/ sonderlich wenn die Ruben geschnitten/

gesotten mit halb Wein vnd halb Essig.

Interpretation

3. Red turnips made with chopped horseradish/ anise/

coriander/ and a little cumin/ especially when the beets are cut/

boiled with half wine and half vinegar.

Ingredients

3 whole fresh baby beets

1/2 C red wine

1 C vinegar

1 piece horseradish root 1" long x 1" wide, slivered

1 t anise seed

2 t coriander seed

1/2 t caraway seed

Instructions

1. You can use canned beats if you want, but, fresh beets will give you a better flavor and texture.  Roast your beets in a 400-degree oven for about 45 minutes to an hour.

2. Allow to cool and remove the skin.  Chop your beets into bite-sized pieces and place them into pint-sized canning jars that are extremely clean!  Add slivered horseradish.

3. Bring wine, vinegar, and spices to a boil. Pour into your jars, leaving a half inch of headspace before sealing the lids. Allow the beets, spices, and horseradish to cool to room temperature before storing.

Note: The beets store well in the refrigerator. If I were planning on long-term storage, I would finish with a hot water bath, but I am unsure if it would be necessary.  I have one jar left of these beets from the event in the fridge and it is still good after several months.

Note: These should marinate for several days before being served.  I prefer at least a week to marry the flavors.  I have noticed that the flavors are not as pungent now as they were a week after being made.  They've mellowed in a very pleasant way the longer they have sat.

Thoughts

I love pickled beets and I would have no difficulty bringing them to a weekend event along with the pickled onions if I were planning on not having a cooler.  These are spicy, tart,  and delicious.  If you don't care for horseradish, don't use it, but do add the spices.

Sources

"A Short History Of Vinegar". Womersley Foods, 2022, https://womersleyfoods.com/pages/a-short-history-of-vinegar. Accessed 4 Oct 2022.

"Citric Acid: Structure, Uses, Intolerance, And More". Medicalnewstoday.Com, 2022, https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/citric-acid#uses. Accessed 4 Oct 2022.

"Deutsches Textarchiv – Rumpolt, Marx: Ein New Kochbuch. Frankfurt (Main), 1581.". Deutschestextarchiv.De, 2022, https://www.deutschestextarchiv.de/book/view/rumpolt_kochbuch_1581/?p=418&hl=Rote. Accessed 4 Oct 2022.

(FSU), Food. "Significance Of Tartaric Acid". Food Science Universe (FSU), 2020, https://foodscienceuniverse.com/significance-of-tartaric-acid/. Accessed 4 Oct 2022.

Palmer, Sharon. "Ein New Kochbuch". Academia.Edu, 2022, https://www.academia.edu/6272538/Ein_New_Kochbuch. Accessed 4 Oct 2022.

Mosterdsaus- Sweet mustard & Spicy mustard (Rumpolt, 1581) (GTOD Vigil Recipe)

To accompany the meats there was a choice of condiments which included two separate mustards.  I enjoy it when I discover a receipt online and it can create two separate things. This set of instructions from "Ein new Kochbuch" is one such example. 

Please note: I could have made mustard by soaking the mustard seeds overnight and then adding vinegar (per Rumpolt). I also wanted a similar flavor profile between the two mustards, and would have added the wine to the recipe below to make sure the mustards carried a similar flavor.  Maiille's already contained all of the items I was looking for and was less expensive then purchasing the individual ingredients. Hence the substitution in the following recipes. 

Braun Senff mit lauterm Essig angemacht / ist auch gut
Brown mustard made with clear vinegar is also good.

10. Seudt Birn in süssem Most/ thu sie auß auff ein saubers Bret/ vnd laß kalt werden/ laß den Most weiter sieden/ biß er dick wirt/ laß jn darnach kalt werden/ streichs mit braunem Senff durch/ thu alsdenn die gesottenen Birn darein/ so wirt es gut vnd wolgeschmack. Wiltu aber ein guten Senff haben/ so stoß Aniß vnnd Coriander durcheinander/ streichs durch mit braunem Senffmehl/ vnd süssen gesottenem Wein/ so wirt es gut vnnd wolgeschmack.

