French-Toast-art - 3/31/00

'From Lost Bread to French Toast' by Christianna MacGrain.

NOTE: See also the files: French-Toast-msg, 3-F-Toast-Rec-art, fried-breads-msg, 
pancakes-msg,  trenchers-msg, wafers-msg, bread-msg, pretzels-msg, flour-msg.

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Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2000 16:21:04 -0500
From: Christine A Seelye-King <mermayde at juno.com>
Subject: SC - 'From Lost Bread to French Toast' - Contents

--Part 1 --
From Lost Bread to French Toast 

A survey of recipes for Paynfoundew, Browne Fryes, Golden Balls, Payn
purdeuz, Golden Sops, Panperdy, and French Toast.

Part 1	5 French Toast Recipes - Original Recipes and their Sources		
							
Part 2	Panynfoundew, Payn purdeuz, Golden Balls and Sops, and French
Toast Recipes dating from 1381 to 1660     	

Recipes and Renderings - Individual Recipes and their Treatments

Part 3		Paynfoundew						

Part 4		Brown Fries						

Part 5		Golden Balls						

Part 6		Panperdy							

Part 7		French Toast						

Part 8		Appendix I - Bibliography				

Part 9		Appendix II - Additional Information about Sources		
						
Part 10		Appendix III  - A spiritual account involving 'sopas doradas'
								
-- Part 2 --
Panynfoundew, Payn purdeuz, Golden Balls & Sops, and French Toast
			Recipes dating from 1381 to 1660

Many of the names of this dish translate into the phrase 'lost bread',
meaning, the leftover portion of bread which would be lost.  First
appearing in 1381 in England (in print), the dish and its variations can
be found in manuscripts cited here from France, Spain, and Italy, and
even on into Bulgaria and Turkey (ethnic recipes, no date).  French Toast
is still a popular dish today, being sold in today's supermarkets as
toaster pastries.   

Forme of Cury 1381
60. Paynfoundew.
Take brede and frye it in grece other in oyle.  Take it vp and lay it in
rede wyne; grynde it with raisouns.  Take [clarified] honey, and whan it
is thes clarified, do it to the other, with sugur and spices; salt it and
loke it be stondyng.  Florissh it with white coliaundre in confyt.

"Two 15th Century Cookbooks" ("Take a Thousand Eggs or More")
xliij. (43.) Payn pur-dew.  
Take fayre yolkys of Eyroun, & trye hem from the whyte, & draw hem thorw
a straynoure, & take Salt and caste ther-to; than take fayre brede, &
kytte it as troundey rounde; than take fayre Boter that is claryfiyd, or
ellys fayre Freysshe grece, & putte it on a potte, & make it hote; than
take & wete wyl thin troundey in the yolkys, & putte hem in the panne, an
so frye hem vppe; but ware of cleuyng to the panne; & whan it is fryid,
ley hem on a dysshe, & ley Sugre ynowe ther-on, & thanne serue it forht. 

Harleian MS. 4016 (1450)
79. Browne fryes.  
Take browne brede, and kut hit thyn; And then take yolkes of eyren, and
som with of the white; and take meyned floure, and drawe the eiren and
the floure thorgh a streynour; and take sugur a gode quantite, and a
litul saffron and salt, And cast thereto: and take a faire panne with
fressh grece; And whan the grece is hote, take downe and putte it in the
batur, and turne hit wel therin, and then put hit in the pan with the
grece, And lete hem fry togidre a litull while; And then take hem vpp,
and cste sugur thereon, and so serue hit hote. 

Harleian MS. 4016 (1450)
80. Payn purdeuz.  
Take faire yolkes of eyren, and try hem fro the white, and drawe hem
thorgh a streynour; and then take salte, and caste thereto; And then take
manged brede or paynman, and kutte hit in leches; and then take faire
buttur, and clarefy hit, or elles take fressh grece and put hit yn a
faire pan, and make hit hote; And then wete the brede well there in the
yolkes of eyren, and then ley hit on the batur in the pan, whan the
buttur is al hote; And then whan hit is fried eyowe, take sugur ynowe,
and caste there-to whan hit is in the disshe, And so serve hit forth.   

"An Ordinance of Potage"  (15th Cent.)
110. Payn purdyeu.

