Give it Forth: Adventures in Medieval Cookery

Beef y-Stywyd  This recipe from  Two fifteenth-century cookery-books : Harleian MS. 279 (ab 1430), & Harl. MS. 4016 (ab. 1450), with extracts from Ashmole MS. 1439, Laud MS. 553, & Douce MS. 55 by Thomas Austin  is very reminiscent of the same flavor profiles one would expect when eating Cincinnati style chili.  It was a huge hit and the taste testers were very quick to remark on how "modern" this recipe tasted. It was also very quick and easy to put together and I plan on serving it at a future lunch tavern and it will definitely make an appearance at a feast. It is believed that the aurochs, an ancient ancestor of the modern day cattle was domesticated sometime around 8000 BC.  Modern day cattle are believed to have emerged from Turkey. The word cattle is derived from the Anglo-Saxon catel  from the Latin capitale meaning "a sum of money, capital." The word cattle  originally meant "moveable personal property".   Cattle had multipl

Wardonys in Syryp - Pears in Syrup There are several recipes in Two fifteenth-century cookery-books : Harleian MS. 279 (ab 1430), & Harl. MS. 4016 (ab. 1450), with extracts from Ashmole MS. 1439, Laud MS. 553, & Douce MS. 55 Thomas Austin which feature pears that have been stewed in wine, sweetened with sugar or honey, and flavored with cinnamon and other varied spices. The first recipe that I interpreted was  Perys en Composte  which was declared the favorite of the two recipes which I interpreted.  The second was Wardonys in Syryp, a very flavorful dish.  Among one of the oldest cultivated fruits is the pear, and it is sad that today most of us are only aware of a few of the many varieties of pears that are available; Bartlett, Bosc, Anjou, Comice, Asian and Seckle. Pears are thought to have originated in Asia over 4,000 years ago and were being actively cultivated in Europe approximately 1000 B.C.  The Greeks had a special love of pears, and they were considered to

Chardewardon or Pear Custard Chardewardon is one of several pear recipes that can be found in  Two fifteenth-century cookery-books : Harleian MS. 279 (ab 1430), & Harl. MS. 4016 (ab. 1450), with extracts from Ashmole MS. 1439, Laud MS. 553, & Douce MS. 55 Thomas Austin . It is quite simple to make and has the texture of a velvety applesauce when completed. One of my taste testers said it reminded him vaguely of pumpkin pie in texture and suggested that perhaps it would be delicious in a tart.  Several recipes published online have layered this dish with another medieval dish, snowe , which I imagine is very delicious as snowe resembles whipped cream flavored lightly with rose water.  .xxxiv. Chardewardon .—Take Pere Wardonys, an sethe hem in Wyne or in fayre water; þan take an grynd in a morter, an drawe hem þorwe a straynoure wyth-owte ony lycoure, an put hem in a potte with Sugre and clarifiyd hony, an Canel y-now, an lete hem boyle; þan take it fro þe fyre, an let ke

Perys en Composte There are several recipes in  Two fifteenth-century cookery-books : Harleian MS. 279 (ab 1430), & Harl. MS. 4016 (ab. 1450), with extracts from Ashmole MS. 1439, Laud MS. 553, & Douce MS. 55 Thomas Austin  which feature pears that have been stewed in wine, sweetened with sugar or honey, and flavored with cinnamon and other varied spices.   I prepared this dish for the  Coronation of Cadagan and AnnMarie  approximately two weeks prior to the event. I canned it and kept it in the fridge.  This is an excellent dish which can be made ahead for any event. The longer the pears are kept the deeper the color of the wine they absorb and the fuller the flavor. This is on my "make again" list and will most likely end up being a go to dish prepared when pears are in season. .xxxv. Perys en Composte. —Take Wyne an Canel, & a gret dele of Whyte Sugre, an set it on þe fyre & hete it hote, but let it nowt boyle, an draw it þorwe a straynoure; þan t

Cxxvj. Rede Rose   There are a number of dishes in Two fifteenth-century cookery-books : Harleian MS. 279 (ab 1430), & Harl. MS. 4016 (ab. 1450), with extracts from Ashmole MS. 1439, Laud MS. 553, & Douce MS. 55 Thomas Austin , which make a pudding, or custard flavored with edible flowers. I interpreted the recipe for Rede Rose, which creates a lovely rose flavored custard, that would be wonderful for a vigil, or luncheon or served at the end of a meal. I have also included similar recipes found in the manuscript for Cviij - Prymerose , Cxxvij - Prymerose and .Cxxviij. Flowrys of hawþorn which I have not interpreted, partly because, they say "to create this dish in the same manner as  vyolette ", and partly because I do not currently have access to primroses or hawthorn flowers.  For more information on the kinds of flowers that were eaten, and thus, a way to add considerable variation to this simple dish, please visit Agnes deLanvallei's "Medieval

