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.
A Dynere of Flesche — John Russell’s Medieval Feast and the Logic of Digestion
Roasted peacock served “re-plumed,” a classic showpiece in late-medieval banquets. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Introduction
In the mid-fifteenth century, court official John Russell compiled the Boke of Nurture (Harley MS 4011), a manual of etiquette, service, and feasting. Among its most intriguing passages is “A Dynere of Flesche”—a model feast for a flesh day. At first glance it reads like excess: swan, peacock, venison, custards, jellies, fritters, sotelties. But beneath the display lies clear order, guided by humoral theory and the theory of digestion.
Humoral theory:
Foods are classified hot/cold, moist/dry.
The goal was balance — so heavy/dry meats might be paired with moist/sweet sauces, or cooling jellies follow heating roasts.
Theory of Digestion (stomach as a fireplace model):
Light, quick-digesting foods first (whet the appetite, “open the stomach”).
Heavy meats mid-meal (need the appetite at full flame).
Cooling or binding foods at the end (to “close the stomach” and aid digestion).
Spices and hippocras (spiced wine) seal the stomach and prevent putrefaction.
Feasting, Status, and Seasonality
Russell’s menu was a model feast—aspirational and didactic. It reflected both status and medical order:
Sotelties: allegorical sugar or pastry sculptures, more about piety and performance than eating.
Hierarchy: the high table saw the full spread; lower tables ate simpler portions.
Seasonality: autumn/winter hunting game + preserved foods (brawn, baked quinces, hippocras). Likely a winter festival setting—Christmas or Twelfth Night.
The Logic of the Courses
First Course: Awakening the Appetite
The feast begins with brawn of boar with mustard. Preserved brawn (salted/pressed) was hot/dry, paired with mustard (also hot/dry) to stimulate appetite. Then came pottages of herbs, spice, and wine (warm, moist, aromatic), followed by staples—beef and mutton, heavy and dry but softened by sauces. Showpieces—pheasant and swan with chawdron sauce, capons, pig, venison bake—balanced humors by variety. The course lifted with leches and fritters, hot/oily appetite stimulants, and paused with a sotelty of the Annunciation.
Second Course: Heaviest Roasts & Entremets
The second course starts gently with blancmanger (chicken and almond, moist and white) and jellies (cooling, clarifying). Then came the heaviest fare: venison, kid, fawn, coney, bustard, stork, crane, peacock, heron. These were dry/hot meats, demanding the stomach’s “strongest fire.”
Between them: entremets—custards, pastries, sweet leches—moist refreshers, palate cleansers, and spectacles. A fritter revived appetite, and an angelic sotelty provided allegory and pause.
Third Course: Stepping Down
Cream of almonds and mawmany were restorative and nourishing. Smaller roasts—curlews, snipes, quails, sparrows—replaced great birds. Moist/cooling dishes returned: perch in jelly, crayfish. Quinces baked (astringent) helped close digestion, alongside sage fritters and spiced leches. A Magi sotelty provided solemn close.
Finale: Issue & Sendoff
The issue de table included pippins (apples) with caraway comfits, custard (blaunderelle), wafers, and hippocras. Apples (cold/dry) restrained excess; caraway (hot/dry) dispelled wind; hippocras (spiced wine) “sealed” the stomach.
Overall Temperament by Course
HotColdMoistDryAstringent
Course / Stage
Overall Temperament
Why this net effect?
First Course
HotDry(+Moist from pottages)
Opens with mustard & preserved brawn (hot/dry stimulants), then warm/moist pottages; heavy meats appear early but are sauced. Net effect = warming/activating with a slight dry edge to “open the stomach.”
Second Course
HotDry(+ moderated by Moist entremets)
Heaviest roasts (venison, crane, peacock) are hot/dry at peak digestion; custards/jellies (entremets) punctuate to moisten/refresh. Net effect = the feast’s hottest/driest point, tempered between platters.
Third Course
MoistCool(+ Astringent close)
Steps down with smaller birds and moist/cooling fish in jelly; baked quinces add astringency to begin closure; sage fritters give brief warmth without flipping the net trend.