Take payndemayn or fresch bredd; pare awey the crustys.  Cut hit in
schyverys; fry hem a lytyll yn claryfyd buture.  Have yolkes of eyren
drawyn thorow a streynour & ley the brede theryn that hit be al helyd
with bature. Then fry in the same buture, & serve hit forth, & strew on
hote sygure.

"on Right Pleasure and Good Health" by Platina (1475) 
8.63  Golden Balls

Toast chunks of bread crust a little on both sides.  When they are
toasted, soften with rose water in which there are both beaten eggs and
ground sugar. When they are taken out, fry in a pan with butter or fat,
far apart so that they do not touch each other.  When they are fried and
transferred into a serving dish, sprinkle with sugar and rosewater
colored with saffron.  This pleases M. Antonius, not undeservedly, for it
fattens the body, helps liver and kidneys, and stimulates passion.

 "Libro del Arte de Cozina"  by Diego Granado (1599)
translation: Brighid ni Chiarain (Robin Carroll-Mann)
SOPAS DORADAS FRITAS CON MANTECA -- Golden sops fried with 
Fat

Take twenty egg yolks, six ounces of bread, thinly grated, three quarter 
[ounces] of cinnamon, and three ounces of sugar, three ounces of 
rosewater, and a little saffron, and mix them all together with finely 
chopped herbs, remove the bread crust and make crustless slices the 
thickness of the back of a knife, and moisten them in the said mixture, 
and fry them with pork lard or cow's butter, and serve hot with sugar and

cinnamon on top, sprinkled with rosewater.  
(For a story regarding the spiritual side of Golden sops, see Appendix III)

"The English Housewife"  by Gervase Markham (London 1615)
28. To make the best panperdy
To make the best panperdy, take a dozen eggs, and break them, and beat
them very well, then put unto them cloves, mace, cinnamon and nutmeg, and
good store of sugar, with as much salt as shall season it: then take a
manchet, and cut it into thick slices like toasts; which done, take your
fryin pan, and put into it a good store of sweet butter, and, being
melted, lay in your slices of bread, then pour upon them one half of your
eggs; then when that is fried, with a dish turn your slices of bread
upward, and then pour on them the other half of your eggs, so turn them
till both sides be brown; then dish it up, and serve it with sugar
strewed upon it.

 "The Accomplisht Cook"  by Robert May (1660), 
French Toasts. 
Cut French Bread, and toast it in pretty thick toasts on a clean
gridiron, and serve them steeped in claret, sack, or any wine, with sugar
and juice of orange.

"The Melting Pot - Balkan Food and Cookery", 
by Maria Kaneva Johnson

"Palace bread, Sarajski hlyab (Bulgarian, from the Turkish saray
ekmegi),also known in the north-eastern part of the country as 'dzidzhi
papo' which is childish language for something pretty to eat, deriving
from the Turkish 'cici', toy, pretty, and the Bulgarian 'papam', I eat;
'pohovane snite sa vinom' (Croat, meaning egg-coated fried slices with
wine) and 'pohane vinske snite' (Slovenian, egg-coated, fried wine
slices), from the German 'schnitte'- slice."
Essentially, bread dipped in an egg and milk or white wine mixture, fried
in butter and served with cinnamon sugar, apricot jam, golden syrup or
orange-marmelade sauce.

-- Part 3 --
Paynfoundew 
Rendering by Christianna MacGrain. 

Forme of Cury (1381)
60. Paynfoundew.
Take brede and frye it in grece other in oyle.  Take it vp and lay it in
rede wyne; grynde it with raisouns.  Take [clarified] honey, and whan it
is thes clarified, do it to the other, with sugur and spices; salt it and
loke it be stondyng.  Florissh it with white coliaundre in confyt.

Take bread and fry it in grease or other oil.  Take it out of the pan and
lay it in red wine in which raisins have been ground. Take clarified
honey, and pour it on the bread in sauce.  Sprinkle with sugar and
spices, salt it and make sure it is very thick and not runny.  Garnish
with candied coriander.  