10. Seethe pears in sweet grape juice/ take them out on a clean board/ and let cool/ let the juice boil again/ until it becomes thick/ then let it become cold/ strain through with brown mustard/ and then put the boiled pears in it/ so it becomes good and well tasting. However if you want to have a good mustard/ then crush anise and coriander together/ strain through with brown mustard powder/ and sweet boiled wine/ so it becomes good and well tastin

Sweet Pear Mustard

2 pears

1 cup sweet grape juice

Maille Old Style Mustard (water, mustard seeds, distilled vinegar, salt, white wine, sugar, lactic acid & natural flavor) 

Clean, pare, quarter and core the pears.  Add to a pot with the grape juice in it.  Allow pears to cook until they become soft enough to make into a sauce. Mix with mustard to taste.  I found a 50/50 blend added the perfect amount of sweetness. 

Spicy Brown Mustard

Maille Old Style Mustard

1 tsp. Coriander

1 1/2 tsp. Anise

Mix together spices with mustard.

Both mustards should age at least three days.  The longer they age, the better they get. 

Sources

Deutsches Textarchiv – Rumpolt, Marx: Ein new Kochbuch. Frankfurt (Main), 1581.
"Deutsches Textarchiv – Rumpolt, Marx: Ein New Kochbuch. Frankfurt (Main), 1581.". Deutschestextarchiv.De, 2022, https://www.deutschestextarchiv.de/book/view/rumpolt_kochbuch_1581?p=419. Accessed 3 May 2022.

If you would make a good pickled tongue (beef) (Something New- Wenn du eine gute eingelegte Zunge machen würdest.)

I fully believe that everyone should try something new, and so I will be making one pickled and smoked cow tongue for this event.  I prefer "Neat's tongue", it sounds better.  The recipe I will be using is from Welserin, and it calls for first salting the tongues, and then smoking them. It is a long process, that I hope to speed up just a bit. Wish me luck!

Wenn du eine gute eingelegte Zunge machen würdest. - If you would make a good pickled tongue (beef)

27 If you would make good pickled tongue. They are best made in January, then they will keep the whole year

First take twenty five tongues or as many as you will and take them one after the other and pound them back and front on a chopping block, then they will be long. After that pound salt small and coat the tongues in salt. Take then a good small tub and put salt in the bottom, after that lay a layer of tongues as close together as possible, put more salt on them so that it is entirely white from salt. In this manner always place a layer of tongues, after that a layer of salt, until they are all laid out. Then weigh them down well so that they are covered by the brine and allow them to remain for fifty days, afterwards hang them for four days in smoke. When they have smoked enough, hang them next in the air, then you have good smoked tongue.

202 To make smoked tongue, recipe from Herr Jörg Fugger

Take fresh tongues and cut the throat completely from it. Then they should be well pounded or beaten, lengthwise, over a block or a chair, not too hard, so that they are not smashed or do not become mangled. One must beat them until they become soft underneath and also at the tip. They do not, however, become as soft at the tip as at the back on the thick end. When they are so beaten, then put them into a trough with salt for a good while. Then they should be salted like other meat and a nice red raw beet cut into cubes and also peas sprinkled under them and in between them and over the top of them, but not all too much, and let them stay thus for a day or overnight in a warm place. Then lay a small board over them and a good heavy stone and let it remain so for four weeks. If, after four or five days, they should not be covered with brine, finely chop some red beets and cook them in water and drain the water off the beets and pour a glassful of vinegar into the water. The water should be cool enough that one could just bear to dip a finger into it. One could also cook a few peas with the beets, if the broth would otherwise be too red, and put the red beets and the likewise red peas together with the salt on the bottom and in between and on the top. They can lie for five weeks or longer, and when they are hung, the thick ends should be turned to the top, poke a hole through them with a baling needle and hang them on a coarse thread in a kitchen, which has no chimney, and not over the fire in the thick smoke, so that the outsides become nicely brown, they become splendidly brown.