Finale (Issue & Boute-hors)
CoolDry→ sealed by HotDry (hippocras)
Raw apples + caraway comfits = cool/dry & wind-dispelling; wafers are light/dry. Final seal with hippocras (hot/dry) “closes the stomach” and guards against putrefaction.
Show SCA stages with temperament
SCA Stage
Temperament
Notes
On Table / Entrance
HotDry
Mustard & brawn stimulate and announce status.
Pottages & Gentle Dishes
MoistWarm
Opens and soothes the stomach.
Great Roasts
HotDry
Peak heat/dryness; serve when digestion is strongest.
Entremets
MoistCool
Palate/digestion refreshers between roasts.
Lighter Birds & Fish
MoistCool
Step-down phase toward closure.
Dessert / Fruit
Astringent
Begins the “binding” close (quinces, etc.).
Issue
CoolDry
Raw apples + comfits; wafers light and crisp.
Boute-hors
HotDry
Hippocras seals the stomach.
Feast Planning with Russell’s Menu
For SCA feast planners, Russell’s feast maps neatly into modern service frameworks:
Beef, mutton, venison, swan, peacock, bustard, crane, etc.
Heaviest, driest meats; mid-digestion
Entremets
Custards, pastries, fritters, sotelties
Palate refreshers, visual allegories
Lighter Birds & Fish
Curlew, quail, perch in jelly, crayfish
Moist/cooling, easier to digest
Dessert / Fruit
Quinces baked, sage fritters
Astringent closure, sharpen digestion
Issue
Apples with caraway, wafers
Refresh and bind, dispel wind
Boute-hors
Hippocras
Spiced wine to seal digestion
Mythbusting Russell’s Feast
“Feasts were chaotic.” ❌ They followed medical choreography.
“Everyone ate the same food.” ❌ Hierarchy dictated portions.
“Peacock and swan were delicacies.” ❌ They were tough; value lay in spectacle.
“Sugar was common.” ❌ It was a costly luxury spice.
“Fritters were desserts only.” ❌ They appear in every course as stimulants.
“Fruit was always cooked.” ❌ The pippins at issue were raw, paired with comfits.
✅ Dos & ❌ Don’ts by Course
First Course
✅ Pair heavy meats with moist dishes (pottage, sauce)
❌ Don’t open with multiple cold/moist foods — they dull appetite
Second Course
✅ Interleave entremets between heavy roasts
❌ Don’t serve only hot/dry roasts back-to-back — digestion overload
Third Course
✅ Use cooling/moist dishes (fish, almond cream) to “calm the stomach”
❌ Don’t drop in new hot/dry meats here — it reverses the descent
Finale
✅ Always end with an astringent fruit + spiced closer
❌ Don’t pile sweets without balance — needs closure to “seal digestion”
Conclusion
Russell’s Dynere of Flesche shows that medieval dining was deliberate: humoral balance, digestive order, spectacle, and hierarchy all interlaced. What seems like excess was careful choreography. For modern readers—and especially SCA feast stewards—it offers both inspiration and a reminder: a medieval feast was an art of health and performance.
Why this matters today: Russell’s feast reminds us that medieval banquets were not chaotic indulgence, but carefully balanced systems of health, status, and art.
It’s a reminder that food has always been about more than eating—it shapes identity, power, and performance at the table.
From Sauce to Aspic – The 500-Year Journey of Galentyne → Galantine
From hot medieval sauce to elegant cold aspic — the shifting identity of galentyne/galantine.
What’s in a name? Few dishes illustrate the transformations of European cuisine as vividly as galentyne. In the 14th century, it meant a spiced, bread-thickened sauce for meats or fish. By the 19th century, galantine had become a boned, stuffed, aspic-set cold dish — a centerpiece of French haute cuisine. Here we trace that remarkable journey across 500 years, with original recipes and modern adaptations.
Medieval Origins (14th–15th c.)
Harleian MS. 279 (England, c.1430):Fyletes in Galentyne is one of the best known. Pork is roasted, cut up, and stewed with onions, pepper, ginger, bread, and vinegar, finished with blood or sanders for color.