Notes on this rendering:

	Notes in the glossary link the word 'grynde' with 'gre(u)dil - n.
griddle.  It can be read that the red wine has been heated and the
raisins are ground into it to form a sauce, rather thick in consistancy
(as per the direction at the end to have it be 'stondyng'.)  Another
interpretation might be that the bread is soaked in the wine and raisin
mixture, and then ground into a mush.  
	The original recipe contains directions on the clarification of the
honey, which I have omitted here.  	
	Consulting the glossary again, the word 'stondyng' is defined as "very
thick, as against 'renning', runny".  This is taken to mean the final
product should not ooze liquid, but should be sopped without being water
logged.  

Rendered Recipe

Paynfoundew

6 slices oat bread, crusts trimmed
1 cup Merlot wine
1/2 cup raisins
1 tbsp. Poudre Douce (Cinnamon, Fenugreek, Lemon Peel, Ginger, Cloves, Nutmeg)
Blended sugar and Poudre Douce
Clarified Honey
Candied Coriander Seeds
Butter

Place Merlot, raisins, and poudre douce in a sauce pan.  Slowly heat
ingredients to just below boiling.  Turn off heat and let stand.  Blend
sauce.  
Melt butter in a frying pan.  Place day-old bread slices in the hot
butter and fry on both sides.  In a dish with the wine raisin sauce,
place fried bread slices in the sauce, turning to absorb liquid, making
sure they are not too wet.  Drizzle with honey, sprikle with sugar/poudre
douce blend.  
Garnish with crushed candied coriander seeds.

-- Part 4 --
Brown Fries
Rendering by Christianna MacGrain.

Harleian MS. 4016 (1450)
79. Browne fryes.  
Take browne brede, and kut hit thyn; And then take yolkes of eyren, and
som with of the white; and take meyned floure, and drawe the eiren and
the floure thorgh a streynour; and take sugur a gode quantite, and a
litul saffron and salt, And cast thereto: and take a faire panne with
fressh grece; And whan the grece is hote, take downe and putte it in the
batur, and turne hit wel therin, and then put hit in the pan with the
grece, And lete hem fry togidre a litull while; And then take hem vpp,
and cste sugur thereon, and so serue hit hote.

Take brown bread and cut it into thin slices.  Take the yolks of some
eggs, and the whites of a few less, and add white flour, and pour the
mixture through a strainer.  Mix with a good quantity of sugar, a little
saffron, and some salt.  In a clean pan with fresh grease, when the
grease is hot, put the bread slices into the batter, turning it so that
both sides are coated.  Put the bread into the pan with the grease, and
let they fry for a while.  Take them out of  the pan and garnish with a
sprinkling of sugar. Served hot.  

Rendered Recipe

Brown Fries

1 small loaf of brown bread, thinly sliced
3 egg yolks 
2 egg whites
4 tbsp. white flour
3 tbsp. Sugar
pinch of saffron
pinch of salt
butter (or lard, see Note)

Mix together the egg yolks, whites, and flour.  Pass through a strainer
to remove lumps.  Mix in sugar, salt, and saffron and let sit, allowing
the saffron to release it's color and flavor.  In a frying pan, heat the
butter.  When the butter is hot, dip the bread into the batter, turning
to evenly coat.  Fry until the batter is cooked and remove from heat. 
Serve hot with a sprinking of sugar.  
Note: As the original recipe calls for grease, lard or bacon fat could be
used.  I had none at the time, and similar recipes call for grease or
butter, so I used butter.  I have made it previously with bacon fat, and
the result is similar, with the bacon fat imparting a slight flavor of
its own. 

-- Part 5 --
Golden Balls
Rendering by Christianna MacGrain.

"on Right Pleasure and Good Health" by Platina (1475) 
8.63  Golden Balls

Toast chunks of bread crust a little on both sides.  When they are
toasted, soften with rose water in which there are both beaten eggs and
ground sugar. When they are taken out, fry in a pan with butter or fat,
far apart so that they do not touch each other.  When they are fried and
transferred into a serving dish, sprinkle with sugar and rosewater
colored with saffron.  This pleases M. Antonius, not undeservedly, for it
fattens the body, helps liver and kidneys, and stimulates passion.