Ingredients

Tongue

Salt

Smoke

Recipe

To cure the tongue

1 beef tongue

4 cups water

1/3 cup kosher salt

1/4 cup sugar

1 tbsp. pink curing salt

Opt.  Spices for seasoning - juniper, pickling spice, common spices?? 

To cure the meat, I will be bringing all of the ingredients, with the exception of the tongue, to a boil in a pot, and then I will allow it to cool, at least to room temp if not overnight.  At which point I plan on adding the tongue and the spices to the brine and I will cure it  not for 50 days, but for at least a week, if not longer.  Each day I will be checking to make sure that tongue is properly covered with the brine. To do this, I am going to be placing it in a freezer bag.  With luck, this will mimic the very long curing process used by Welserin. I've included the pink curing salt in order to create the "red color" that the beets might have added in the smoked tongue recipe.

Once the tongue has been cured, I will cook it in a simple tock which will include onions, garlic, celery and carrots. If you want a super tender tongue it should be cooked in a low oven (250 degrees) for several hours. 

The next part is VERY IMPORTANT, you have to remove the skin from the meat while it is still warm.  Wait till the meat has cooled enough for you to handle and the skin will peel right off. If it is resistant, just put it back into the stock and allow it to cook a few minutes longer.  You can serve it right away if you like, or you can move onto the next step.  

Rub a little bit of oil over the tongue and season with salt and pepper.  Because this tongue is already cooked and all we want to do is impart the smoke flavor, cold smoking at 80 degree's is perfect! You should be able to smoke a three pound tongue for about two to two and half hours.  

Allow the tongue to cool, slice very thin, and serve.  Delish!

Finalized Recipe (Eine Sauce aus Sauerkirschen - Sauce of Cherries - Cod Pal Germ 551)

Here is another tried and true, well respected recipe that was located in two separate books. The first "Hienach volgt vonn dem kochenn vnd hat gemacht meyster Eberhart ein koch herczog Heinrichs zu Landshut." translated to "Hereafter follows (a text) about cooking,and Master Eberhart, a cook of Duke Henry of Landshut made it".  The second book, "Cod Pal Germ 551".  This is very similar to a cherry pudding recipe that I made often in the past so I find no need to test the recipe in advance.  The methodology is simple, with the exception of keeping it saucier then a pudding, the recipe is the same. 

Here is the finalized recipe that will be part of the "desserts" served in the second course of the 12th Night Feast

Zum ein salsenn von weichselnn zu machen.

Item wiltu machen ein gutte salsenn von weichselnn,
so thue die weichsell in einen hafen vnd
secz die auff ein glut vnd laß sie siedenn vnd
laß dann wider erkaltenn vnd streich sie durch ein
tuch vnd thue sie dann wider in den hafenn vnd
secz sie auff ein glut vnd laß sie wol sieden
vnd rurr sie, piß sie dick wirt, vnd thue dann
honig dar an vnd geribens prot vnd negellein vnd
gut gestu:ep vnd thue sie in ein feßlein. Sie
pleibt dir gut drew oder vier iar.

1 A sauce of tart cherries

If you would make a good sauce of tart cherries, put the cherries into a pot, set it on the embers and let them boil. Cool them, pass them through a cloth, put them into a pot again, set it on the embers again and let them boil well. Stir it until it grows thick and add honey and grated bread and cloves and good spices enough. Put it into a small cask and it stays good for a year etc.

Ingredients

Tart Cherries
Honey
Grated Bread
Cloves
Good Spices - "Common Spice Powder"

Recipe

1 pound cherries
~ 1/4 cup honey
~ 1/4 cup bread crumbs
Pinch of cloves
1- 2 tsp. Good Spices - "Common Spice Powder"

**Pinch of salt for modern taste

I plan on using frozen cherries that have already been cleaned and stoned.  Place these in a pot on the stove and bring to a boil.  As they are frozen they should create their own "juice" but if you are afraid that it may burn add a tablespoon or so of water to get the process started.  Once the cherries have cooked until they are soft, remove them from the fire and allow them to cool.  Place them in a blender and blend, then strain through a sieve back into the pot and set them to boil again.  Add honey, and bread crumbs, pinch of salt and spices until you get the desired thickness.  This sauce can be made ahead of time, heated and served at the event. 

