Caudel out of Lent (Harleian MS. 279, c.1430) – Almond-Milk Caudle with Wine
Comfort in a cup. The first time I tested this recipe from Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books (Harleian MS. 279), I knew it would become a bedtime favorite. It’s a soft, sippable custard made from almond milk and wine, sweetened and spiced — somewhere on the family tree between possets and what we later call eggnog. Medieval cooks called it a caudle (a nourishing drink of wine/ale, crumbs, eggs, sugar, spice), often given to the convalescent. This version borrows posset-like elements (wine with “milk”) yet is named a caudle. Proto-eggnog? I’ll let you decide. 🙂
Color at the table was very “in.” The manuscript tells us to “ever keep it as white as thou may,” then offers color options at service — a ruby drizzle of alkanet, or a golden saffron hue. Period cooks also played with herbal greens and berry blues/purples. (If you’ve tried Maestro Martino’s summer “sky-blue” sauce, you know the vibe.)
Update (Aug 24, 2025): Expanded historical notes on medieval food coloring; added side-by-side text/translation, substitutions, dietary badges, and JSON-LD.
Original Text
.Cl. Cawdel out of lente.—Take & make a gode mylke of Almaundys y-draw vppe with wyne of Red, whyte is beterre; ȝif it schal be whyte, þan strayne ȝolkys of Eyroun þer-to a fewe. Put þer-to Sugre & Salt, but Sugre y-now; þen when it begynnyth to boyle, sette it out, & almost flatte; serue it then forth, & euer kepe it as whyte as þou may, & at þe dressoure droppe Alkenade þer-on, & serue forth; & ȝif þou wylt haue hym chargeaunt, bynd hym vppe with fflour of Rys, oþer with whetyn floure, it is no fors. And ȝif þou wolt, coloure hym with Safroun, & straw on pouder y-now, & Sugre y-now, & serue forth.
(Also attested via MedievalCookery.com.)
Modern Gloss
Make almond “milk” with wine (white preferred; red will tint it). For a whiter result, add a few egg yolks. Season with sugar and a little salt. Heat to just at the boil, then remove and let settle. Keep it as white as possible. At service, drip a little alkanet for red marbling; to thicken, bind with rice flour or wheat flour. Or color golden with saffron and strew on spice and more sugar.