“Take fayre porke of the fore quarter, and rost hit tyl hit be almost ynogh; … and colour hit with blode, or elles with sandres, and then lat hit boyle up wel, and serve it forth.”
Modern feast menus often jump from a pottage or soup straight to roasts. Historically, diners expected something between. The entremet (Old French: “between-dish”) served as a bridge between heavy services, offering refreshment, surprise, and sometimes outright spectacle. This post explains the term’s origins, how it functioned, where it went, and practical ways to revive it in today’s feasts.
Etymology & Early References
Entremet derives from Old French (entre + mettre/mettre “to place/send in between”), literally a dish interposed between services. The concept appears prominently in 14th‑century French sources such as Le Viandier and later in Le Ménagier de Paris; in English material (e.g., Harleian MS. 279, c.1430) you find dishes that likely filled the same role, even when not labeled “entremet.”
Function of the Entremet
Pacing & Palate Reset: a light interlude after dense pottages or fish and before the roasts.
Blawnche Perrye — a light, pale pottage; visually striking early in a feast.
Colored rice — saffron‑gold, parsley‑green, or spiced rice for contrast.
Fritters — rice or fruit fritters served in small bites.
Jellies — molded almond or wine jellies; multicolored effects.
Disguised dishes — meats/fish presented in altered forms for surprise.
Regional Variations of the Entremet
While the entremet began in French courtly dining, the idea of a “between dish” spread widely. Each region adapted the form to local tastes, ingredients, and cultural priorities.
France
In sources such as Le Viandier and Le Ménagier de Paris (14th c.), entremets often took spectacular form — multicolored jellies, stuffed or disguised animals, and occasional allegorical displays.
England
English manuscripts like Harleian MS. 279 (~1430) present plainer entremets: light pottages (e.g., Blawnche Perrye), spiced rice, or oyster dishes — emphasizing humoral balance over pageantry.
Italy
Italian masters (Maestro Martino, Scappi) blurred entremets with refined lighter courses: almond milk dishes, sugared rice, small pasta or vegetable preparations with elegant presentation.
Spain & Catalonia
Texts such as Llibre de Coch (1520) show sweet‑leaning entremets — almond pastes, candied fruits, spiced rice — foreshadowing dessert traditions.
Germany
German Speisebücher and later works (e.g., Anna Wecker, 1598) feature Zwischenspeisen (“between‑dishes”): saffron or parsley‑colored rice, Sülze (bright fish/meat jellies), and fritters like Krapfen or Strauben — practical, colorful, and texturally contrasting.
Blawnche Perrye – creamy almond & fish dish, often served between courses
FAQ: Does a Modern Galantine Count as an Entremet?
Sometimes. If served as a small, decorative “between” dish (rather than as part of the roast service), a galantine can function as an entremet. Keep portions modest and presentation striking; otherwise it reads as a main meat course.
Sources & Further Reading
Le Viandier (14th c.) — early entremet references.
Harleian MS. 279 (c.1430) – For to make Blawnche Perrye – Creamed Leeks with Rice Originally published 3/30/2017 Updated 9/10/2025
In Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery Books (Harleian MS. 279, c.1430), we are told to serve fish — especially eel — with Blawnche Perrye, much as venison was paired with furmenty. Eel was common in medieval England, but difficult to find (and costly) today. For this version, I substituted perch, though monkfish or mullet would be closer to the fatty, firm texture of eel.
This dish sits at the intersection of pottage cookery and fish service. It’s a reminder of the wide variety of fish eaten in the Middle Ages: herring, salmon, eel, cod, pike, turbot, perch, carp, trout, even porpoise and whale. Shellfish such as oysters, cockles, shrimps, crabs, and mussels were also common.
The Original Recipe
.xlv.—For to make Blawnche Perrye.
