Vyolette: A 15th-Century Violet Almond Custard from Harleian MS. 279

.lxxxxj. Vyolette – Violet Almond Pottage

.lxxxxj. Vyolette – Violet Almond Pottage

This pottage blends fragrant violet flowers with thickened almond milk and sweet stewed fruits—a historic, lightly spiced dish drawn from Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books. While not as beloved as its cousin recipe Cxxv. Vyolette, this warming dish remains visually striking and period-appropriate for a historical reenactment feast.

Original:
.lxxxxj. Vyolette.—Nym Almaunde Mylke, an flowre of Rys, and pouder Gyngere, Galyngale, Pepir, Datis, Fygys, & Rasonys y-corven, an coloure it with Safroun, an boyle it & make it chargeaunt; an whan þou dressyste, take þe flowres, an hew hem, an styre it þer-with; nyme þe braunchys with þe flowres, an sette a-boue and serue it Forth.

Interpreted Recipe (8 servings)

• 4 cups almond milk
• 1/2 cup rice flour
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp each ground galingale and pepper
• 24 figs, minced
• 24 dates, minced
• 2 cups raisins
• Pinch of saffron
• Fresh violet flowers (Viola odorata), chopped, with sprigs reserved for garnish

Instructions:

1. Warm almond milk with saffron over low heat until colored.
2. Add spices, fruits, and simmer until fruit is soft (about 7 minutes).
3. Whisk in rice flour, stirring constantly until thickened to a porridge consistency.
4. Cool slightly, fold in chopped violet petals, and serve with violet sprigs on top.

Kitchen Notes

This dish resembles a medieval breakfast porridge more than a dessert. The almond broth is subtly sweet, spiced, and filled with softened fruit. Violet flowers stirred in at the end retain their color and provide a soft floral finish.

Compared to the more custardy version of Cxxv. Vyolette, this is heartier and less dessert-like, but still appropriate for a spring feast or vigil.

Related Floral Recipes

• Rede Rose – A rose custard with egg yolk and almond milk
• Cviij. Prymerose – Primrose flower with ginger and saffron
• Cxxviij. Flowrys of Hawthorn – Prepared in the same style as vyolet

Flower Usage in Medieval Cooking

Violets, especially Viola odorata, were prized for their scent and beauty. They were used not only in sweet syrups but in stews and broths to signal elegance and freshness. Only scented violets were considered culinary-safe in the Middle Ages.

Refer to our full guide: Flavors of the Flower: 5 Medieval Recipes Using Edible Blooms

Edible Flower Safety Chart from Agnes deLanvallei:
Medieval Herbs We Grow Chiefly as Flowers (archived)

Labels: violets, medieval recipe, almond pottage, edible flowers, 15th century food

Further Reading: Of March Violets

Explore the poetic and symbolic legacy of violets in “Of March Violets”, a companion piece reflecting on the fragrance, folklore, and meaning of this beloved bloom in medieval and modern imagination.

Whether you're reconstructing a medieval banquet or adding floral flair to a modern meal, edible flowers are a fragrant and flavorful way to connect with the past. These recipes remind us that beauty and sustenance were deeply intertwined in historical cuisine—and they invite us to continue that legacy in our own kitchens today.

⚠️ Reminder: Always use organically grown or culinary-grade flowers. Never consume flowers from florists or treated ornamental plants.

References & Resources

• Parkinson, John. Paradisi in Sole Paradisus Terrestris (1629). A foundational English gardening text blending botanical, culinary, and medicinal knowledge. Read on Project Gutenberg.
• A Book of Fruits & Flowers (1653). A 17th-century household manual offering flower-based recipes for food, drink, and medicine. Read on Project Gutenberg.
• MedievalCookery.com. Searchable transcriptions of medieval English and European cookbooks.

Vyolette: A 15th-Century Violet Custard

Vyolette: A 15th-Century Violet Custard

This creamy, lightly floral custard is adapted from Harleian MS. 279, one of the earliest English recipe collections. Violets, celebrated for their sweet scent and gentle flavor, were often used in both food and medicine in medieval Europe.

Original Recipe:
.Cxxv. Vyolette.—Take Flourys of Vyolet, boyle hem, presse hem, bray hem smal, temper hem vppe with Almaunde mylke, or gode Cowe Mylke, a-lye it with Amyndoun or Flowre of Rys; take Sugre y-now, an putte þer-to, or hony in defaute; coloure it with þe same þat þe flowrys be on y-peyntid a-boue.

Interpreted Recipe (Serves 8)

• 1/3 cup fresh violet petals, cleaned and washed
• 1 cup almond milk or milk
• 2 tbsp rice flour
• 1–2 tbsp sugar or honey, to taste

Place petals and milk in a pot on low heat. After 10–15 minutes, once the color has steeped into the milk, add rice flour and sweetener. Stir constantly until thickened to a custard-like consistency. Cool slightly and garnish with fresh violets.