Ein condimentlin (A Condiment) - Pickled cucumbers and radish (Hausbuch, 1350) (GTOD Vigil Recipe)

You are missing a treasure trove of information if you have not visited Dan Myer's Medieval Cookery Site.  It is one of my most often used resources when looking for online cookbooks or specific instructions on how to make different recipes.  The search function is phenominal in helping you to locate similar recipes among the varied recipes available.  I urge you to check this site out. 

Below is a small peek into the research that I do in order to recreate a reciept from period. The pickled vegetables were delicious. 

[Ein Buch von guter spise, A. Atlas (trans.)]: 48. Ein condimentlin (A condiment). Mal kümel und enis mit pfeffer und mit ezzige und mit honige. und mach ez gel mit saffran. und tu dar zu senf. in disem condimente maht du sulze persilien, bern und clein cumpost oder rüeben, waz du wilt.

Flavor caraway seeds and anise with pepper and with vinegar and with honey. And make it gold with saffron. And add thereto mustard. In this condiment you may make sulze (pickled or marinated) parsley, and small preserved fruit and vegetables, or beets, which(ever) you want.

Question? What vegetables/Fruits?? 

Answer--Parsley (root) and Beets are mentioned

Consider "Composte"?  Similar ingredients and process.  

Ingredients:

Caraway seeds

Anise Seed

Pepper

Vinegar

Honey

Saffron

Mustard (preferably Black)

An Anonymous Tuscan Cookery Book  <==Most Closely Resembles

[62] Compost. Take carrots well cleaned and boiled, and let them cool: and in their water cook turnips (rape) cut in four pieces and not cooked too much, and likewise let them cool. Then take parsley roots, radishes, ... and the white part of leeks, and fennel, pears, capers, and heads of cabbage, and boil everything separately, and cool them as above: according to the Lombard custom, you can put in garobbi [see note]. Then take good mustard, made with strong vinegar, fennel seeds, anise; and arrange them individually in batches. And put finely sliced radish in each batch of the aforementioned vegetables, and put in mustard and then particular vegetables, as is convenient. These things thus arranged, put them in a jar, and put a large board on top, and let it stand for eight days.

[63] Another preparation. Take finely minced radishes, anise, fennel seeds, and set them to cook in must; and cook them so much that the must is reduced to half: and with this must dilute the mustard. Then take small turnips (rape piccioli) and turnips (naponi), and quince, and apples, cut into four pieces, and pears cut in half, and whole carrots, and parsley roots, and fennel bulbs, and set all of these things to cook. And when they are cooked, arrange them in order in a clean jar, interspersing the diluted mustard on top, in the aforementioned batches. And if you like, you can put in some honey; and this can be made with sugar and cinnamon diluted with the aforementioned things and with vinegar, and put it away and serve it.

Een notabel boecxken van cokeryen

One may also make it thus. When one boils the quinces in wine vinegar and also in wine together, this dish gives a good appetite. And if it is too sweet for you or you wish to save honey, so take white bread and toast it as one puts in black peper [sauce]. Then you shall soften it and pass it through a cloth. And replace half the honey with this. One may also do this in compost and also in all things where one should put in much honey. But not much of the bread. Because otherwise it will encourage mould.

Forme of Cury

COMPOST. C. Take rote of parsel. pasternak of rasenns. scrape hem waisthe hem clene. take rapes & caboches ypared and icorne. take an erthen panne with clene water & set it on the fire. cast all þise þerinne. whan þey buth boiled cast þerto peeres & parboile hem wel. take þise thynges up & lat it kele on a fair cloth, do þerto salt whan it is colde in a vessel take vineger & powdour & safroun & do þerto. & lat alle þise thinges lye þerin al nyzt oþer al day, take wyne greke and hony clarified togider lumbarde mustard & raisouns corance al hool. & grynde powdour of canel powdour douce. & aneys hole. & fenell seed. take alle þise thynges & cast togyder in a pot of erthe. and take þerof whan þou wilt & serue forth.

