Harleain MS 279 (ab. 1430) Henne in Bokenade - Stewed Chicken in Sauce

Hen in Bukenade

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, for example, peacocks, that would be cooked and then re-dressed in their own skin.  Other food sources that they enjoyed are more familiar for example, chicken and chicken eggs.

Domestication of chickens has a very long history. Bones possibly belonging to chickens have been dated to 5400 B.C. in China and there is some speculation that the chicken may have been the very first domesticated animal.  Chickens were traded from China to the Indus Valley and around the Arab peninsula. It is also believed that their ancestors, the red jungle fowl migrated the same path.  An interesting fact of note, there are more chickens then any other domesticated bird or animal in the world today.Chickens also are the most common and wide spread too!

It was the Romans that brought the chicken to England. Chickens were bred for two purposes; meat and eggs, and cockfighting. The oldest recognized breed of chicken is the Dorking. They were bred for meat and eggs and are believed to have originated in Italy. Columella described this bird in his Rei Rusticae Libri as "square-framed, large and broad breasted with big heads and small upright cobs...the rest of the breed being five clawed".

Another breed of chicken that may have been known in period is the Old English Game.  It is believed that they were used for the purpose of cockfighting in period.  They are small birds weighing in at about four pounds and are not very good egg layers.  This breed of chicken was specifically bred for cockfighting by nobility.

Roman cooks discovered when they castrated a rooster, they would fatten on their own. Romans are responsible for  "Capons".  Farmers were also developing ways to fatten chickens; bread soaked in wine, cumin seeds, barley even lizard fat were used!

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. The first of the recipes that I interpreted was "Henne in Bokenade" which produces chunks of chicken in a very flavorful broth, thickened with eggs.  I had to fight the taste testers! It was that good.  It is also a very versatile dish as the instructions include veal and goat in addition to chicken.

.xxxvj. Vele, kede, or henne in Bokenade. — Take Tele, Kyde, or Henne, an boyle hem in fayre Water, or ellys in freysshe brothe, an smyte hem in pecys, an pyke hem clene ; an )7an draw ]>e same brothe J^orwe a straynoure, an caste J'er-to Percely, Sawge, Tsope, Maces, Clowys, an let boyle tyl J-e flesshe be y-now; j^an sette it from j^e fyre, & a-lye it vp vritk raw jolkys of eyroun, & caste J^er-to ponder Gyngere, Teriows, Safroun, & Salt, & Jeanne seme it forth for a gode mete.

For more information on this, or similar recipes, please vist Dan Myers' "Medieval Cookery".

xxxvj - Vele, kede, or henne in Bokenade. Take Vele, Kyde, or Henne, an boyle hem in fayre Water, or ellys in freysshe brothe, an smyte hem in pecys, an pyke hem clene; an than draw the same brothe thorwe a straynoure, an caste ther-to Percely, Sawge, Ysope, Maces, Clowys, an let boyle tyl the flesshe be y-now; than sette it from the fyre, and a-lye it vp with raw 3olkys of eyroun, and caste ther-to pouder Gyngere, Veriows, Safroun, and Salt, and thanne serue it forth for a gode mete.
36. Veal, Kid, or Hen in Bukenade -Take Veal, Kid, or Hen, and boil them in fair water, or else in fresh broth, and smite them in pieces, and pick them clean; and then draw the same broth through a strainer, and cast there-to parsley, sage, hyssop, mace, cloves, and let boil till the flesh be enough; then set it from the fire, and allay it up with raw yolks of egg, and caste there-to powder ginger, verjuice, saffron and salt, and then send it forth for a good meat.

Interpreted Recipe                                            Serves 1 as a main dish, 2 as a side if they are friendly!

1 bone in, skin on chicken breast
1 C. water + 1 chicken bouillon cube -or-  alternatively 1 cup chicken stock
1 tsp. parsley
1/8 tsp. each sage, hyssop, mace
2 cloves
1 whole egg or 2 egg yolks
1 tsp. red wine vinegar
1/8 tsp. ginger
pinch of saffron
salt to taste (note:if you use a bouillon cube, you probably won't need salt)

Cook the chicken breast in the broth, or the water with bouillon cube until completely cooked.  Remove the chicken from the broth and set aside to cool.  Strain the broth through a strainer and add parsley, sage, hyssop, mace and cloves. Heat on low heat.  Remove the skin and bones from the chicken and cut into bite sized pieces.  When the broth has cooked five minutes, remove the cloves. Temper the egg or the egg yolks with the broth.  Add the tempered eggs to the broth along with the vinegar, saffron, ginger and salt and stir constantly until the broth has thickened. If the heat is too high the eggs may curdle.  Strain the broth into a dish, and add the chicken.  Serve.

As I said, this dish caused a bit of an uproar amongst the taste tenders. After a heated game of rock, paper, scissors, the victor got to eat the spoils.  This is a very comforting and filling dish, which could be made as saucy or as brothy as the cook desires.  This dish is on my "must serve at a future feast" list. It would also be nice for a luncheon or lunch tavern.


Harleian MS. 279 (ab 1430) - Lyode Soppes-An Early Bread Pudding

Lyode Sops
Dan Myers, of "Medieval Cookery" made a comment regarding the Boylede Creme that he wondered how much it would taste like bread pudding if bread were added. This inspired me to do a little more research into the history and origins of bread pudding.  If you are a medieval food enthusiast, budding cook, foodie or curious about eating in the Middle Ages, I urge you to visit his site, it is full of information and his own interpretations of recipes. 

While researching the history of bread pudding, I kept finding repeatedly the phrase "probably originated in the early 11th or 12th centuries" and was created by "frugal cooks looking to use up stale bread" but little evidence to support those references.  However, I believe that this recipe from  "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 offers support for bread being placed into custard as early as 1430. Lyode soppes is literally a sop of bread floating in a pool of beautifully thick and sweet custard and it is the last of the milk based pottages that I worked with this week. I believe that this is one of the earliest recipes for "bread pudding."

Lyode Soppes lacks many of the characteristics we think of when we think of bread puddings; there are no raisins, no cinnamon, it is lacking the creamy texture of what most modern diners would think of when they think of bread pudding. Lastly, it is not made in the oven.

The main component of lyode sops is the custard. Like papyns and creme boylede, it is made from milk and eggs, sweetened with sugar, tempered with just a bit of salt and cooked over low heat until thickened. Custard can trace its origins back to Ancient Rome.  According to C. Ann Wilson, Romans "exploited eggs as a thickening or binding agent for other foods. They borrowed from the Greeks the idea of combining eggs with milk to form a custard mixture, which was either cooked very slowly in an earthenware pot, or fried in oil...Another kind of egg confection was made of fruit or vegetables, or fish or shredded meat, bound with eggs and lightly cooked in the open dish called a "patina." ...The "flathons" (flans), "crustards" and other open tarts of medieval cookery again recall the old "patinae," with the shallow open dish of the Romans replaced by an open pastry crust, and the filling once more mixed and bound with eggs."

