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.

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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.”

See the full recipe in our updated Fyletes in Galentyne post.

Entremets — The Forgotten Medieval Course

Entremets — The Forgotten Medieval Course Between Pottage and Roast

Paolo Veronese, The Feast in the House of Levi (1573), Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

Updated: 2025-09-11 · Labels: Entremet · Feast Planning · Historical Cooking · Medieval · Renaissance

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.
• Spectacle & Surprise: color shifts, unusual textures, disguised forms, molded shapes.
• Status & Seasonality: ingredients like saffron, sugar, almonds signal wealth and trade access; colors and motifs reflect seasonal/religious themes.

Entremet vs. Soteltie (Subtlety)

Aspect	Entremet	Soteltie / Subtlety
Purpose	Culinary surprise between services; light refreshment	Edible (or semi‑edible) display; allegory, heraldry, pageant
Form	Real dishes: rice, fritters, jellies, fruit, delicate pottages	Sculpted pastry/sugar/marzipan; sometimes inedible components
Placement	Between major courses (e.g., after fish/pottage, before roasts)	Also between courses, but primarily ceremonial/representational
Examples	Blawnche Perrye; colored rice; almond jelly; small fritters	Heraldic beasts; castles; motto banners; sugar tableaux

Historical Examples

• 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.

Comparison at a Glance

Region	Style	Typical Entremets
France	Spectacle & allegory	Multicolored jellies; disguised animals; displays
England	Plain & balancing	Light pottages; Blawnche Perrye; spiced rice; oysters
Italy	Refined & sweet‑leaning	Almond milk dishes; sugared rice; elegant vegetables/pasta
Spain	Sweet & aromatic	Candied fruit; almond pastes; sweet rice
Germany	Practical & colorful	Saffron/parsley rice; Sülze; fritters (Krapfen, Strauben)

Cultural Implications of the Entremet

• Status & Wealth: saffron, sugar, and almonds advertised trade connections and prosperity.
• Hospitality & Generosity: an “extra” dish beyond necessity signaled refined care for guests.
• Symbolism & Allegory: colors, shapes, and motifs could project heraldry, virtues, or politics.
• Religious Context: on fast days, almond/fish/rice entremets expressed piety while keeping celebration.
• Urban vs. Rural: princely or guild feasts layered multiple entremets; smaller households scaled with fruit or fritters.

Techniques & Ingredients for Recreating Historical Entremets Today

Coloring & Flavoring

• Saffron for gold; spinach/parsley juice for green; beet/red wine for red‑purple.
• Pouder douce/forte-inspired spice mixes (cinnamon, ginger, grains of paradise/pepper, clove) for warming balance.

Texture & Setting

• Gelatin sheets as a modern stand‑in for isinglass; almond milk (unsweetened) for dairy‑free jellies/pottages; rice flour for smooth thickening.
• Use silicone molds or small ramekins for easy unmolding and portion control.

Service & Plating

• Keep portions amuse‑bouche to tasting‑spoon size.
• Serve on trenchers or small plates for visual “in‑between” cues.
• Contrast color/temperature with adjacent courses (e.g., warm saffron rice after a cool fish pottage).

How Preparation & Serving Evolved Across Cultures

• France: 14th‑c. courtly showpieces; by 17th‑c. service à la française, “entremets” shifts toward plated side dishes (vegetables/sweets).
• England: lighter, balancing dishes early on; later, subtleties dominate the between‑course spectacle while “entremet” as a named category fades.
• Italy: refined palate‑cleansers in Martino/Scappi; drift toward sweet course traditions.
• Germany: practical Zwischenspeisen (colored rice, Sülze, fritters) persist as pacing devices; concept echoes into modern zwischenmahlzeiten (snacks).
• Spain/Catalonia: sweet, aromatic dishes bridge to the rise of post‑meal desserts.

Social & Political Implications of Elaborate Entremets

• Political messaging: allegorical colors/figures could reinforce heraldry, dynastic claims, or alliances.
• Diplomatic theatre: multiple entremets broadcast wealth and organizational prowess to envoys/guests.
• Religious signalling: fast‑day almond/rice/fish displays piety + generosity.
• Guild identity: urban companies used entremets to rival noble display and celebrate craft prosperity.
• Class contrast: layering “extras” underlined hierarchy where common tables had few courses.

Modern Feast Planning: Reviving the Entremet

• Pick one small, high‑impact dish (colored rice, fritter, molded jelly).
• Plate for contrast (color/temperature/texture) and keep portions small.
• Mind humoral balance: pair cold‑moist (oysters, almond milk) with warming spices (ginger, pepper).
• Leverage dietary wins: many entremets are naturally GF/DF; offer a vegan variant where sensible.

🍽️ Entremet Examples on Give it Forth

• Orenges after the Portugall Fashion – preserved and stuffed citrus
• Gelo in Bocconcini di più Colori – jewel-like multi-colored jellies
• Bolas (Poached Pears in Plum Sauce) – fruit course with sauce
• Spanish Wedges – elegant 17th-c. sweet entremet
• 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.
• Le Ménagier de Paris (c. 1393) — household menus with entremet-like items.
• Harleian MS. 279 (c. 1430) — English recipes including light pottages and oysters.
• Maestro Martino, The Art of Cooking — refined Italian inter-course dishes.
• Bartolomeo Scappi, Opera — elegant entremet examples in Renaissance service.
• Anna Wecker, Ein Köstlich new Kochbuch (1598) — German Zwischenspeisen.
• Llibre de Coch (1520, Catalonia) — sweet/aromatic entremet traditions.

🍊 Oranges after the Portugal Fashion (Sir Hugh Plat, 1609)

Originally published 1/18/2015 - Updated 9/10/2025

Description. This dazzling Renaissance confection comes from Sir Hugh Plat’s Delights for Ladies (1609). “To preserve Orenges after the Portugall fashion” describes a labor-intensive but show-stopping sweet: whole oranges boiled to temper bitterness, candied in syrup, then stuffed with marmalade made from their own pulp. Once finished, they’re sliced like hard-boiled eggs—revealing a jewel-bright center.

Note: Period cooks likely used Seville (bitter) oranges. Sweet oranges make a gentler, less astringent modern result; either works with the method below.

Candied whole oranges simmering in syrup.

Historical Recipe (1609)

To preſerue Orenges after the Portugall faſhion. Take Orenges & coare them on the ſide and lay them in water, then boile them in fair water til they be tender, ſhift them in the boyling to take away their bitterneſſe, then take ſugar and boyle it to the height of ſirup as much as will couer them, and ſo put your Orenges into it, and that will make them take ſugar. If you haue 24. Orenges, beate 8. of them till they come to a paſte with a pounde of fine ſugar, then fill euery one of the other Orenges with the ſame, and ſo boile them again in your ſirup: then there will be marmelade of orenges with your orenges, & it will cut like an hard egge.

— Sir Hugh Plat, Delights for Ladies (1609)

Modernized Transcription

To preserve oranges after the Portugal fashion: core each orange on the side and soak in water. Boil in fair water until tender, changing the water to reduce bitterness. Boil sugar to a syrup sufficient to cover and put the oranges in so they take sugar. Of 24 oranges, beat 8 to a paste with a pound of fine sugar and fill the remaining oranges. Boil again in the syrup: you’ll have marmalade of oranges within the oranges, and it will cut like a hard egg.

Blawnche Perrye – Creamed Leeks with Rice and Fish (Harleian MS. 279, c.1430)

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.

Modern Recipe