Give it Forth: Adventures in Medieval Cookery

I fully believe that everyone should try something new, and so I will be making one pickled and smoked cow tongue for this event.  I prefer "Neat's tongue", it sounds better.  The recipe I will be using is from Welserin, and it calls for first salting the tongues, and then smoking them. It is a long process, that I hope to speed up just a bit. Wish me luck! Wenn du eine gute eingelegte Zunge machen würdest. - If you would make a good pickled tongue (beef) 27 If you would make good pickled tongue. They are best made in January, then they will keep the whole year First take twenty five tongues or as many as you will and take them one after the other and pound them back and front on a chopping block, then they will be long. After that pound salt small and coat the tongues in salt. Take then a good small tub and put salt in the bottom, after that lay a layer of tongues as close together as possible, put more salt on them so that it is entirely white from salt. In this manner

Here is another tried and true, well respected recipe that was located in two separate books. The first "Hienach volgt vonn dem kochenn vnd hat gemacht meyster Eberhart ein koch herczog Heinrichs zu Landshut." translated to "Hereafter follows (a text) about cooking,and Master Eberhart, a cook of Duke Henry of Landshut made it".  The second book, "Cod Pal Germ 551".  This is very similar to a cherry pudding recipe that I made often in the past so I find no need to test the recipe in advance.  The methodology is simple, with the exception of keeping it saucier then a pudding, the recipe is the same.  Here is the finalized recipe that will be part of the "desserts" served in the second course of the 12th Night Feast Zum ein salsenn von weichselnn zu machen. Item wiltu machen ein gutte salsenn von weichselnn, so thue die weichsell in einen hafen vnd secz die auff ein glut vnd laß sie siedenn vnd laß dann wider erkaltenn vnd streich sie durch ein tuch

Platina's "De honesta voluptate" According to Christianne Muuser this recipe found in Gheeraert Vorselman, Nyeuwen coock boeck was directly borrowed from Platina's " De Honesta Voluptate Et Valetudine ".   It took some research but I located it. It follows a very long recipe for bread. This is the bread that I will be serving with the cheese sop in the first course of 12th Night.  I will be using Christianne Muuser's own interpretation  with a few changes noted in the recipe below.   If you have not visited her site Coquinaria , you are missing out!  Van coeck te backen Neemt tarwenmeel oft bloemen met warmen watere also vele als ghi behoeft, ende wercket een luttel samen, dan neemt venckelsaet ende spec ghesneden terlincxwijse ende doeget int deech ende wercket wel tsamen tot tay deech ende maect eenen ronden coec ende bacten in den oven metten brode oft op den heert, &c. Inde plaetse vanden spec moech dy nemen boter oft olijfoly. Men bact ooc coec

I would not consider these "dishes" so much as garnishes--things to put around the roast to make it look pretty.  This is one of those "if there is room in the budget" dishes.  Still fun to decipher and try to create a recipe for.  These are from Rumpolt's Ein New Kochbuch .  2. Weiß Ruben im Senff/ mit neuwem Wein/ der süß ist/ angemacht/ wol dick gesotten/ vnnd durch ein Härin Tuch gestrichen/ die Ruben in Wasser erst gesotten/ das fein steiff ist. Oder daß man die Ruben brat/ vnd wenn sie gebraten seyn/ so schelet man sie/ vnd leßt sie kalt werden/ schneidt sie zu vier stücken/ vnd thu sie in Senff/ laß darinnen ligen/ so wirdt es gut vnd wolgeschmack. 2. White turnips in the mustard/ mixed with new wine/ that is sweet/ cooked until thick/ and strained through a hair cloth/ the turnips are first boiled in water/ that are nicely stiff/ Or one can roast the turnips/ and when they are roasted/ then peel them/ and let get cold/ cut them in four pieces/ and put th

 The cookbook of Sabrina Welserin offers this surprisingly modern recipe to make "boiled dumplings"!  which sounds delicious however, one important bit of information is missing..how do you make the dumpling dough??  Fortunately, she offers two additional recipes for dumplings, one of which refers us to "making a dough of good flour as if you would make a tart".   119 If you would make boiled dumplings Then take chard, as much as you like, some sage, marjoram and rosemary, chop it together, also put grated cheese into it and beat eggs therein until you think that it is right. Take also cinnamon, cloves, pepper and raisins and put them into the dumpling batter. Let the dumplings cook, as one cooks a hard-boiled egg, then they are ready. The ingredients for boiled dumplings are:  Chard Sage Marjoram Rosemary Cheese Egg Cinnamon Clove Pepper Raisins Dumpling dough Further research finds the recipe for the dough here: 70 A tart with plums, which can be dried or fresh L