Pumpes - Meatballs in Almond Milk Here is another meatball recipe from  Two fifteenth-century cookery-books : Harleian MS. 279 (ab 1430), & Harl. MS. 4016 (ab. 1450), with extracts from Ashmole MS. 1439, Laud MS. 553, & Douce MS. 55  Thomas Austin .  This is very pretty to look at, but without salt or pepper the dish is a bit on the bland side.  My guess is that the majority of the seasoning would come from whatever seasonings might have been used in the pork when it was cooked.  I used ground raw pork to make the meatballs, and would highly suggest that you add additional seasoning then just clove and mace (I did).   .Cxxxviij. Pumpes . —Take an sethe a gode gobet of Porke, & noȝt to lene, as tendyr as þou may; þan take hem vppe & choppe hem as smal as þou may; þan take clowes & Maces, & choppe forth with-alle, & Also choppe forth with Roysonys of coraunce; þan take hem & rolle hem as round as þou may, lyke to smale pelettys, a .ij. inches a-bowt

Poumes - Meat Dumplings One of the more unusual recipes that I ran across in  Two fifteenth-century cookery-books : Harleian MS. 279 (ab 1430), & Harl. MS. 4016 (ab. 1450), with extracts from Ashmole MS. 1439, Laud MS. 553, & Douce MS. 55  Thomas Austin  is a recipe for a spiced meatball made of veal that is first cooked in water, and then roasted on a spit and covered with green batter.  I had to try it and I am glad I did.  These were good!! They tasted quite a bit like deep fried mincemeat pies and I wish I would have amped up the spicing a bit more.  They were easy to make, and the fussiest part of making them was dipping each one individually in the batter and then tossing them into the fryer.  These have made it onto the "must try at a future feast" list. I chose to fry the batter coated meatballs instead of trying to roast them on a spit. The reason I chose to fry the meatballs instead of spit roasting is because I don't have a spit roaster. I was a

Harleian MS. 279 (ab. 1430) - Gaylede - Rice Porridge with Figs & Honey It would be easy to pass over this recipe if you were looking for one of the more exciting period dishes, but to do so, would be a disservice. Gaylede is one of a number of almond milk and rice flour based recipes that you can find in the pottage section of Harleian MS. 279. The completed dish is very pretty; the sandalwood adds a very pretty pink color to the recipe, while the ginger and galingale provide a warm spice. Ideally, the medieval cook would serve this at the beginning of a meal because it fit in with the ideology that foods which were easily digestible, along with sugar and warm spices would prepare the stomach for the important job of digestion. Most of us would probably want to start our days with this cereal like dish. Either way, I encourage you to try it.  This dish is interesting in that it calls for either sugar or honey to be used as a sweetener and it is the first time that I hav

.lxxxxj. Vyolette I t's that time of year again. In addition to making   preserved flowers   to be used as decorations for future events, I am once again revisiting   violet syrup , which is delicious on ice cream,   sugar plate and manus christi.   I have also been looking forward to trying two recipes that I found in   Two fifteenth-century cookery-books : Harleian MS. 279 (ab 1430), & Harl. MS. 4016 (ab. 1450), with extracts from Ashmole MS. 1439, Laud MS. 553, & Douce MS. 55 by Thomas Austin   featuring violets. You can read more about the violet and it's usage in any of the links above.  .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. lxxxxj - Vyolette .   Nym Al

.Cxxv. Vyolette It's that time of year again. In addition to making preserved flowers to be used as decorations for future events, I am once again revisiting violet syrup , which is delicious on ice cream, sugar plate and manus christi. I have also been looking forward to trying to recipes that I found in Two fifteenth-century cookery-books : Harleian MS. 279 (ab 1430), & Harl. MS. 4016 (ab. 1450), with extracts from Ashmole MS. 1439, Laud MS. 553, & Douce MS. 55 by Thomas Austin featuring violets. You can read more about the violet and it's usage in any of the links above. Of the two recipes that were tested today, this one was by far the favorite. I would love to serve this at an event one day, but it would definitely have to be a spring time event. I may try my hand at violet jam or violet conserve to see if I might be able to make this heavenly creation later in the year. I had three taste testers who tested this and it literally was a war of the spoons

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,