.xxix. Lyode Soppes.—Take Mylke an boyle it, an þanne take ȝolkys of eyroun y-tryid fro þe whyte, an draw hem þorwe A straynoure, an caste hem in-to þe mylke, an sette it on þe fyre an hete it, but let it nowt boyle; an stere it wyl tyl it be somwhat þikke; þenne caste þer-to Salt & Sugre, an kytte fayre paynemaynnys in round soppys, an caste þe soppys þer-on, an serue it forth for a potage.

29 Lyode Sops- Take milk an boil it, an than take yolks of eggs separated from the white and draw them through a strainer, an cast them into the milk, an set it on the fire and heat it, but let it not boil, an stir it well till it be somewhat thick; then caste there-to salt & sugar, an cut fair bread in round sops, an cast the sops there-on, an serve it forth for a pottage. 

Interpreted Recipe                                                                                      Serves 1 as main, 2 as side

3/4 C. milk
1/4 C. heavy cream
1 egg, or 2 egg yolks
1-2 tbsp. sugar (to your taste)
Salt to taste (I used about 1 scant tsp.)
Rounds of bread (I used Rastons)

Mix the heavy cream with the milk and add sugar, salt and egg. Place in a pot on the stove and cook over low heat until the mixture becomes thick. It is important that you keep the heat low because you don't want your custard to curdle. Meanwhile, put your round of bread into the bowl.  I elected to not toast the bread as the recipe did not call for it.  When the custard has thickened, pour it through a strainer onto the bread.  I let mine sit for approximately five minutes before serving.  The bread did soak up some of the moisture from the custard. 

I was unsure how this dish would be received by my bevy of taste testers, and they received it much better than I expected they would. There were a few surprised looks as they tested this dish.  The general consensus amongst the tasters is "it was good but not something they would want to try again." It is unusual and might fall into the category of "too period to serve at feast". I liked it but I can say that it was not to everyone's taste. Use your best judgment.

Custards are fussy dishes that require your attention. I would serve this as a small luncheon, or for breakfast.  I would also add some additional flvaoring to this dish to evoke the "comfort food" flavors of modern bread puddings, for example- maybe a sprinkling of sweet powder before serving, or even garnish it with fruit. 

Harleian MS. 279 (ab 1430) - Creme Boylede - Boiled Custard

Boiled Cream with Pomegranite Seeds
Continuing the journey 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, specifically pottages and a series of milk based custards, I was delighted to interpret this recipe for an unusual custard that starts by soaking bread in cream or milk. This recipe is the closest to the "unwholesome mixture of bread and milk" that was described when I was researching the history of baby for the papyns article. 

My non-SCA taste testers and I really enjoyed this recipe. I have made Constance Hieatt's version from "The Ordinance of Pottage" for several feasts in the past and it has always been well received.  The tastes are similar to each other, the texture creamy, sweet, and luxurious.  You could say it is one of my "Go To" recipes because you can make her interpretation in the microwave prior to an event and it will keep well refrigerated overnight.

This recipe includes bread as a thickening agent as well as eggs. It is a very thrifty dish for the medieval cook, because it most likely made use of bread that had gone stale and it was a way to preserve milk that would otherwise have gone bad, or may have been put to other use. Bread played such a large role in the medieval household that an assize law was created to regulate the weight, quality and price of bread. The law was effective from the Reigns of Henry II (December 1154 to July 1189) through Edward II (July 1307 to January 1327).

Assisa Panis (Assize of Bread): When a Quarter of Wheat is sold for 12d., then Wastel Bread of a farthing shall weigh £6 and 16s. But Bread Cocket of a farthing of the same grain and bultel, shall weigh more than Wastel by 2s. And Cocket Bread made of grain of lower price, shall weigh more than Wastel by 5s. Bread made into a Simnel shall weigh 2s. less than Wastel. Bread made of the whole Wheat shall weigh a Cocket and a half, so that a Cocket shall weigh more than a Wastel by 5s. Bread of Treet shall weigh 2 wastels. And bread of common wheat shall weigh two great cockets.
At the time of the Assize of Bread, the Roman pound, also known as Troy pound, would have been in use. Unlike the pound we are used to, the Troy pound was divided into 12 ounces. It is interesting to note that at one point, the weight of single or multiple grain(s) of barleycorn, also known as grains, were used as a measurement for both weight and distance. Visit English Customary Weights and Measures for more information.

The bread refered to in the recipe below is "paynemayne" another name for pandemain, from the Latin "Panis Dominicus" or "Lord's Bread". The earliest reference to pandemain can be traced to Geoffrey Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales" approximately 1390. Pandemain was very well sifted, high quality bread reserved for nobility.

.xiij. Creme Boylede.—Take creme or mylke, & brede of paynemayn, or ellys of tendyr brede, an breke it on þe creme, or elles in þe mylke, an set it on þe fyre tyl it be warme hot; and þorw a straynour þrowe it, and put it in-to a fayre potte, an sette it on þe fyre, an stere euermore: an whan it is almost y-boylyd, take fayre ȝolkys of eyron, an draw hem þorw a straynowr, and caste hem þer-to, and let hem stonde ouer the fyre tyl it boyle almost, an till it be skylfully*. [reasonably.] þikke; þan [leaf 8.] caste a ladel-ful, or more or lasse, of boter þer-to, an a good quantite of whyte sugre, and a litel salt, an þan dresse it on a dysshe in maner of mortrewys.

13. Cream Boiled - Take cream or milk and bread of pandemain, or else of tender bread, an break it on the cream, or else in the milk, an set it on the fire till it be warm hot; and through a strainer throw it, and put into a fair pot, an set it on the fire, an stir evermore: an when it is almost boiled, take fair yolks of eggs, and draw them through a strainer, and cast them there-to, and let them stand over the fire till it boil almost, an till it be skillfully (reasonably) thick; than cast a ladle full, or more or less, of butter there-to, and a good quantity of white sugar, and a little salt, and then dress it on a dish in manner of mortrews.

Interpreted Recipe                                                                                       Serves 1 as main, 2 as side

3/4 C. milk
1/4 C. heavy whipping cream
1/2 C. bread broken into small pieces (I used Rastons)
2 egg yolks, or 1 whole egg, beaten
1-2 Tbsp. sugar (to your taste)
Salt to taste

Break the bread into small pieces and soak it for approximately five minutes in a mixture of milk and
cream. Once the bread has soaked, use the back of a spoon to break it up into smaller pieces while heating it to a simmer. Do not let it come to a boil. Strain the bread from the milk --don't skip this step, otherwise your custard will be lumpy which is not very pleasant.

Return the strained milk to your pan and add in the eggs, sugar and salt. Keep your heat low, if the mixture becomes too hot the eggs will curdle and there is no saving it at that point--voice of experience speaking. Instead of a velvety, luxurious custard you get sweet scrambled eggs, not bad....but not what you were wanting. Stir constantly until the cream thickens. Strain the custard into another dish before serving.