BINGO! After further research, I believe I have found a list of appropriate ingredients in this recipe from "Wel ende edelike spijse"  as translated by Christianne Muusers. 

.xv. Compost neemt worttelen van pedercelle reene wel gezoden in watere ende vercoelt hebt dan soffraen Caneele ghinghebare naglen al wel ghewreuen tempert met goeden mostaerde Ghemaect van 
wijnasijne ende doeter suker toe frijt die worttelen wel cleene kensenruwelen of anguwissen ende dadelen den steen daer vutgedaen Cabuse coolen gesoden ghescheeden vercoelt maect een sausse pentenine doeter vp die voorseide dingen ende doeter toe vinckel saet anijs vygen kernellen van criekelsteenen zeem ende suker Ghesoden wel ghe scuymt ende dan minget metter voorseide saussen

Vegetable Stew. Take cleaned parsley roots, well boiled in water and cooled. Then have saffron, cinnamon, ginger and cloves, well brayed. Temper with good mustard made of wine vinegar, and add sugar. Fry the roots, [cut in] very small [pieces], pears (either "kensenruwelen" or "anguwissen"), stoned dates, white cabbage, boiled, the leaves separated and cooled. Make a sauce "Poitevin". Add the afore mentioned things, and add fennel seed, aniseed, figs, cherry stones, honey and sugar, boiled and skimmed off. Then mix it with the afore mentioned sauce.

Interpreted

4 cups assorted firm vegetables - I used cucumbers, parsnips, radish, white and yellow carrots

1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp.  sweet powder)
1 tsp. anise seed
1 tsp. fennel seed

1/2 teaspoon cubeb or pepper

Saffron

1 cup vinegar

1/2 cup honey

1 1/2 tbsp. prepared mustard (maille original)

Prepare as for compost.

man bradet Zwybeln in Bradfeift - Onion Relish - (1598). Kunstbuch Von mancherley Essen (GTOD Vigil Recipe)

Ein condimentlin, Rote Ruben, Man bradet Zwybeln in Bradfeift, Wilthu machenn eynngemacht Crautt

UPDATE: The original event this receipt was researched for did not come to pass due to covid.  However, I was able to use this at the Vigil feast. 

I'm still working on rounding out the first course. I feel that it needs an onion element, something sweet and sour to serve as an alternative to or in addition to the mustard sauce for the sausages and neat's tongue. It could even serve as an additional topping for the cheese sop if wanted, and I came across this receipt from a book written in 1598, that creates a kind of onion relish.  I have done something similar for another 12th Night feast that was served with roasted chicken called "A Pickle for the Mallard".  It was a lovely, and I'm looking forward to creating it's German equivalent. 

Kunstbuch Von mancherley Essen

6. Item / man bradet Zwybeln in Bradfeift / machtſie abmit groſſem Roſin /Pfeffer und Eſsig / gibts über die Braten / beſtreretſiedannmit Pfefe fer und Eſsig und gibt ſie zumdiſch.

6. Item / you fry onions in butter /made with great raisins / pepper and vinegar / serve over the roast / then sprinkle them with pepper and vinegar and add them to the top.

Interpreted Recipe

1 large or 2 medium onions chopped
2 tbsp. oil or lard
½ cup white wine
¼ tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup (or to taste) raisins

Heat the oil in a small pot. Add the onions and cook until they are lightly browned. Add remainder of the ingredients. Bring to boil, then lower to simmer and allow to cook until sauce has reduced a bit. Keep warm until ready to serve. 