Kitchen Notes

This dish was a unanimous favorite among taste testers. The delicate lavender color and sweet, floral flavor delighted everyone. It’s a perfect springtime offering and has made its way onto the “must serve at feast” list.

Historical & Culinary Notes

• Violets were often preserved in syrup or candied for use in winter months.
• John Parkinson, in Paradisi in Sole (1629), wrote that “the blew Violets are much used in Possets, Syrups, and Conserves... and to comfort the heart.”
• A Book of Fruits & Flowers (1653) describes violets in both culinary and medicinal applications, including comfort syrups and conserve of flowers.
• According to The Garden of Pleasant Flowers, violets were admired for their cooling, moistening properties—ideal for spring dishes in humoral diets.

Related Resources:

• How to Candy Flowers
• Violet Syrup
• Flavors of the Flower: 5 Medieval Recipes Using Edible Blooms

⚠️ Reminder: Always use organically grown or culinary-grade flowers. Never consume flowers from florists or treated ornamental plants.

References & Resources

• Parkinson, John. Paradisi in Sole Paradisus Terrestris (1629). A foundational English gardening text blending botanical, culinary, and medicinal knowledge. Read on Project Gutenberg.
• A Book of Fruits & Flowers (1653). A 17th-century household manual offering flower-based recipes for food, drink, and medicine. Read on Project Gutenberg.
• MedievalCookery.com. Searchable transcriptions of medieval English and European cookbooks.

Kitchen Adventures – Small Birds Stewed (Harliean MS 279 (about 1430) Smale Byrdys y-stwyde)

Harliean MS 279 (about 1430) Smale Byrdys y-stwyde - Small Birds Stewed

There are several pottages which include chicken, eggs or both found in 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" Thomas Austin. Two of them I have published previously as Harleain MS 279 (ab. 1430) Gelyne in Dubbatte - Chicken in Wine Sauce and Harleain MS 279 (ab. 1430) Henne in Bokenade - Stewed Chicken in Sauce. 

The people of the middle ages enjoyed a much wider variety of foods then we do today.  Some of the items that they enjoyed were particularly exotic or have fallen out of favor.  In addition to chicken, duck and goose, the following birds found their way to the medieval table including; Blackbirds, Bustards, Cormorant, Crane, Crow, Cuckoo, Curlews, Dove, Finches, Gannets, Godwits, Guillemots, Gulls, Heron, Lark. Oystercatchers, Partridges, Peacock, Pheasants, Plovers (including dotterels and lapwings), Puffins, Quail, Razor-billed auks, Rock Dove, Sandpipers (including knots, snipes, ruffs and woodcocks), Sparrows, Spoonbills, Starlings, Stork, Swan, Terns, Thrushes, Turtle Dove and Wood Pigeon.

The recipe below is very practical given the wide variety of birds that were enjoyed in the Middle Ages.  I used chicken to make it and tested it using my regular body of non-sca teens and my brother-in-law.  The wine based broth was delicious and this has fallen into the category of "must be served at a future feast.  Commentary ran from unintelligible mumbling around of bites of chicken and groans of pleasure to an excited "You have GOT to get this recipe to my mom".  There were even suggestions on how to improve the dish, for example "If you add noodles this would be *the best* chicken noodle soup...ever!"

.xix. Smale Byrdys y-stwyde. — Take smale byrdys, an pulle hem an drawe hem clene, an washe hem fayre, an schoppe of ]>e leggys, and frye hem in a panne of freysshe grece ryjt wyl ; ]?an ley hem on a fayre lynen clothe, an lette ]>e grece renne owt ; J' an take oynonys, an mynce hem smale, an frye hem on fayre freysshe grece, an caste hem on an erj^en potte ; ]7an take a gode porcyon of canel, an wyne, an draw ]7orw a straynoure, an caste in-to J^e potte •with j^e oynonys ; ]>an caste ]>e bryddys J^er-to, an clowys, an maces, an a lytil quantyte of powder pepir ]iev-to, an lete hem boyle to-gederys y-now ; ]>an. caste J^er-to whyte sugre, an powder gyngere, salt, safron, an serue it forth.

19. Small Birds Stewed - Take small birds, and pull them and draw them clean, and wash them fair, and chop off the legs, and fry them in a pan of fresh grease right well: then lay them on a fair linen cloth, and let the grease run out; than take onions, and mince them small, and fry them on fair fresh grease, and cast them on an earthen pot: than take a good portion of cinnamon and wine, and draw through a strainer, and cast into the pot with the onions; than cast the birds there-to, and cloves, and mace, and a little quantity of powder pepper there-to, and let them boil together enough; than cast thereto white sugar, and powder ginger, salt, saffron and serve it forth.