Take þe Whyte of the lekys, an seþe hem in a potte, an presse hem vp, & hacke hem smal on a bord. An nym gode Almaunde Mylke, an a lytil of Rys, an do alle þes to-gederys, an seþe an stere it wyl, an do þer-to Sugre or hony, an dresse it yn; þanne take powderd Elys, an seþe hem in fayre Water, and broyle hem, an kytte hem in long pecys. And ley .ij. or .iij. in a dysshe, and putte þin perrey in a-noþer dysshe, an serue þe to dysshys to-gederys as Venysoun with Furmenty.
Daniel Myers offers a modernized Middle English transcription on Medieval Cookery, and the recipe is also rendered in Austin’s edition of Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery Books.
Chykonys in Bruette — Chicken in Ale-Broth with Saffron (Harleian MS. 279, c.1430)Chykonys in Bruette — Chicken in Ale-Broth with Saffron (Harleian MS. 279)
Chykonys in Bruette — Chicken in Ale-Broth with Saffron (Harleian MS. 279, c.1430)
Originally published 12/21/2016 - Updated 9/10/2025
Bruet/bruette in Middle English generally signals a sauce or broth thickened with bread and seasoned with warm spices. In Harleian MS. 279, this dish is a straightforward, feast-friendly pottage: gently boiled chicken, chopped, then simmered in its own broth with ale, pepper, ginger, and saffron, thickened with ground bread. A related stream of recipes (Forme of Cury, Liber cure cocorum, Noble Boke) adds pork and cumin; this post presents the Harleian-only version first and notes the pork-and-cumin variant below.
Original Recipe
.lxxxxvij. Chykonys in bruette.
Take an Sethe Chykonys, & smyte hem to gobettys; þan take Pepir, Gyngere, an Brede y-grounde, & temper it vppe wyth þe self brothe, an with Ale; an coloure it with Safroun, an sethe an serue forth.
Gloss: Boil chickens; chop to gobbets. Grind pepper, ginger, and bread; temper (mix) with the same broth and ale; color with saffron; boil and serve.
2 lb (900 g) bone-in chicken (thighs or split breasts)
Water to cover (or light chicken broth)
1 cup (240 ml) mild ale (low-bitterness)
1 tsp ground ginger
¾–1 tsp ground black pepper
Generous pinch saffron, crumbled
¾–1 cup (45–60 g) fresh breadcrumbs (or 35–45 g dried, finely ground)
Salt, to taste
Method
Parboil: Cover chicken with water; bring to a gentle boil. Skim, then simmer until just cooked (20–25 min). Remove chicken; reserve broth. When cool enough, strip meat and cut into bite-size pieces.
Make the bruette: Measure 4 cups (950 ml) of the chicken broth back into the pot. Add ale, ginger, pepper, and saffron. Bring to a gentle simmer 3–5 minutes to bloom spices.
Thicken: Whisk in ground bread gradually until the broth lightly coats a spoon; simmer 3–5 minutes. Adjust thickness with more bread or broth.
Finish: Return chicken to the pot; simmer 2–3 minutes. Season with salt to taste. Serve hot.
Cook’s Notes: Aim for a spoonable, saucy pottage—not a paste. If your ale is bitter, cut with more broth. For a silkier texture, sieve the sauce before adding the chicken.
Fylettys en Galentyne – Pork in Spiced Onion Sauce (Harleian MS. 279, c.1430)
Kitchen test photo from the original post,
showing the stew interpretation of Fyletes in Galentyne.
Fyletes in Galentyne appears in Harleian MS. 279 (c.1430) and exemplifies a common medieval pairing: roasted or half-roasted meat finished in a rich, spiced sauce. The “galentyne” is thickened with bread and given depth either by blood (for savory richness) or by sanders (red sandalwood) to tint and flavor. Both are legitimate medieval options, so we present them side by side.
Note on interpretation: When this recipe was first published here on , I presented it as a stew — simmered pork and onions in a spiced broth. On closer reading, however, the text more clearly aligns with the medieval understanding of galentyne as a sauce for meat: roast pork finished with a thickened, spiced, colored sauce.
Both versions are plausible, so I’ve left my original interpretation here (Version A) and added the sauce-based version (Version B). The original post has been updated and republished on to reflect this correction.