====

Rontzier, F. d. (1598). Kunstbuch Von mancherley Essen, Gesotten, Gebraten, Posteten, von Hirschen, Vogelen, Wildtprat, vnd andern Schawessen, so auff Fürstlichen, vnd andern Pancketen zuzurichten gehörich .... (n.p.): In der Fürstlichen Druckerey.

Von eingepickten hünern - Pickled Chicken - Inntal. In: Ostbairische Grenzmarken 12 (1970) 118-128. (GTOD Vigil Recipe)

As you can see, I had originally worked on translating this recipe in anticipation of the 12th Night event that did not happen.  I found it such a unique dish, I wanted to bring it to Appolonia's Vigil.  It was quite popular.  And will be making an appearance at a future event. 

Slightly disappointed that what I thought was cheese soup (Käeßsuppen does mean cheese soup just ask google!!) but was more of a spread to go on bread, I thought I needed to "round out" the first course of the 12th Night feast with a meat cooked in a broth, or a soup like substance :-/.  To be fair, the cheese sops, the fennel and bacon savory pastries, smoked neat's tongue, various sausages & mustard, pickled vegetables and pears in syrup should be enough! However, I want to offer something for individuals who may not be interested in trying the pork or beef dishes. I really need a "chicken" dish.

Fortunately, I don't need to make a lot of this dish to satisfy the nibbley-appetizer part and this does fit the very definition of something to be served to open the stomach--it is vinegary, and contains warm spices! Perfecto!

I think on first look, people would be turned off by the idea of a "pickled chicken". I was and I had bypassed the recipe in my search for that "little something else" before actually looking at the ingredients.  I had cooked something similar before for a private dinner!! Chicken Ambrogino with Dried Fruit from "The Medieval Kitchen; Recipes from France and Italy" by Odile Redon, Francoise Sabban & Silvano Serventi--it is absolutely delicious, and should be served again at a future date.  Voila!  

According to the author's, this dish falls into the category of escabeches- dishes that are marinated in vinegar and spices used for preserving meat, fish or vegetables.  No wonder it is referred to as "pickled".  I must admit, that having cooked to great success a similar dish, I did not do a lot of testing of this recipe. I know that the portions presented in the previously mentioned cookbook appeal to modern tastes, so I pulled it down and am using a similar method for this dish.  There are some things that are present in the Chicken Ambrogino not found in this dish, for example, the bread that thickens the sauce.  I may need to do a bit more cooking down of the sauce to form the syrup.  

Stefan's Florilegium is an abslute Gem! If you have an interest in things Medieval, please visit. It is where I found this translation of the Inntal.

Von eingepickten hünern
Nim weinper, zwifal, mandel, essich ader
wein vnd mach dy h¸ner zu III tailen vnd
legs ein vnd mach sy ab mit gew¸rcz vnd
richcz an.

Pickled chickens

Take raisins, onions, almonds, vinegar and wine, cut the chickens into three parts, put them into the pickle, spice them and serve.

Ingredients

3-4 Chicken breast and thighs cut into chunks

1/2 cup Raisins

1 large Onions

1/2 cup Almonds

3 tbsp.  Red Wine Vinegar added to 1/2 cup chicken broth 

1/4 cup Red Wine

For Spices; 1 tbsp. fine spice powder.

I'm cutting the chicken into manageable chunks instead of leaving it whole as this will be an appetizer served alongside roasted neat's tongue, and sausages so it needs to be easily skewearable.  The plan is simple, mix all ingredients together and cook in a pot until the chicken has cooked through, and the sauce has thickened up. Note: I may need to add more liquid to this, and if so I will simply double it up, but I have no idea at this point how much "sauce" will be needed for that amount of chicken to "stew" properly.  Serve.

Addendum: I cooked the sauce down till the pot was dry.  The chicken grabbed onto the flavors of the dish.  This was a great "make ahead" dish, that was delicious cold. 

Testing Recipes -- Om mosterdsaus te maken (To Make Mustard SauceNyeuwen Coock Boeck)

Taken from Gent KANTL 15, volume 1: [Nyeuwen Coock Boeck, C. Muusers (trans.)]:

1.32. Om mosterdsaus te maken

Neem wat appelmoes en doe er wat mosterd bij met wat gemalen paradijskorrels. Meng dit samen goed.