Rendered Recipe

Golden Balls

6 white rolls, torn into chunks, toasted
2 oz. rosewater
4 eggs, beaten
sugar
butter
rosewater with saffron steeped in it

Add rosewater to the beaten eggs to obtain the consistancy of about half
the thickness of the beaten eggs alone.  Add sugar.  Toss the bread
chunks in the egg/rosewater mixture to moisten but not saturate.  Fry in
a pan with butter, making sure they stay separate in the cooking process.
 Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with sugar and saffron colored
rosewater.  Stand back and watch out for amorous diners.

-- Part 6 --
Panperdy
Rendering by Christianna MacGrain.

"The English Housewife" by Gervase Markham (London 1615)
28. To make the best panperdy

To make the best panperdy, take a dozen eggs, and break them, and beat
them very well, then put unto them cloves, mace, cinnamon and nutmeg, and
good store of sugar, with as much salt as shall season it: then take a
manchet, and cut it into thick slices like toasts; which done, take your
fryin pan, and put into it a good store of sweet butter, and, being
melted, lay in your slices of bread, then pour upon them one half of your
eggs; then when that is fried, with a dish turn your slices of bread
upward, and then pour on them the other half of your eggs, so turn them
till both sides be brown; then dish it up, and serve it with sugar
strewed upon it.

Rendered Recipe

Panperdy

4 eggs
dash each cloves, mace, cinnamon, nutmeg
3 tbsp. sugar
pinch of salt
butter
white bread, cut into thick slices

Beat eggs and add the spices, sugar and salt.  In a frying pan, heat the
butter and add the sliced bread.  Pour half of the egg mixture over the
bread and allow to cook.  Turn the bread over and pour the other half of
the mixture over it and allow them to brown.  A flat dish may be
necessary to assist in flipping the bread.  Serve with a sprinkling of
sugar. 

-- Part 7 --
French Toast
Rendering by Christianna MacGrain.

 "The Accomplisht Cook" by Robert May (1660) 
"French Toasts. 
Cut French Bread, and toast it in pretty thick toasts on a clean
gridiron, and serve them steeped in claret, sack, or any wine, with sugar
and juice of orange."

Rendered Recipe.

French Toast

Sliced white bread, 1 inch thick 
Port
Sugar
Orange Juice

Toast the bread on an ungreased griddle.  
Mix wine, sugar and orange juice. 
Serve the toasted bread sopped in the wine mixture.  

-- Part 8 --
Appendix I
Bibliography

"The Forme of Cury" - from a manuscript dated 1381, on the Feast of
Saints Felix and Audatus (August 30th),  included in the compilation
"Curye on Inglysch" edited by Constance B. Hieatt and Sharon Butler, c.
Early English Text Society by the Oxfor University Press, 1985

"Two Fifteenth Century Cookbooks" edited by Thomas Austin, published for
the Early English Text Society  by the Oxford University Press, first
published 1888, reprinted 1964 by Vivian Ridler.

"Take A Thousand Eggs Or More , a Collection of 15th Century Recipes" 
by Cindy Renfrow, Second Edition 1998 

"An Ordinance of Potage, An Edition of The Fifteenth Century Culinary
Recipes in Yale University's MS Beinecke 163"   edited by Constance B. Hieatt 
Prospect Books, 1988

"DE HONESTA VOLUPATE ET VALETUDINE 
(OF HONEST VOLUPTUSNESS AND HEALTH) 
OR VIRTUOUS ENJOYMENT AND GOOD HEALTH)" 
BY BARTHOLOMAEUS DE PLATINA 
Printed in roman Type in Venice 13 June 1475
"Platina's on Right Pleasure and Good Health : Based upon the Critical
Edition and Translation of De Honesta Voluptate Et Valetudine "
by Platina, Mary Ella, 1922 Milham

"The English Hus-Wife" (London, 1615)
          By Gervase Markham. Transcribed and edited by Michael R. Best.
                      
"The accomplisht cook, or the art & mystery of cookery... the fifth
edition" by Robert May   London, 1685

-- Part 9 --
Appendix II
Addtitional Information about sources.