Original Recipe (Harleian MS. 279, c.1430)
Englishe:
“Take fayre porke of the fore quarter, and rost hit tyl hit be almost ynogh; then take and smyte hit in fayre pecys, and caste hit in a fayre potte; then take oynons and shredde hem small, and frie hem in fayre grece, and caste hem to the porke, and stew hit togydre; then take gode broth of beef or motton, and caste thereto; then take powder of peper and of gynger, and caste thereto; and take bred ystepid in vinegre, and strayne hit thorow a straynoure, and caste thereto; and colour hit with blode, or elles with sandres, and then lat hit boyle up wel, and serve it forth.”
Modern Translation:
Take good pork from the forequarter and roast it until nearly done; cut into pieces and place in a pot. Chop onions, fry them in fat, and add to the pork. Stew together with good beef or mutton broth. Add pepper and ginger. Take bread soaked in vinegar, strain it, and add. Color with blood—or else with red sandalwood—and let it boil well. Serve forth.
Powder Douce & Powder Forte – Medieval Spice Mixes
Medieval-style spice blends: sweet poudre douce and strong poudre forte.
Quick context: In medieval English and Italian sources, powder mixes are pre-made spice blends used much like modern garam masala or pumpkin spice. The two most common names are Powder Douce (sweet, sugar-forward) and Powder Forte (pepper-forward, “strong”). Exact formulas weren’t standardized—each cook adjusted to taste, budget, and what was on hand.
Powder Douce (aka douce/“sweet”/white powder): typically sugar-heavy with warm spices like cinnamon and ginger; sometimes nutmeg, mace, cloves.
Powder Forte (aka strong powder): pepper-based, sometimes with long pepper, cubebs, grains of paradise; may include cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, coriander/caraway.
Torta Bianca – White Tart (Maestro Martino → Redon, 1998)
“The Feast in the House of Levi” (detail), Paolo Veronese — banquet context for Renaissance tortes.
Torta bianca (“white tart”) was a dish of status and symbolism. Appearing in Maestro Martino’s Libro de arte coquinaria (c. 1465), it used fresh white cheese, egg whites, sugar, butter, and milk — baked gently, then perfumed with rosewater and sprinkled with sugar. In Renaissance Italy, white foods carried associations of purity, refinement, and health. By Scappi’s time (1570), torte bianche included versions with provatura (fresh stretched-curd cheese) or ricotta blended with Parmigiano.
How this post is structured
Below: (a) Martino’s original Italian text, (b) a literal English translation, (c) Redon’s modern adaptation summary, then a modern tested recipe. Afterward you’ll find 🥕 dietary notes, 📖 menu placement, substitutions, historical notes, cross-links, sources, labels, schema, and ⚖ humoral theory.
Original & Translated Recipes
Maestro Martino (c. 1465) — Italian
Per fare torta biancha. Togli del bono cascio frescho, et biancho, et pistalo molto bene nel mortaro, et metigli del zuccaro, et qualche quarta parte di butiro; et se vi mettessi un poco di lardo tanto meglio serà; poi mettivi alquanti chiari d’ova, et un poco di latte; et mettile sopra lo fuoco piano, et mescola spesso col cocchiaro. Et quando sarà ben mescolato, impastalo con fior di farina, et fa’ la torta cum lo crusto di sopra et di sotto. Et ponila a cocere in lo testo, o al forno, cum fuoco lento di sopra et di sotto; et quando serà cotta, gettagli di sopra un poco di zuccaro et acqua rosata; et serà bona.
Modern English (literal)
To make a white tart. Take good fresh white cheese and pound it very well in a mortar; add sugar and about a quarter part of butter (a little lard is even better); then some egg whites and a little milk. Set it over a gentle fire, stirring often. When well mixed, work it with fine flour, and make the tart with a crust above and below. Bake with gentle heat above and below; when cooked, sprinkle with sugar and rosewater, and it will be good.
Modern Adaptation (Redon)
A baked pie shell filled with a mixture of cream cheese, egg whites, sugar, butter, and milk. Baked until pale, finished with sugar, rosewater, and candied cherries.
