Medieval Cooking

Myself and my husband recently celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary and it got me travelling down memory lane. At the time we wanted to have a medieval banquet type affair but found nothing suitable in the Emerald Isle/ Ireland for the time of year we wanted it.

Still I thought i'd share some recipes and menus that i came accross in my research ... some very unsavoury to say the least!

Dormice (Mice were a delicacy) - this would have kept down the cost of the wedding! Probably have kept down the attendance as well though!

Apicius, The Roman Cookery Book, 6th Century

Stuff the dormice with minced pork, the minced meat of whole dormice, pounded with pepper, pine-kernels, asafoetida, and liquamen. Sew up, place on a tile, put in the oven, or cook, stuffed, in a small oven.

Bourneys (lungs, hearts, ears, and spleen) Harleian MS 279, 15th Century

Take pipes, hertes, neres, myltes, and of the rybbes of the Swynw, or elles take (if thou wilt) Mallard or Goos, and choppe hem small, and then parboile it in faire water, and take it vp, and pike it clene, and putte into a potta, and cast thereto ale ynough. Sauge, Salt, and lete boile right ynowe, and then serue it forth.

Yrchouns (pig’s stomach) Harleian MS 279, 15th Century

Take Piggis mawys, & skalde hem wel; take groundyn Porke, & knede it with Spicerye, with pouder Gyngere, & Salt & Sugre; do it on [th]e mawe, but fille it nowt to fulle; [th]en sewe hem with a fayre [th]rede, & putte hem in a Spete as men don piggys; take blaunchid Almaundys, & kerf hem long, smal, & scharpe, & frye hem in grece & sugre; take a litel prycke, & prykke [th]e yrchons, An putte in [th]e holes [th]e Almaundys, every hole half, & eche fro o[th]er; ley hem [th]en to [th]e fyre; when [th]ey ben rostid, dore hem sum wyth Whete Flowre, & mylke of Almaundys, sum grene, sum blake with Blode, & lat hem nowt browne to moche, & serue forth.

Enough for now methinks - i'm feeling curiously peckish and the dog is looking wary! Hmmmm just cheese on toast with woster sauce will do for now.