To serve in the manner of "mortrewys" you would cut slices of bread and toast them, and set them around the bowl before serving. I personally skipped this step and opted to decorate my custard with beautifully red pomegranate seeds.

This is a very fussy dish to make, and I think if I were to serve it at a feast it would be a dish I made in small batches ahead of time. You do not want a novice trying to make this for the first time at an event site. Make sure whoever works with this recipe has experience working with custards, or opt to use Hieatt's microwaveable version which I have posted below. If you do opt to use this recipe and make it ahead of time be sure to "seal" the custard with plastic wrap that touches it so that a skin does not develop on top of it.

76. Creme Boyled

Take swete creme of melke; do hit in a pott. Do therto buttur claryfyed. Set hit on the fyre; stere hit. When hit boyles, have yolkes of eyron drawyn thorowgh a streynour into a bole, & put boylyng crem thereto with a ladyl. Styr hit well for quallyng, & put hit in the pott ayen; & yf be nede, yeve hit a lytyl more of the fyre. Loke hit have a white sygure ynowghe, & of the bature also loke hit be standyng as mortruys; & colour hit with safron. Loke hit be salt. Mess hit forth, and strew on poudur of gynger.

Boiled Cream Custard - Microwave Version
1 1/2 C. heavy whipping cream
4 ounces cream cheese
6 egg yolks or 3 whole eggs
1/4 C. sugar
Pinch of saffron
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. each ginger and sugar mixed together

Start by scalding the cream in a large glass measuring cup at full power for 2 minutes. Meanwhile, beat the cheese, eggs, etc. together with a wire whisk in a 1-quart cassrole. Stir the scalded cream gradually into this. Cover the casserole and put it in the microwave at low power for 12 minutes, rotating the dish half a turn after 7 minutes. Do not stir, during or after.

The center should be not quite set when the dish comes out of the oven; it will become firmer while standing. While it is cooling, have a paper towel between the rim of the dish and the cover to absorbe\ excess moisture.

Serve in large spoonful's from the casserole. Texture and consistency are something like soft ice cream.

Hieatt, Constance B. "An Ordinance of Pottage". Prospect Books, 1988


Similar Recipes:

A Noble Boke off Cookry (England, 1468)

To mak creme buile tak cow creme and yolks of eggs drawe and well bet that it be stonding and put ther to sugur and colour it with saffron and salt it then lesk it in dyshes and plant ther in floures of borage and serue it.


Creme Bolyd. Recipe creme of kow mylk & egg зolkes, sugur & saferon, & medyl all togyder; & bole it til it be standyng, & dresse it vp in a dysh in lechys, & playnt it with flowres of borage



Harleian MS. 279 (ab 1430) - Soupes dorye - Almond Milk Toast

Soupes Dorye and a glass of wine

A piece of bread soaked in milk, oftentimes described as "bland" or "uninspiring", but anyone who has grown up with this dish, might say otherwise. To me "milk toast" means toasted and buttered bread, sprinkled with a generous amount of sugar and soaked in hot milk as a treat. I was very much looking forward to this interpretation of milk toast, or milk sop from "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" by Thomas Austin when I started working with it. Yes, it's missing the butter, but the butter is replaced by almond milk that has been thickened and flavored with wine *and* I'm allowed to eat it for breakfast? Oh yeah!

As I was cooking this dish one of my taste testers remarked "It smells like Christmas in here". It was a very delightful smell and this dish lived up to its promise of being comforting and nostalgic. 

Drinking nut milks, specifically almond milk is not a new thing. It is a very old "thing" and one that was born of necessity. As discussed previously with the post on "papyns", the consumption of dairy milk during the middle ages brought with it hazards that we do not necessarily experience today because of inoculation of cattle against disease, pasteurization of milk and strict food laws governing dairy production.

One other reason dairy alternatives became important during the middle ages were the regulations imposed by the Church. At its strictest, more than half the year was governed by rules regarding fasting and abstaining from food.  During this time meat and dairy products were not to be eaten.  On days of fasting, no food was to be consumed before "Vespers" (after sunset).  

There were three specific fasting periods totaling 120 days; Easter (Lent), St. Martin's day to Christmas, and Pentecost. Shorter fasts also occurred on Ember days--days specifically ordered by the Church as days of abstinence and fasting; the Wednesday, Friday and Saturday after the Feast of Saint Lucy (December 13), the Exaltation of the Cross (September 14), the first Sunday in Lent and Pentecost, Additionally, Fridays were fast days commemorating the death of Jesus.  

The fast for the 40 days of Pentecost fell out of favor sometime around the 11th Century. Eventually the Christmas fast was shortened to the days of the Advent.  The meal was moved to the hour of "none", or approximately 3:00 in the afternoon and was supplemented by additional food in the morning and evening.  However, the rules for Lent remained in place and some are still observed today. 

Cooks were especially challenged to provide substitutes for meat, eggs, butter and milk during these extended periods of fasting. Butter, cheese and milk could be made from almonds, and were used in place of milk, butter, cheese, eggs or bone marrow in cooking. I imagine that a sop of bread and milk would have been the kind of meal that would have been consumed prior to retiring to bed during times of abstinence. 

.xxvij. Soupes dorye.—Take gode almaunde mylke y-draw wyth wyn, an let hem boyle to-gederys, an caste þer-to Safroun an Salt; an þan take Paynemayn, an kytte it an toste it, an wete it in wyne, an ley it on a dysshe, an caste þe syrip þer-on. And þan make a dragge of powder Gyngere, Sugre, canel, Clowes, Maces, an caste þer-on When it is y-dressid, an serue þanne forth for a potage gode.

27. Soup Dorye - Take good almond milk drawn with wine, an let them boil together, an caste there-to Saffron an Salt; an than take bread, an cut it an toast it, an wet it in wine, an lay it on a dish, an caste the syrup there-on. And then make a dredge of powder ginger, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, maces, an caste there-on. When it is dressed, an serve than forth for a pottage good.



Interpreted Recipe                                                                          Serves 1 as a main, 2 as a side dish

1 C. Almond Milk made with wine -or- 1 C. commercially prepared almond milk flavored with a tablespoon of wine (I used white wine and commercially prepared almond milk) 
1-2 Tbsp. wine (I used white)
Pinch of Saffron (opt)
Salt to taste
1 thick slice of bread (I used Rastons but you could easily substitute Manchet or French)
Sweet Spices to taste

Because I used commercially prepared almond milk, I added the wine to the milk and then heated it on medium-low heat upon the stove top. If I were going to use my own almond milk, I would use a similar ratio of wine to water.  I'm not a fan of "curdled" almond milk so I wanted to keep the curdling to a minimum.  This ratio thickens the milk without making noticeable curds--yay me! Add saffron and salt to taste. 