Diriola – Maestro Martino’s Custard Tart (Libro de arte Coquinaria)
“The Feast in the House of Levi” (detail), Paolo Veronese. Used here as period context for Renaissance custard tarts like Martino’s diriola.
Maestro Martino da Como (c. 1465) was one of the most influential cooks of the Renaissance. His Libro de arte Coquinaria includes Diriola, a delicate custard tart scented with cinnamon and rosewater. The dish straddles the line between medieval spiced creams and the refined Renaissance custards we’d recognize today. Redon, Sabban, and Serventi’s The Medieval Kitchen (1998) provides a modern adaptation faithful to Martino’s cues.
Original Recipe (Martino, c.1465)
Italian (15th c.)
“…un poca d’acqua rosata, et volta bene collo cocchiaro. Et quando sarà fornita di prendere, sera cotta. Et nota che non vole cocere troppo et vole tremare como una ionchata.
Per la Quadragesima: Habbi del lacte de le amandole con del zuccharo, et dell’acqua rosata, et de la canella. Et per fare che si prenda gli mettirai un pocha di farina d’amitto, observando in le altre cose l’ordine del capitolo sopra ditto.”
Translation
“…add a little rosewater and stir it well with a spoon. When it begins to set, it is cooked. Note that it should not be over-baked; it should quiver like a junket.
For Lent: take almond milk with sugar, rosewater, and cinnamon. To make it set, add a little starch flour, following the same method as above.”
De la insaleggiata di cipolle – Renaissance Onion Salad (Redon, 1998)
“The Feast in the House of Levi” (detail), Paolo Veronese. Used here as period context for Renaissance spiced vegetable dishes such as onion salad.
Context:De la insaleggiata di cipolle is a medieval-to-Renaissance Italian onion “salad.” Onions are roasted in embers or a hot oven until sweet and soft, then sliced and dressed with wine vinegar, oil, and spezie forti (strong spices). These sharp, spiced starters were common on Italian banquet tables as appetite-whetting openers or vegetable accompaniments in the early courses.
Original Recipe (Libro della cucina, 14th c.)
Italian (Zambrini ed., 1863):
“Togli cipolle; cuocile sotto la bragia, e poi le monda, e tagliale per traverso longhette e sottili: mettili alquanto d’aceto, sale, oglio e spezie, e dà a mangiare.”
English (faithful translation):
“Take onions; cook them under the embers; then peel them, and cut them across into long, thin slices; put on a little vinegar, salt, oil, and spices, and serve.”
Redon paraphrase (1998)
“Roast onions in the fire until blackened. Peel, slice finely, and season with salt, vinegar, oil, and spices.”
This dish reaches us in three layers: the terse 14th-century text, Redon’s Renaissance-informed paraphrase, and the modern tested adaptation below.
Comparison: Medieval → Redon → Modern
Source
Text / Notes
Libro della cucina (14th c.)
“Cook under embers; peel; slice long and thin; dress with a little vinegar, salt, oil, and spices; serve.”
Redon (1998)
“Roast in the fire until blackened; peel; slice finely; season with salt, vinegar, oil, and spices.”
Fava fresche con brodo di carne – Fresh Fava Beans with Meat Broth (Redon, 1998)
“The Feast in the House of Levi” (detail), Paolo Veronese — used here as period context for a Renaissance table.
Context & Notes
Fava fresche con brodo di carne is a rustic Renaissance preparation: fresh spring fava beans briefly simmered in meat broth, enriched with a little cured pork, and finished with parsley and mint. The technique keeps the beans tender while letting a few split to lightly thicken the broth.
Seasonality & status: Fava beans were among the first fresh foods after Lent and signaled the turn from winter storage fare to spring produce. Courtly kitchens “elevated” this staple through refined broth, measured cooking, and aromatic herbs—much as spices elevate simple noodles in De lasanis.
Broth choice: Chicken broth reads lighter and more restorative for warmer weather; beef broth is heartier and “strengthening.” Either appears in period practice depending on the season and desired effect.