1.32. To make mustard sauce 

Take some applesauce and add some mustard with ground grains of paradise. Mix this well together.

The first recipe to come together is this sweet mustard that will be served alongside the pork.  It reads very simply. I do feel that I should make a period "Apple Sauce" to add  the mustard to, in order to ensure that the flavor is as authentic as I can make it.  

Into the rabbit hole....

Ein Buch von guter spise is a logical source. It is dated between 1345 and 1354, a bit early for most of the reciepts that I will be using, but how much could a basic apple sauce change? 

The original recipe is located here: Ein Buch von Guter Spice

The recipe reads thus: 

(69.) Ein apfelmus.

Wilt du machen ein apfelmus. so nim schöne epfele und schele sie. und snide sie in ein kalt wazzer. und süde sie in einem hafen. und menge sie mit wine und mit smaltze und ze slahe eyer mit wiz und mit al. und tu daz dor zu. und daz ist gar ein gut fülle. und versaltz niht.

Google Translates offers this rather hilarious translation: 

Will you make an apple sauce.  so take beautiful apples and scold them. and cut it into cold wazzer. and south you in a harbor. and mix them with wine and with smaltze and ze slahe eyer with wiz and with al. and close it. and there is even a good fullness. and not oversalted. 

 

Pretty funny, right? Further research found that this recipe is rather common and has been translated from by multple sources whom I consider peers.  Dan Myer's offers this translation on his Medieval Cookery site. 

How you want to make an apple puree. So take fine apples and skin them. And cut them in a cold water. And boil them in a pot. And mix them with wine and with fat and also beat eggs with white and with all. And do that thereto. And that is a very good filling. And do not oversalt. [Ein Buch von guter spise]

My own interpretations for recipes of a similar nature can be found here: lxxix. Apple Muse - Apple Mousse &  .Cxxxiiij. Apple Moyle - Apple Soft.  

Ingredients for Applesauce 

Apples

Wine

Fat (butter or lard)

Eggs

Salt

I find these ingredients confusing, because the addition of fat and eggs means that the sauce itself will be thicker and richer and not what we traditionally think of when we think of applesauce. Traditional fats in medieval cooking were lard, oils, and when available butter. It reminds me a little bit of lemon curd recipes (eggs, sugar, butter and lemon zest and juice).  

It's been ages since I made mom's lemon curd, but that is the recipe I first look up.  Here it is: 

Mom's Lemon Curd

Juice of 2-3 lemons ~1/3 cup

Zest of 1 lemon

4 egg yolks

2/3 cup granulated sugar

6 tbsp. butter

pinch of salt

This gives me an approximate idea of how much of each ingredient for the interpreted recipe I will need.  

Here are my guesses at interpreting the recipe: 

Wine would substitute for the juice of the lemon. 

Apples to replace lemon zest and lemon juice. 

2 Whole eggs instead of four egg yolks

No Sugar??

Keep salt to enhance flavor and please modern tastes

No Spices??? 

Interpreted Recipe

1-2 Apples, peeled, cored and cut into chunks - Use a mix of apples - better flavor

2 whole Eggs

~ 1/3 cup wine  - use lemon juice in lieu of wine for more "child friendly" sauce

up to 6 tbsp. of butter

salt

*Opt. Sugar and Spices

Following the recipe, the apples should be peeled and cored and added to a pot with water.  The assumption is that you boil them until they are soft and then mix the softened apples with wine, butter and then the eggs to thicken it.  At the end of the recipe salt is mentioned so salt should also be added.  Noteably what is missing are spices!  You would expect to have spices in this sauce.  The only flavorings are the apples and the wine.  

Having made lemon curd in the past I know that I am going to use a double boiler to create this dish.  I know my first step will be to cook the apples until they are soft in either water or the wine/lemon juice, and since I want this to be a sauce, I know I will puree the apples before moving into the next step. 