While the almond milk is heating, toast your bread.  Sops were cut into thin strips after being toasted unless otherwise specified (some recipes will specify to cut the sops into rounds).  After the bread has been toasted and cut, place it in a bowl and add enough wine for the bread to soak it up (mine took about 2 tablespoons) without leaving a puddle in the bottom of the dish. 

Add the heated almond milk to the bread slowly.  You want the bread to drink up the milk without becoming a soggy mess. Sprinkle with your sweet spices and serve immediately. 

Because of the instruction to "serve than forth for a pottage good", there is the assumption that the milk toast should be floating in a puddle of the almond milk when served.  

This dish may fall into the category of "one of those dishes that feasters are going to look at and go what the heck?" as one of my tasters said. It's not something one would think of when imagining sitting down to dine.  However, I would have no qualms serving this, partly because I enjoyed it enough to have made several times since and partly because most cooks have a spare loaf of bread sitting around the kitchen and almond milk to spare, why not add the extra dish? It is neither pretentious nor fussy like the papyns and I believe it to be a comforting dish.  It certainly beats the usual bread and butter sitting on the table begging to be overindulged in before any of the dishes you have cooked reaches the table. Go for it!

This could easily make a good camp breakfast that would require no refridgeration using bread, spices, almond flour and water. If anyone tries this, please let me know how you liked it.

Note: Dorye could be a misspelling of Dorée the French word for "golden" which takes the place of our English "browned" --making the name of this dish "Golden Sops"


Similar Recipes:

Fourme of Curye [Rylands MS 7] (England, 1390)

.lxxx. Sowpes doree. Take almaundes y brayed, drawe hem up with wyne, boyle hit cast theruppoun safroun & salt, tak brede y tosted in wyne lay therof a leyne & a nother of that sewe & do alle to gyder, florysch hit with suger, poudour ginger, & serve it forth.

Liber cure cocorum [Sloane MS 1986] (England, 1430)

Sowpus dorre. Take almondes, bray hem, wryng hom up. Boyle hom with wyn rede to sup. Þen temper hom with wyn, salt, I rede, And loke þou tost fyne wetebrede, And lay in dysshes, dubene with wyne. Do in þis dysshes mete, þat is so fyne. Messe hit forthe, and florysshe hit þenne With sugur and gynger, as I þe kenne.



A Noble Boke off Cookry (England, 1468)

To mak soupes dorrey tak almondes and bray them asid wring them up and boile them with wyn and temper them with wyne and salt then toost whit bred and lay it in a disshe and enbane it with wyne and pour it ouer the met and florisshe it with sugur and guingere and serue it.

Harleian MS. 279 (ab 1430) - Papyns - Custard

Papyns and Bread
Many of the sites I visited while researching a history of baby pap indicated that pap was "an unwholesome mixture of bread and milk", unfortunately that is not the case for the custardy dish that was interpreted from   "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 for "Papyns".  This dish created a very soft custard that reminded my taste testers and I of the cream of wheat or malted meal cereal that we would eat for breakfast while growing up--without any lumps.  The recipe that I worked with that most closely resembled the pap described was Harleian MS. 279 (ab 1430) - Creme Boylede - Boiled Custard which starts out by soaking bread in milk or cream and heating it until warm. 

In the absence of breast milk and prior to the invention of feeding bottles or formula for children, a wet nurse was preferred. The use of a woman to feed another woman's child has a very long history. It's origins can be traced at least to 2000 BC, but it may go back further.  Genesis 35:8 references a wet nurse "But Deborah Rebekah's nurse died, and she was buried beneath Bethel under an oak: and the name of it was called Allonbachuth." Moses was fed by a wet nurse upon discovery by the Pharaoh's daughter.

Between 300 BC and 400AD, well to do Romans would hire wet nurses (nutrix). Contracts written during this time provided details such as the service duration, supplies for clothing or lamp oil, and payment for the service. The physician Soranas of Ephesus (98 AD to 117 AD) wrote a treatise for assessing the quality of breast milk and prescribed a regimen for the wet nurse.  Galen of Pergamus  (130 AD to 200 AD) offered advice on how to soothe nursing infants, and Oribasius (325 AD to 403 AD) recommended physical activities such as weaving in order to strengthen the flow of milk.

Noble women of the middle ages would often choose not to breastfeed.  Wet nurses to wealthier families were esteemed and enjoyed rewards for their services. For example, Adelina, was rewarded with land for her services by King Riger of Sicily to his son Henry.  Children were often breast fed until they were between 18 months and two years of age, at which point they would be weaned.  However, during the later periods the time for nursing was shortened to three to four months, at which point children would be weaned to animal milk (cow, sheep or goat) and solid foods.  Consequently, the mortality rate of children at this time was quite high.

 In the middle ages, animal milk was not as wholesome as it is today. Before pasteurization and inoculation of dairy producing animals against disease, the milk of an animal could pass diseases such as tuberculosis, diptheria, typhoid fever or cow pox to the consumer.  In a raw state, milk can become contaminated through contact with the animal hide, udder, the teats or even cross contaminated with fecal matter, the equipment or the people who handle it.

Writers of the middle ages also cautioned against consuming animal milk because it was thought to cause "bestial behavior"--anyone with a toddler may think they were on to something! I know there were a few times during epic tantrums I would have. Aside from the shared belief that consuming animal milk would cause the child to exhibit animal like behavior, and the fact that the milk itself was questionable as to its wholesomeness  being dependent upon the health of the animal it came from, the other issue with milk was the lack of refrigeration.  Milk spoils rapidly when not kept cool, so fresh milk was not as available in certain locations because of the distance it needed to travel from the source to the consumer.  Just because it has spoiled doesn't mean it is not eatable

When milk or a wet nurse were not available, a mixture of broth, water, milk, grain, flour or bread, sweetened with honey or diluted wine would be fed to infants through a small horn with  a hole drilled into it, or via a rag soaked in the liquid.  This same pap was also fed to the elderly who were unable to chew any longer.  When given to older children, or in addition to breast milk, papyns provided additional nutrituion.  On its own, it may have caused more difficulties because it would have been harder to digest and did not provide the same value human milk did.

xx. Papyns.—Take fayre Mylke an Flowre, an drawe it þorw a straynoure, an set it ouer þe fyre, an let it boyle a-whyle; þan take it owt an let it kele; þan take ȝolkys of eyroun y-draw þorwe a straynour, an caste þer-to; þan take sugre a gode quantyte, and caste þer-to, an a lytil salt, an sette it on þe fyre tyl it be sum-what þikke, but let it nowt boyle fullyche, an stere it wyl, an putte it on a dysshe alle a-brode, and serue forth rennyng.

20. Papyns - Take fair milk and flour, an draw through a strainer, an set it over the fire, an let it boil awhile: than take it out an let it cool: then take yolks of eggs drawn through a strainer and caste thereto; than take sugar a good quantity, an cast there-to, an a little salt an set it on the fire till it be somewhat thick, but let it not boil fully, an stir it well, an put it on a dish all broad, and serve forth running. 