Humoral Notes (with pork nuance)
Fava beans: generally cold & moist. Pork:fresh pork was classed as cold & moist and heavy; salted/cured pork (pancetta, salt belly) was thought to gain warming/drying qualities from salt and smoke—still rich, but more balancing when used sparingly. Herbs: parsley and mint are warming/aromatic correctives. Broth: chicken leans lighter; beef leans more warming/fortifying.
Thus this dish pairs a cold/moist base (beans) with modest warming elements (cured pork, hot broth, herbs) to arrive at a comfortable middle course—similar to how spices balanced the cheese-and-pasta profile in De lasanis.
Side-by-Side: Original (Redon, 1998) & Modern Notes
Original (Redon, 1998)
Ingredients: 2 cups beef or chicken broth (or mix), 4½ lb fresh fava beans, 4 oz salt pork belly or pancetta, 1 Tbsp chopped parsley & mint; salt.
Method: Shell beans; blanch briefly (5 seconds), refresh, peel. Dice pork. Simmer broth, beans, and pork ~10 minutes until beans begin to break. Add herbs; return to a brief boil. Salt to taste and serve.
Texture cue: “Begin to break” = lightly thickened broth, not mashed.
Herb timing: Herbs added at the end to keep flavors vivid.
Pork form matters: Pancetta/salt pork (cured) used in small amount for savor and humoral balance.
Broth intent: Chicken for lighter tables; beef for heartier service.
Scappi’s Minestra di Piselli & Fave fresche (1570, Libro III, #249)
Per far minestra di Piselli & Fave fresche:
Piglinosi i piselli o baccelli, sgraninosi, & ponganosi in un uaso con oglio d’oliue, sale, & pepe, & faccianosi soffriggere pian piano, aggiungendovi tanta acqua tinta di zafferano, che stiano coperti di due dita, & come saranno poco men che cotti, pestisene una parte nel mortaro, e stemperisi con il medesimo brodo, & mettasi nel uaso con una branchata d’herbuccie battute, e faccianosi levare il bollo, e servanosi caldi.
Translation (modern English):
“Take peas or broad beans, shell them, and put them in a pot with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Let them sauté gently, adding in enough water, colored with saffron, to cover them by about two fingers. When they are a little less than cooked, pound part of them in a mortar and dilute that with the same broth; return it to the pot with a handful of chopped herbs, bring it all to a boil, and serve it hot.”
4½ lb (about 2 kg) fresh fava beans in pod (≈ 1 lb / 450 g shelled)
4 oz (115 g) salt pork belly or pancetta, finely diced
1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 Tbsp fresh mint, chopped
Kosher salt, to taste
Method
Prep beans: Shell. Blanch 5 seconds in boiling water, refresh in cold water, slip off the outer skins.
Simmer: In a saucepan, combine broth, diced pork, and beans. Bring to a boil, reduce to a lively simmer, and cook about 10 minutes, until beans just begin to soften and a few split to lightly thicken the broth.
Finish: Stir in parsley and mint; return to a brief boil (30–60 seconds). Season with salt and serve hot.
🍽 Menu Placement (Feast Planning)
Dish Type: Pottage (a “wet” course served in or with broth)
Course: Second course (Pottage course). Because beans digest heavy in some frameworks, serve moderate portions or as a remove between roasts.
Service tips: Offer trenchers or bread to soak up the savory broth.
🥕 Dietary Suggestions
Gluten-free.
Pork-free: Swap in smoked turkey or omit meat and add 1–2 Tbsp olive oil for body.
Vegetarian: Use vegetable broth; finish with a knob of butter or extra-virgin olive oil.
📚 Sources
Redon, 1998 (adaptation as provided).
Period dietetic summaries consulted for general fresh vs. cured meat distinctions and bean qualities.
🏷 Labels
Browse by Dish Type: Pottage
Browse by Ingredient: Legumes, Pork, Herbs
Browse by Use: Feast Planning, Period Techniques, Humoral Theory
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Social & Political Implications of Elaborate Entremets