The next step will involve heating the  pureed apples with the eggs,  sugar and the eggs  until the eggs are fully cooked --approximately two to three minutes - at which point I will add in the butter a tablespoon at a time until the mixture begins to thicken.  I assume that like lemon curd, apple curd can be stored in sterilized jars up to a month or so. 

I am wrestling with the idea that there is no sugar or spices, and after the first test, I may add sugar to it.  We will see.  The other recipe I found for applesauce in lent also foregoes sugar, so it may not have been used in this region during this period.

1.16. Appelmoes in de vastentijd

Neem appel, geschild en in stukken gesneden. Doe ze in een pot, neem de lever van kabeljauw of schelvis en laat deze met de appels koken. Roer het vaak. Wrijf saffraan fijn. Stoot dan [de saffraan] in [het appelmengsel] en vermeng het met amandelmelk. Pureer het als het klaar is, schep het op schotels en strooi er specerijen bovenop.

1.16. Apple sauce in Lent

Have apples, peeled en cut in pieces. Put them in a pot, take the liver of cod or haddock and bring this to the boil with the apples. Stir it frequently. Grind saffron finely. Pound [the saffron] in [the apples] and temper with almond milk. When it is ready purée it, serve it on plates and sprinkle spices on top.

Modern Adaptation: Medieval Apple Sauce

Day 2: Moving Forward and testing this recipe to make apple curd

Time to test making apple curd- because I do not have wine we will be using water and lemon juice to cook the apples. I only have medium eggs available, and I'm using three apples that are past their eating prime--yay me.  With those exceptions I will be using the recipe I created yesterday.  If it works, I will be adding mustard and grains of paradise to it.  I must confess that while I've made mustard from scratch in the past, I currently use a stoneground mustard that is pre-made.  

Test Results

I followed the recipe for the applesauce exactly as I wrote it.  It does create a soft pale colored sauce that is very "fragrant" with apples, however the texture is not what I would think of as  modern "Applesauce"--it is a sauce, similar to a gravy. With the savory flavoring of butter and egg so prevalent this dish could be offputting if it was not served correctly--as a sauce.  

If I were to serve this as a side dish, I would add some sugar or honey to enhance the sweetness a little bit more, and cut down on the butter and egg..maybe using half as much as the recipe called for, 

As a savory sauce--it is good, and it was a great way to use up older apples that were starting to go a bit mealy. That said, I moved ahead and prepared it with the mustard.  I was very aggressive with the seasoning for the mustard and veered off from just the grains of paradise.  I found a recipe for a traditional sweet german mustard and used just the spicing from that. 

The traditional german sweet mustard recipe can be found here. Bavarian Sweet Mustard (Bayerischer Süßer Senf)

For the mustard part of this dish I used stoneground mustard mixed 1/3 with dijon mustard.  

Spice Mix

4 Juniper Berries

1/2 tsp. Grains of Paradise

4 Cloves

8 Black Peppercorns

It is currently mellowing in the fridge so the flavors can meld together. I will test it next week.  The guinea pig enjoyed the mustard sauce and pronounced it good. 

No pictures as yet, because this is just a test run.  

On to the next rabbit hole.....

11/9/2021 - Update

I had to do more research on the applesauce...I thought perhaps I had misunderstood what kind of an apple sauce was needed. I may need to rethink the recipe above based on this recipe I found while rsearching "apple sauce". Sabrina Welserin suggests this as a proper sauce for game and small birds. 

8 To make a sauce with apples for game and small birds

Take good apples and peel them and grate them with a grater and put a little fat in a pan over [the fire] and let it become hot and put the apples in it and let them roast therein. After that put good wine thereon, sugar, cinnamon, saffron and some ginger and let it cook together for a while, then it is ready. One should boil the small birds first and then roast them in fat.

Instead of a smooth sauce I might be looking at a chunkier sauce of apples cooked with wine, spices and then mustard added?? Time to research the roast and to determine how much is too much on spicing. 

Yay!