Interpreted Recipe                                                                       Serves 1 as a main 2-3 as a side

3/4 C. whole milk
1/4 C. cream
2 Tbsp. flour
1 egg (or 2 egg yolks)
1 1/2 to 2 Tbsp. sugar or to taste
1/4 to 1/2 Tsp. salt or to taste

Make slurry of the flour and milk by adding the flour to 1/2 cup of the milk and shaking it up in a small lidded jar until it becomes a smooth paste. Strain this mixture into a small pot, and then add the remainder of the milk.  It is important to strain the slurry as some of the flour may have clumped and this will affect the texture of your final product.  DO NOT skip this step.  

Heat the milk and the flour until it begins to thicken and then set aside to cool to room temperature.  Or, as an alternative you can temper your eggs before adding them to the milk mixture.  What you don't want to do is just toss the eggs into the hot liquid or vice versa--you will end up with curdled and partially cooked eggs...yuck! 

Return the mixture to the pan and add salt and sugar to taste.  I preferred mine sweeter so added 2 tbsp. of sugar; a couple of my taste testers did not like it as sweet and said they would have preferred less.  Use your best judgment. Once the papyn's has been returned to the pot you must babysit it.  Do not let it boil, and constantly stir it until it reaches the desired thickness.  I made mine the consistency of a medium cream sauce.  You may want to strain it a second time when serving it on the off chance you have curdled your dish.  

This is a very fussy dish that requires almost near constant supervision.  That being said, it is a very delicious dish when finished.  The end result is a dish that is surprisingly "cereal" like in its taste, velvety smooth and quite delicious when bread is dipped into it.  I would happily serve this to a group of individuals for a small dinner, luncheon, camping (powdered eggs, powdered milk, flour, sugar, salt and water) or myself when I'm craving a comfort food.  I do NOT recommend that you consider this for very large groups.  It took approximately 10 minutes to throw together, but it needs to be served hot, and it requires a lot of babysitting.  If you have the time and a dedicated staff member who is familiar with cooking custards or making ice cream bases, I'd say go for it. 

Similar Recipes:

Thomas Awkbarow's Recipes (MS Harley 5401) (England, 15th century)

Papyns. Recipe clene cow mylk, & take þe flour of rice or of whete & draw þe flour with sum of þe mylk, & colour it with saferon & let it boyle, & do a lityll honyþerto; þan tak water & well it in a frying panne; þan cast in brokyn egges & fry þam hard in þe water, & lay .iij. in a dysh & þe colourd mylk þeron, & serof it forth.

Harleian MS. 279 (ab 1430) - Soupes Dorroy- Onion Soup II

Soupes Dorroy

Onions are one of the oldest cultivated plants, along with leeks and garlic. Evidence of cultivation is almost 5000 years old. They are a member of the Lily family, genus Allium, and it includes garlic, leek, chives, onions and shallot, as well as many wild species. Like the brassica's, alliums are very diverse with over 500 species.


It is believed that onions originated in central Asia. Evidence exists of onions being cultivated in Chinese gardens 5000 years ago. They were known in Egypt, where they were an object of worship. Onions symbolized eternity, and paintings of onions can be found in tombs and the inner walls of the pyramids. What is known is that onions are easy to store, can grow in almost any kind of soil, are easily stored and transported.

It was the Romans that introduced onions to Europe. Onions were used as medicine as well as for food. Pliny the Elder wrote that onions could cure vision, induce sleep, dog bites, lumbago, and dysentery, heal mouth sores and cure toothaches. The belief that onions had curative powers continued into the Middle ages where it was believed that they could cure hair loss, snakebites and alleviate headaches! Columbus may be responsible for introducing onions to the new world during his expedition to North America in 1492.

Onions do produce sulfur-containing compounds and scientific studies show evidence that onions have both microbial and antifungal properties. The compound responsible for producing tears, allyl sulphate, may also help in balancing blood sugar levels. Anyone who has cut a warm onion knows...they bring tears!

Two recipes caught my eye when researching pottages, Soupes Dorroy, and Oyle Soppys. Both recipes start with onions, but each produces a very different dish. The recipes for both of these items can be found 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

.xxx. Soupes dorroy.—Shere Oynonys, an frye hem in oyle; þanne take Wyne, an boyle with Oynonys, toste whyte Brede an do on a dysshe, an caste þer-on gode Almaunde Mylke, & temper it wyth wyne: þanne do þe dorry a-bowte, an messe it forth.

30. Soups Dorroy - Slice onions, and fry them in oil; thnn take Wine, an boil with onions, toast white bread an do on a dish, an cast there-on good almond milk and temper it with wine: than do the onions about, an mess it forth.

Interpreted Recipe

1 C. sliced onions
1 Tbsp. oil (I used olive oil)
1 C. white wine
1C. almond milk
Pinch of sugar &saffron
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 slice bread, cut into a round and toasted

Heat oil and add the onions. Fry over medium heat until the onions have become golden and tender. Once the onions have become golden, add the wine. Let the onions simmer in the wine until the wine has reduced by half. Place the toasted bread into a bowl. Warm the almond milk and pour it over the bread. Cover with the onions and serve.

Of the two recipes that I created, this was my favorite and one that I would not hesitate to serve at home again. I do caution that it must be served almost as soon as it is put together because when the acidic wine mixes with the almond milk, it will curdle.

My taste testers did not find the curdled almond milk off-putting. The onions when cooked with the wine take on a very fruity flavor, and the almond milk adds creaminess in the background that tempers the sweet fruity taste of the onions. One of my taste testers said that this dish reminded him of a pie...and it did.

I would serve this dish again at a feast, or for an everyday meal. It's quick to put together, economical and very tasty.

Harleian MS 279 Oyle Soppys - Oil Sops - Onion Soup

Oil Sops



Two recipes caught my eye when researching pottages, Soupes Dorroy, and Oyle Soppys.  Both recipes start with onions, but each produces a very different dish.  The recipes for both of these items can be found 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

One of the differences between Soupes Dorroy and Oyle Soppys is the broth.  Soupes dorroy uses wine and almond milk to create the broth. However, Oyle soppys uses a broth made from beer, specifically "stale ale" or, in my assumption, ale that has lost its fizz, not necessarily ale that has gone bad...ewww!

Beer is one of the oldest beverages, and it is believed that with the invention of beer and bread, came the building blocks of civilization.  Yay yeast! One of the oldest beer recipes is "The Hymn to Ninkasi", a Sumerian recipe for how to make beer from the 19th century BC--that's 3900 years old. There is some speculation that the recipe advises that soaked grains are mixed with bread and water, allowed to ferment and that this is what creates the beer. Also note--there are no hops used to brew this beer!