From "Mediaeval Craftsmen"  by John Harvey, Drake Publishers, NY, 1975
"The first of the great English cookery books, "The Forme of Cury", was
compiled by 'the chief masters cooks of King Richard the Second... the
which was accounted the best and royallest viander of all christen
Kings',  and we know the names of two of these master cooks.  Master
Thomas Beauchef, who in his time had cooked for the Black Prince, became
an emeritus cook in 1383 because he was 'an old man and not able to
labour as he used to do'; his fee, wages and robe were continued for
life, and leave 'to go away for recreation and return when he pleases'. 
His successor was his junior John Goodrich, who had been in the royal
kitchens from 1363 and went on until 1393.  Beauchef was still alive in
1391 and Goodrich died in 1398. "

DE HONESTA VOLUPATE ET VALETUDINE 
(OF HONEST VOLUPTUSNESS AND HEALTH) 
OR VIRTUOUS ENJOYMENT AND GOOD HEALTH) 
BY BARTHOLOMAEUS DE PLATINA 
Printed in roman Type in Venice 13 June 1475 
"Platina (d. 1481) was a senior librarian at the Vatican library
This book is important not only as the first printed cookery text, but
also as an excellent source of knowledge of daily life in the
mid-fifteenth
century, and particularly for insights into dietary customs of the time. 
    Platina, was not a cook. He is recorded first as a soldier and later
as a distinguished scholar. In 1474 he presented the handwritten
manuscript of his now famous Lives of the Popes to Pope Sixtus IV. The
original is still in theVatican Library. His reward was an appointment to
the extremely important post of Librarian to the Vatican."
>From "Platina's on Right Pleasure and Good Health : Based upon the
Critical Edition and Translation of De Honesta Voluptate Et Valetudine "
by Platina, Mary Ella, 1922 Milham

"The English Hus-Wife" (London, 1615)
          By Gervase Markham. Transcribed and edited by Michael R. Best.
                      "Containing the inward and outward vertues which
ought to be in a compleat woman." The most popular early household book,
covering medicine, cookery, distilling, brewing, dairy work, dyeing,
spinning and weaving. Known to have been in circulation in the American
Colonies. Markham (a male) was more editor than author, and melded
previously published works into a cohesive whole. The modern editor has
added a detailed introduction and glossary, and provided a collation of
variances among the 1615, 1623 and 1631 editions.

"The accomplisht cook, or the art & mystery of cookery... the fifth
edition" by Robert May   London, 1685

"Robert May published his cookbook in 1660 after spending fifty-five
years cooking for several conservative noble families.  His recipes
illustrate both the older, medieval style of cookery of May's youth and
the new French style that would dominate elite cooking in the eighteenth
century.  Recent research indicates, suprisingly, that May borrowed few
of the one thousand plus recipes he published, in contrast to many of his
contemporaries who copied freely from many sources.  May's book is the
first English cookbook clearly organized in sections without any
medicinal recipes." - Review from the Folger Shakespearean Library volume
accompanying the exhibit "Fools and Fricasees: Food in Shakespeare's
England".

-- Part 10 --
Appendix III

A spiritual account involving 'sopas doradas'.

A story regarding "sopas doradas", is found in the text of a 1592 Spanish
book,  "Fructus Sanctorum y Quinta Parte del Flos Sanctorum" by Alonso de
Villegas.  It's a collection of discourses on various (Catholic)
spiritual topics.  Included was an anecdote about a Cistercian monk who
was raised to the rank of cardinal by Pope Clement V.  He was travelling
with a group of monks as attendants.  One of them, a lay-brother, told
the cardinal that when he died, he would be greeted at the gate of heaven
by Saint Benedict, the founder of their order.  The saint would surely
question the cardinal's identity, since he would not be dressed in the
humble habit of his order.  But the cardinal would no doubt be able to
explain that his rank required him to dress differently.  However, Saint
Benedict would then investigate further by conducting a sort of spiritual
autopsy.  He would summon porters to throw the cardinal to the ground,
cut open his chest with a knife, and investigate the contents of the
cardinal's stomach.  If it was full of herbs and vegetables, then the
saint would say, "Truly you are a monk of my order, enter into Paradise."
 If however, it was full of partridges and francolins, blancmange and
golden sops...  The story goes on to say that the cardinal took the hint,
and thereafter ate meals more appropriate to his monastic vocation.
 