You are missing a treasure trove of information if you have not visited Dan Myer's Medieval Cookery Site.  It is one of my most often used resources when looking for online cookbooks or specific instructions on how to make different recipes.  The search function is phenominal in helping you to locate similar recipes among the varied recipes available.  I urge you to check this site out.  Below is a small peek into the research that I do in order to recreate a reciept from period. The pickled vegetables were delicious.  [ Ein Buch von guter spise, A. Atlas (trans.)]: 48. Ein condimentlin (A condiment). Mal kümel und enis mit pfeffer und mit ezzige und mit honige. und mach ez gel mit saffran. und tu dar zu senf. in disem condimente maht du sulze persilien, bern und clein cumpost oder rüeben, waz du wilt. Flavor caraway seeds and anise with pepper and with vinegar and with honey. And make it gold with saffron. And add thereto mustard. In this condiment you may make sulze (pickled or

Ein condimentlin, Rote Ruben, Man bradet Zwybeln in Bradfeift, Wilthu machenn eynngemacht Crautt UPDATE: The original event this receipt was researched for did not come to pass due to covid.  However, I was able to use this at the Vigil feast.  I'm still working on rounding out the first course. I feel that it needs an onion element, something sweet and sour to serve as an alternative to or in addition to the mustard sauce for the sausages and neat's tongue. It could even serve as an additional topping for the cheese sop if wanted, and I came across this receipt from a book written in 1598, that creates a kind of onion relish.  I have done something similar for another 12th Night feast that was served with roasted chicken called "A Pickle for the Mallard" .  It was a lovely, and I'm looking forward to creating it's German equivalent.  Kunstbuch Von mancherley Essen 6. Item / man bradet Zwybeln in Bradfeift / machtſie abmit groſſem Roſin /Pfeffer und Eſsig / gi

As you can see, I had originally worked on translating this recipe in anticipation of the 12th Night event that did not happen.  I found it such a unique dish, I wanted to bring it to Appolonia's Vigil.  It was quite popular.  And will be making an appearance at a future event.  Slightly disappointed that what I thought was cheese soup (Käeßsuppen does mean cheese soup just ask google!!) but was more of a spread to go on bread, I thought I needed to "round out" the first course of the 12th Night feast with a meat cooked in a broth, or a soup like substance :-/.  To be fair, the cheese sops, the fennel and bacon savory pastries, smoked neat's tongue, various sausages & mustard, pickled vegetables and pears in syrup should be enough! However, I want to offer something for individuals who may not be interested in trying the pork or beef dishes. I really need a "chicken" dish. Fortunately, I don't need to make a lot of this dish to satisfy the nibbley-ap

In order to determine which of the mustard sauces would best with the pork roast that will serve as the main dish of the second course of 12th Night, it has become necessary to interpret the recipe for it. This recipe can be found in the translation by Volker Bach here, The Registrum Coquine of John of Bockenheim . I know I will not be roasting a whole pig, that would be entirely way too much meat for the expected 50ish people. The two proposed sauces with this dish are an apple mustard and a gingerbread sauce. 14 – Thus you must roast a pig. Take its organs, that is to say liver and lung, and chop them with a knife, and temper them with hard-boiled eggs, fat bacon (lardone), and parsley, marjoram, and raisins, and sweet spices. And then cut the pig along the side (per latus), and put it on a spit, and fill it with the mixture, and close up its side well, and draw one foot across the other, so that it stands well, and make it roast all through. And that will be for the rich. Stuffed

Marzipan of Quince and Almond Found in  Recipes from Anna Wecker’s Köstlich New Kochbuch (1598)  this recipe for a marchpane made with quince sounds divine, and so it must be tested.  I have made marchpanes previously for a 12th Night feast, and was eager to try something a little different for this one.  Ein köstlich Marcipan von Quitten und Mandeln in hefftigem Durchlauff von schwachem Magen (p. 49) A delicious marcipan with quinces and almonds for strong diarrhea and weak stomachs Take nice quinces and steam them with quince juice in a tightly closed pot, or if you do it right they can produce the broth themselves (i.e. can be cooked without adding liquid). When they are nicely soft, remove their skin and take the best of their marrow or flesh so that no stone is added to it. Then take finely ground almonds and clean, bolted sugar as much as there are quinces and almonds. Take the half part of this and boil it into a syrup with rosewater or cinnamon water. Add the flesh of the qui

Original Recipe: Nimm ein neuwen Käeß/ der vber Nacht gemacht ist/ vnd rüer jhn ab mit saurem Rahm/ thu frische Butter darein/ vnd laß darmit auffsieden/ so zergehet der Käeß. Vnnd wenn du wilt anrichten/ so nimm gebeht Schnitten Brot/ oder von Weck/ vnd geuß die Brüeh darüeber/ so ist es ein gute Vngerische Käeßsuppen.  46 Take a new cheese/ that (was) made overnight/ and stir it up with soured cream/ put fresh butter therein/ and let (it) come to a boil therewith/ so the cheese breaks down. And when you want to prepare it (serve it)/ so take sliced bread/ or from a loaf. And pour the broth over (it)/ so is a good Hungarian cheese soup.  This recipe reminds me of Sir Kenelm Digby's Savoury Tostyde  which is absolutely out of this world delicious.  We will start with similar proportions as those given by Digby, which creates a very delicious "cheese goo", that can be made ahead and heated day of.   1/2 lb butter  1/2 lb cream cheese - Sub sour cream  1/8 lb new cheese **