Interpreted Recipe                                              Serves 1 as a main, 2 as a side--must be friendly with each other ;-P

1 chicken breast - cut into bite sized chunks - I used skinless boneless, but if I were going to fix this for a large event I would prefer a mix of bone in, skin on chicken parts, or several whole birds broken down
1-2 tbsp. oil, lard or "grease" or more as needed
1/4 C. onion minced
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 C. wine (I used a dry white) *Note: You could sub 50/50 chicken stock and wine or 25/75 wine to stock depending on your preference
2-3 cloves
Pinch of saffron
1/8 tsp. pepper and mace
Pinch of white sugar and ginger
Salt to taste

Heat the oil in the pan until it is hot.  Add your chicken (or other bird of choice) and fry till it has become nicely browned.  Remove the chicken from the pan and let the oil drain.  While the oil is draining, cook your onions until they become translucent.  Once the onions are cooked, place them in a pot along with the cooked chicken.  Add the wine, or the wine and stock mixture (I used a 50/50 mix), cinnamon, cloves, saffron, pepper and mace and bring to a simmer.  Cook until the chicken has become completely cooked through.  Add salt to taste.  Before serving, strew a pinch of sugar and ginger.

Kitchen Adventures – Auter Brawn en Peuerade - Other Meat (Pork) in Pepper Sauce (Harleian MS. 279 (~1430))

Auter brawn en peuerade

This recipe, located at 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" Thomas Austin, appears to be one of the more popular versions of Brawn en Peuerade. A search on the internet revealed many and varied interpretations.  Unlike the Brawn en Peuerade I made last week, this version is a broth based version, flavored with wine.  It is much more "savory" in flavor. 

.xxxij. Auter brawn en peuerade. — Take myghty brothe of Beef or of Capouu, an ]-'enne take clene Freysshe Brawn, an sethe it, but not y-now; An jif it be Freysshe Brawn, roste it, but not I-now, an ]7an leche it in pecys, an caste it to fe brothe. An Jeanne take hoole Oynonys, & pylle hem, an )'anne take Yynegre J'er-to, and Canelle, and sette it on fe fyre, an draw yt foTW a straynoure, and caste J'er-to ; j^en take Clowys, Maces, an powder Pepyr, an caste J>er-to, and a lytil Saunderys, an sette it on j>e fyre, an let boyle tylle ]>e Oynonys an ]?e Brawn ben euyne sothyn, an nowt to moche ; Jian take lykoure y-mad of Bred an Yinegre an Wyne, an sesyn it vp, an caste J'er-to Saffroun to make J^e coloure bryth, an Salt, an serue it forth.

For information on similar recipes, visit Medieval Cookery at the link below.

xxxij - Auter brawn en peuerade. Take myghty brothe of Beef or of Capoun, an thenne take clene Freysshe Brawn, an sethe it, but not y-now; An 3if it be Freysshe Brawn, roste it, but not I-now, an than leche it in pecys, an caste it to the brothe. An thanne take hoole Oynonys, and pylle hem, an thanne take Vynegre ther-to, andCanelle, and sette it on the fyre, an draw yt thorw a straynoure, and caste ther-to; then take Clowys, Maces, an powder Pepyr, an caste ther-to, and a lytilSaunderys, an sette it on the fyre, an let boyle tylle the Oynonys an the Brawn ben euyne sothyn, an nowt to moche; than take lykoure y-mad of Bred an Vinegre anWyne, an sesyn it vp, an caste ther-to Saffroun to make the coloure bryth, an Salt, an serue it forth.

32. Another brawn in peverade - Take mighty broth of beef or of capon, and then take clean fresh brawn (pork or boar), and boil it, but not enough, and if it be fresh brawn, roast it, but not enough, and then slice it in pieces, and cast it to the broth. And then take whole onions, and peel them, and then take vinegar there-to, and cinnamon, and set it on the fire, and draw it through a strainer, and caste there-to; then take cloves, mace, and powder pepper, and cast there-to, and a little sandalwood, and set it on the fire, and let boil till the onions and brawn are evenly cooked, and not too much; then take broth made of bread and vinegar and wine, and season it up, and cast there-to saffron to make the colored broth, and salt, and serve it forth.

Interpreted Recipe                                                                         Serves 1 as main, 2 as a side

1 c. broth (beef, chicken or a 50/50 mix)

1/4 pound roasted pork, thinly sliced

1/3 c. pearl onions
1 cinnamon stick
2 cloves
1/8 tsp. mace
1/4 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. sandalwood (saunders)

2 tsp. red wine vinegar

2 tbsp. red wine

2 tbsp. bread crumbs

pinch of saffron

Heat the broth with the saffron and sandalwood until it develops a ruddy hue. Add the pork, onions, cinnamon, cloves, mace and pepper and bring it to a broil until the pork becomes tender and the onions are cooked through.  Meanwhile, soak the bread crumbs in the wine and the vinegar until they are softened.  When the pork is tender and the bread crumbs are softened, fish out the cinnamon and cloves from the broth and then add the bread to the mixture, stirring until the broth has thickened to your desire. 

This is a wonderful soup and has gone onto my "must serve at a future event" list, whether that is a luncheon or a feast. The sliced pork is a little difficult to eat the way I sliced it, so in the future I will be sure to cut it into bite sized cubes instead.  I might also consider increasing the amount of wine.  The pepper added a very nice "bite" to the dish.