Yeast is important to the process of making beer and leavened breads.   Earliest breads were very simply dishes made from ground cereal grains and water.  The earliest evidence of flour dates to approximately 30,000 years ago, where cereal grains and animal proteins and fats constituted a majority of the diet. The earliest domesticated grans were wheat and barley.  Leavened breads may have existed in prehistoric times, as wild yeast would have been present on cereal grains, and any dough that would have been left would have risen naturally.  However, the earliest confirmed evidence of yeast, being used as both a leavening agent and in brewing ale dates to Egypt about 4000 B. C. Beer was introduced into Europe approximately 55 B.C. by the Roman legions.

Bread and beer were two staples of the Middle ages and were considered important enough to be regulated.  "The Assize of Bread and Ale  (Assisa panis et cervissuae)" was the first law to regulate the production and sale of food.  It dates back to approximately 1266-1267. Regulations included the grades of flour, purity of flour (bran content and grain mix), weight of loaves by measurement of silver currency (pound, shilling, pence, half and quarter-pence loaves), adulteration of bread with inedible substances (sawdust or hemp) and the punishments for lawbreakers. Similarly, Ale was regulated by price of the gallon, price of the wheat, barley and oats.
"Assisa Panis (Assize of Bread): When a Quarter of Wheat is sold for 12d., then Wastel Bread of a farthing shall weigh £6 and 16s. But Bread Cocket of a farthing of the same grain and bultel, shall weigh more than Wastel by 2s. And Cocket Bread made of grain of lower price, shall weigh more than Wastel by 5s. Bread made into a Simnel shall weigh 2s. less than Wastel. Bread made of the whole Wheat shall weigh a Cocket and a half, so that a Cocket shall weigh more than a Wastel by 5s. Bread of Treet shall weigh 2 wastels. And bread of common wheat shall weigh two great cockets."
I have to admit, I was confused by reading this.  However, a little more research and my concerns were addressed. The weight of each loaf of bread is estimated not in "pounds and ounces" but in the number of shillings and pence it would take to balance the scales. The weight of the bread varied with the cost of the wheat. The bread referred to above, should weigh approximately 17 ounces (not 6 pounds). However, in May of 1555, when the cost of the wheat per quarter was 18d, the weight of the bread was 10 ounces.

.xxxiij. Oyle Soppys. — Take a gode quantyte of Oynonys, an mynse hem not to smale, an sethe in fayre Water : J'an take hem vp, an take a gode quantite of Stale Ale, as .iij. galouns, an J'er-to take a pynte of Oyle fryid, an caste J^e Oynonys J'er-to, an let boyle alle to-gederys a gode whyle ; then caste J'er-to Safroune, powder Pepyr, Sugre, an Salt, an serue forth alle bote as tostips, 'as in J'e same maner for a Mawlard & of a capon, & hoc qiicsre^

33 Oil Sops - Take a good quantity of onions, an mince them not to small, an boil in fair water: Than take them up and take a good quantity of Stale Ale, as 3 gallons, and there-to take a pint of oil **cold, an cast the onions there-to, an let boil all together a good while: then caste there-to saffron, powder pepper, sugar, an salt, an serve forth all about as toast tips, as in the same manner for a mallard & a capon, and see this.

**Note: I have chose to use the interpretation of cold for the word fryid, which is similar in spelling to fride in the recipe Harleian MS 279 xij - Fride Creme of Almaundys.  The word is similar to Froid, in French, which means cold.

Interpreted Recipe                                                                 

1 C. sliced onions
1 C. beer
2 tsp. oil (I used olive oil)
Pinch of sugar and saffron
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 Slices of bread cut into rounds

Boil the onions in the water until tender.  While the onions or boiling heat the beer, saffron, salt, pepper and onion.  Drain the onions and add them to the beer. Let these cook together approximately ten minutes or so.  Meanwhile, toast the bread, put one full slice of bread into your bowl. Pour your soup over the bread, and garnish with the second round, cut into triangles.

I *liked* this soup, although I found it a bit bland.  My teenage non-SCA taste testers also enjoyed it, and as I am typing this up they are finishing it. The one thing I would do differently is to cook the onions in the beer directly and skip the boiling in the water first, but I like the taste of onions, and I missed that.

This would be a very economical dish to serve at an event.

Harleian MS 279 Whyte wortes (~1430) White Wortes- Greens Creamed with Almond Milk

Whyte Wortes
Whyte Wortes is the last in the series of vegetable pottages that do not include additional meat. I did not use the plethora of herbs for iij. Joutes which the recipe refers to, but instead chose to use the common greens referred to in .j. Lange Wortys de chare. Once again, we are instructed to boil the greens before adding them to the broth component, in this case, almond milk thickened with rice. Boiling the greens before adding them to the broth removes the bitter properties and makes it very easy for the pottage to come together after they have been drained.

My teen age non SCA taste testers were unsure if they wanted to try this dish. Many of them expressed a dislike of cabbage and kale.  However, after coaxing them into taste testing a spoonful I received comments such as "This is GOOD!" and "I wish my mom would cook cabbage like this". When asked if they would eat it again, there was a resounding "yes". This definitely goes to my list of "things to make at a future feast" for the SCA.

Recipe retreived from "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

.v. Whyte wortes.—Take of þe erbys lyke as þou dede for jouutes, and sethe hem in [supplied by ed.] water tyl þey ben neyshe; þanne take hem vp, an bryse hem fayre on a bord, as drye as þow may; þan choppe hem smale, an caste hem on a potte, an ley hem with flowre of Rys; take mylke of almaundys, an cast þer-to, & hony, nowt to moche, þat it be nowt to swete, an safron & salt; an serue it forth ynne, ryȝth for a good potage.

5. White wortes --Take of the herbs like as thou did for Joutes, and boil them in water till they be soft; then take them up, an bruise them fair on a board, as dry as you may; than chop them small, an cast them on a pot, an lay them with flour of Rice; take milk of almonds, an caste there-to, and honey, not too much, that it be not too sweet, an saffron & salt; an serve it forth in, right for a good pottage.


Interpreted Recipe                                                             Serves One as a Main, 2-3 as a Side

Handful of herbs and greens per iij. Joutes or .j. Lange Wortys de chare (I used cabbage and kale)
Rice flour, Almond milk, Cabbage, Kale.
Not Pictured: Salt, Saffron, Honey  

1 cup Almond Milk
2-3 Tbsp. Rice flour (I like my pottages a bit thicker)                

1/2 tsp. Honey
Pinch of Saffron
Salt to taste

Wash, pick, dry and chop your greens into bite sized pieces. Boil them in water until tender (approximately ten minutes), then drain and press them in a dry towel until dry.  Greens tend to act like little sponges, so do not be surprised at the amount of water that will be released.  

While the greens are cooking in the plain water, heat the almond milk on medium heat, add saffron, salt, honey and rice flour.  Thicken to taste.  Add drained greens to almond milk, cook for a few more minutes and serve. 






Whyte Wortes





Harleian MS. 279 (ab 1430) - Lange Wortes de pesoun - Braised Greens with Peas

Lange Wortes de pesoun - Braised Greens with Peas

The first recipe found in Harleian MS 279 is for a simple dish of greens cooked in broth called Lange Wortys de chare. The second recipe includes the addition of green peas that have been cooked till they turn to mush and onions. This recipe was the most favored of the green recipes that have been cooked by my non-SCA teen guinea pigs. I have to admit, the broth is a very odd shade of muddy olive green, which is a little bit off-putting, let's be honest...mud colored anything is scary when you are putting it in your mouth (anybody else remember being force fed mud pies as a youth?).

Peas are among the oldest cultivated crops that we have.  Apicius published no less than nine recipes for dried peas in his cookbook. It is estimated that peas were known in France around 800 and that Charlemagne had them planted throughout his domain.  By the 1200's this member of the legume family was such a popular item vendors would call out in the streets "I have fresh peas in the pod!" Before the end of the 16th century, there were many different varieties of peas; short, tall, white, yellow, green, smooth, wrinkled and pitted. 

I find this recipe another example of medieval ingenuity--take a little bit of this, a little bit of that, till it is "enough".  "Enough" has such a delicious connotation, doesn't it? It means ample to satisfy the desire, adequate to fulfill the need.  We don't need to measure in cups, or tablespoons, pinches or ounces when interpreting medieval recipes, do we? They encourage us to be "enough".  I think I am going to make that my new motto. Out with simplify--in with enough...but I digress

Legumes and pulses are two terms that you will see when referring to the family of plants that includes any of its fruits enclosed in a pod. This includes lupins, peas, lentils and beans. When fresh they are legumes, and when dried, called pulses. I was surprised to discover that Legumes are the third largest flowering plant group! The word "legume" is derived from the Latin "legere"  meaning "to gather". 

For reference, when referring to "green" peas, it is most likely freshly shelled peas that are being referred to, and not the color of the pea being used. With that thought in mind, this dish would most likely have been served in spring. However I would not let that stop me from serving it in fall or winter, using dried peas instead of fresh.  The cooking directions would need to be adjusted for the additional time needed to cook the dried product to mush.



.ij. Lange Wortes de pesoun.—Take grene pesyn, an washe hem clene an caste hem on a potte, an boyle hem tyl þey breste, an þanne take hem vppe of þe potte, an put hem with brothe yn a-noþer potte, and lete hem kele; þan draw hem þorw a straynowre in-to a fayre potte, an þan take oynonys, and screde hem in to or þre, an take hole wortys and boyle hem in fayre water: and take hem vppe, an ley hem on a fayre bord, an cytte on .iij. or iiij., an ley hem to þe oynonys in þe potte, to þe drawyd pesyn; an let hem boyle tyl þey ben tendyr; an þanne tak fayre oyle and frye hem, or ellys sum fresche broþe of sum maner fresche fysshe, an caste þer-to, an Safron, an salt a quantyte, and serue it forth.

2. Long Wortes (Greens) of Peas-Take green peas an wash them clean an caste them on a pot, an boil them till they burst, an than take them up of the pot, an put themwith broth in another pot, an let them cool; then draw them through a strainer into a a fair pot, an than take onions, and shred them in two or three, an take whole wortys (members of the brassica family, example kale, collards, or cabbage) and boil them in fair water, and take them up, an lay them on a fair board, an cut in three or four, an lay them to the onions in the pot, to the drawn peas; an let them boil till they be tender, an than take fair oil and fry them, or else, some fresh broth of sum manner fresh fish, an caste there-to, an saffron an salt a quantity, and serve it forth.

Interpreted Recipe                                                                               Serves 1 as a main, 2 as a side

1 cup frozen peas

1 handful of mixed greens (kale, chard, collards, mustard, spinach), cleaned and chopped
1/8th of an onion cut in long shreds
Pinch of saffron
Salt to taste

You could follow the package directions for your frozen peas and then follow the directions above to continue to boil them until they burst--or you can cheat and bless modern technology.  I cheated.

I heated my peas for approximately five minutes and then threw those bad boys into a blender and blended them to a pulp. I did strain them through a strainer to remove any large bits that might have been left. 

I boiled my greens in the water until they were tender and then pressed them dry in a towel. By the way, I noted *at this point* that the liquid is very green, and could possibly be used as a food coloring! Next adventure please.....

I then brought the broth, saffron and the onion to a boil and added the greens back in, cooking till the onion was tender.  It was at this point I stirred the pea puree back into the broth.  I let cook about five minutes longer and then served. 

The peas add a sweetness to what would otherwise be a savory dish and do balance the flavors very well. This is definitely on my list of things to possibly serve at a luncheon or a feast. It is another very economical and budget friendly dish.


Harleian MS 279 (ab 1430) Lange Wortys de chare - Braised Greens in Beef Broth


Much like the Caboges recipe, this dish of mixed greens braised in beef stock, fortified with marrow, thickened with bread and scented with saffron is much better than you would think upon first reading the recipe.

A simple dish of greens? No. Once again you are instructed to cook your greens twice.  Members of the brassica family are treasures because of the inherent bitterness that they have. There are some individuals who would prefer not to eat bitter food and don't care for them.

Medieval cooks cooked the greens twice. Once to remove the bitterness, and secondly to bring them flavor. This is another humble dish and one that is still eaten today.  I used a mixed of kale and collards to make the green dishes. These green leafy vegetables were both known to the Greeks and the Romans and at the time, no distinction between the two plants was made.  Can you imagine?

Recipes may refer to "coles" or "coleworts". Once again, I refer you to the Greeks and the Romans who referred to the entire family of cabbage related plants as "Koles" or "Caulis".  Another interesting tidbit of information I came across while researching--the first mention of coleworts in use in America, referred to Kale in approximately 1669.

The weed-like herb pictured below can be found growing on the limestone cliffs of the Mediterrenean region. It is the parent of one of the widest varieties of domesticated plants today.  Weeds are our friends! Through the process of artificial, not natural selection, farmers have been able to breed for specific traits, changing the weedy looking parent plant into the variety of plants that we know today.

Image taken from The magical Brassica oleracea plant  SEP 11

 The recipe below is  retreived from "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


.j. Lange Wortys de chare.—Take beeff and merybonys, and boyle yt in fayre water; þan take fayre wortys and wassche hem clene in water, and parboyle hem in clene water; þan take hem vp of þe water after þe fyrst boylyng, an cut þe leuys a-to or a-þre, and caste hem in-to þe beff, and boyle to gederys: þan take a lof of whyte brede and grate yt, an caste it on þe pot, an safron & salt, & let it boyle y-now, and serue forth.

1. Long Wortys of Flesh--Take beef and marrowbones, and boil it in fair water, than take fayre wortys and wash them clean in water, and parboil them in clean water; then take them up of the water after the first boiling, an cut the leaves in two or three, and caste them into the beef and boil together; then take a loaf of white bread and grate it, an caste it on the pot, an saffron & salt, and let it boil enough, and serve forth.

Interpreted Recipe                                                                     Serves 1 as a main dish, 2 as a side

1-2 handfuls of greens (I used collards and kales), cleaned and chopped
1 cup homemade beef stock
2-3 tbsp. breadcrumbs
Pinch of Saffron
salt to taste
Marrow (opt.)

Following the directions above boil your greens in water until they become tender. This took approximately ten minutes.  Strain your greens  and dry them in a towel.  You will notice that the large handful of greens that you have cooked have wilted into a little bit of nothing.  That's what greens do. You will also be surprised how much water they hold!

Meanwhile slowly heat your broth with the saffron.  When the broth has heated and colored to your desire, return your greens to it, and let it cook until desired tenderness.  This time will vary because it depends on how you like your greens. I like a bit of a bite, so I only boiled it for about five more minutes.

Once the greens have reached your desired tenderness preference, slowly add the breadcrumbs a tablespoon at a time.  Allow the crumbs to dissolve into the broth before adding the next bit. Otherwise the crumbs clump together and instead of smooth gravy it will be chunky--ewww!

The broth will thicken as the bread crumbs dissolve into gravy.  Once it has thickened you can remove it and place it into a bowl.  If you are using the marrow, you can add it at this time, the broth is boiling hot, so the marrow will heat through.  You want to see it on the top of the dish.

What I like most about this recipe is that it can be as broth-y or as stew-y as the person cooking it will like. It can also be light or heavy on the greens as well.  Greens are very inexpensive, along with homemade stock.  This would be an excellent dish to add to any SCA feast.  I paid $4.00 for the marrowbones, $2.00 for the beef (it was marked down), used garden grown onions, carrots and celery to flavor the stock.  The stock made approximately 2 liters.  I then paid $.89 for the collards and the Kale, and if I *had* to buy bread crumbs (I made my own Rastons, which cost about $.25 per loaf to make), that might cost $2.00 for 15 ounces. This is a very budget friendly dish.

Remember, that there are a lot of wild greens growing that can be foraged to supplement any of the greens that you would buy.  Keep in mind the rules for foraging wild food-know what you are picking, make sure it is in an area that has not been sprayed by herbicides or other poisons, and forage responsibly. Please click this link for more information: Foraging Wild Edible Guidelines.

Related Recipe: .ij Lange Wortes de Pesoun  —Take grene pesyn, an washe hem clene an caste hem on a potte, an boyle hem tyl þey breste, an þanne take hem vppe of þe potte, an put hem with brothe yn a-noþer potte, and lete hem kele; þan draw hem þorw a straynowre in-to a fayre potte, an þan take oynonys, and screde hem in to or þre, an take hole wortys and boyle hem in fayre water: and take hem vppe, an ley hem on a fayre bord, an cytte on .iij. or iiij., an ley hem to þe oynonys in þe potte, to þe drawyd pesyn; an let hem boyle tyl þey ben tendyr; an þanne tak fayre oyle and frye hem, or ellys sum fresche broþe of sum maner fresche fysshe, an caste þer-to, an Safron, an salt a quantyte, and serue it forth.

Harleian MS. 279 (ab 1430) .iiij. Caboges - Braised Cabbage


Braised Cabbage and Rastons


A humble dish of cabbage.  I was surprised by this recipe for "caboges"--who could have expected tender bits of cabbage, braised in flavorful gravy thickened with breadcrumbs and scented with saffron to be noble. The method of first boiling the cabbage to remove it's bitter properties, and then cooking it again in the broth made with marrowbones may seem to a bit redundant, but I urge you to try it.  Sworn cabbage haters tried it, and wanted more.  Success!

This is one of the first several recipes from Harleian MS 279, all of which feature "wortys" I tried this recipe first.  It is inexpensive to make.  I did take the extra step of making my own stock using roasted marrow bones. The well written and easy to follow instructions can be found at "The Cooking Geek" blog. I have to confess, I had my doubts when I smelled the bones cooking. It is not the most pleasant scent to me.  I almost wimped out when it came to eating a bit of the boiled marrow once the stock was completed.  I'm so glad I did.  Imagine, a succulent steak set before you, with crispy fat around the edge that has been chargrilled.  That is what the marrow tasted like...it's the food worlds best kept secret. Shhhhhhh! 


.iiij. Caboges.—Take fayre caboges, an cutte hem, an pike hem clene and clene washe hem, an parboyle hem in fayre water, an þanne presse hem on a fayre bord; an þan choppe hem, and caste hem in a faire pot with goode freysshe broth, an wyth mery-bonys, and let it boyle: þanne grate fayre brede and caste þer-to, an caste þer-to Safron an salt; or ellys take gode grwel y-mad of freys flesshe, y-draw þorw a straynour, and caste þer-to. An whan þou seruyst yt inne, knocke owt þe marw of þe bonys, an ley þe marwe .ij. gobettys or .iij. in a dysshe, as þe semyth best, & serue forth.

3. Cabbages - Take fair cabbages, an cut them, an pick them clean, and clean wash them, an parboil them in fair water, an than press them on a fair board, an than chop them, and cast them in a fair pot with good fresh broth, an with marrowbones, and let it boil; then take grated fair bread and caste there-to, an caste there-to saffron and salt; or else take good gruel made of fresh flesh, draw through a strainer, and caste there-to. An when you serve it in, knock out the marrow of the bones, and lay the marrow, two pieces, or three, in a dish as it seem best, and serve forth.

Interpreted Recipe

Humble ingredients = Noble soup
Serves 1 as a main dish, 2 if you are using it as a side              

1/8th green cabbage cut into chunks
1 cup beef broth
Marrow saved from making stock (to say this is an option is a crime...if you made the stock...use the marrow...trust me on this!)
3 tbs. grated bread (I grated Rastons that I made and divided into quarter, which made a roll the size of a hamburger bun) 
Salt to taste
Pinch of Saffron (opt.)

Following the directions above boil your cabbage in water until it starts to become tender.  This allows the cabbage to release any bitterness it might have.  This took approximately ten minutes.  Strain the cabbage, and dry it with a towel (you don't want to water down your stock do you?).  You will be surprised how much water it holds!

Meanwhile slowly heat your broth with the saffron.  When the broth has heated and colored to your desire,  return your cabbage to it, and let it cook until desired tenderness.  This time will vary because it depends on how you like your cabbage. I like a bit of a bite, so I only boiled it for about five more minutes.  

Broth thickened with bread crumbs
Once the cabbage has reached your preference, slowly add the breadcrumbs a tablespoon at a time.  Allow the crumbs to dissolve into the broth before adding the next bit. Otherwise the crumbs clump together and instead of smooth gravy it will be chunky and no amount of boiling will remove the chunks.  Trust me. 

The broth will thicken into gravy.  Once it has thickened you can remove it and place it into a bowl.  If you are using the marrow, you can add it at this time, the broth is boiling hot, so the marrow will heat through.  You want to see it on the top of the dish. 

If you are wondering, I did take the extra step to render the fat that I skimmed off the stock into tallow, another treasure shared on "The Cooking Geek" blog.