[Thanks to Lady Brighid ni Chiarain, (Settmour Swamp, East (NJ), mka
Robin Carroll-Mann, harper at idt.net) for the preceding Spanish research
and translation. ]


Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2000 11:29:52 -0500
From: "Robin Carroll-Mann" <harper at idt.net>
Subject: Re: SC - Period French Toast Recipies

And it came to pass on 16 Jan 00,, that Christine A Seelye-King wrote:
> To which Brighid responded:
> > Oh dear.  I'm not sure that I'm ready for my own appendix.  Couldn't I
> > just start out with a footnote, and gradually work my way up?  :-)
> 
>  Oh, don't be so modest.  After all, translating and making available to
> us heretofore unknown in English recipes from period Spanish sources is
> nothing to sneeze at!  

I thought modesty and humility were considered virtues in the Middle 
Ages.  :-)

Reading this list, with its many experienced and scholarly cooks, tends 
to encourage a sense of modesty in me.  I do the translating because 
it's interesting and fun.

> And for those who were wondering, I did very
> well with my entry.  I received a Superior (roughly equivallent to 1st
> place in our judging system) and the comment I have been waiting for my
> entire 21 -year long SCA carreer "Your documentation is perfect". YES! 

Congratulations on your well-deserved success.  And thank you for 
posting the documentation.  Very interesting.  I read it, coincidently, 
while eating French toast for breakfast -- a dietetic version with sugar-
free syrup, and surely not as yummy as yours.  But perhaps I will try 
adding a touch of rosewater and/or poudre douce to mine... hmmm...

> I am probably going to do this one again for our Kingdom A&S on Memorial
> Day, so I welcome comments and suggestions as to how I can tweak it to
> make it even better.

Just two brief comments.

In the recipe for Paynfoundew, you modernized the phrase "frye it in 
grece other in oyle" as "fry it in grease or other oil".  In the glossary to 
_Curye on Inglysch_ "other" is defined as the conjunction "or".  So 
perhaps "fry it in grease or oil" would be a slightly better wording?

And about my appendix...  The story about the Cardinal is my 
paraphrase of the original Spanish.  I believe that it's a fairly accurate 
paraphrase, but you might want to make it clear that the story as it 
appears there is not a direct translation of the text.

Lady Brighid ni Chiarain
Settmour Swamp, East (NJ)


Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2000 13:20:48 -0500
From: Christine A Seelye-King <mermayde at juno.com>
Subject: SC - F.T., rosewater and mush

Brighid wrote:
> Congratulations on your well-deserved success.  And thank you for 
> posting the documentation.  Very interesting.  I read it, 
> coincidently,  while eating French toast for breakfast -- a dietetic version 
> with  sugar- free syrup, and surely not as yummy as yours.  But perhaps I 
> will try  adding a touch of rosewater and/or poudre douce to mine... 
> hmmm...

	Do yourself a favor and steep the saffron in the rosewater.  The night I
did it, I set the rosewater in a small bowl on the counter and put the
saffron in it to steep.  I was bustling around, getting ready for the
event, and when I walked back into the kitchen, the aroma just enveloped
me , made me stop and say "WOW".  No calories there, but with that flavor
combination, there isn't much need for additional sweet.  At that point,
a dash or two of a sugar free sweetener should do it.  (I would not do
syrup, especially if it is artificial maple flavor).

> In the recipe for Paynfoundew, you modernized the phrase "frye it in 
> grece other in oyle" as "fry it in grease or other oil".  In the 
> glossary to _Curye on Inglysch_ "other" is defined as the conjunction "or".  
> So perhaps "fry it in grease or oil" would be a slightly better wording?

	Hmm.  It never occured to me to check the glossary for "other".  Still
seems to say the same thing, though, but I will probably change it.  And
perhaps go through the glossary more carefully.  However, I have
questions about the glossary's interpretation of something else in that
same recipe, about the red wine and raisin sauce.  I went with the book's
interpretation (that the wine and raisins were ground) because it suited
my purposes better, but still think it could be interpreted as putting
the bread in the wine with raisins and then grinding it, making a mush. 
I could do another 5 dishes with various mush recipes, but somehow it
doesn't have the same romance as French Toast.  Besides which, as you
mentioned, we are still eating French Toast today, and mush doesn't make
it to as many tables.  
 
> And about my appendix...  The story about the Cardinal is my 
> paraphrase of the original Spanish.  I believe that it's a fairly 
> accurate paraphrase, but you might want to make it clear that the story as it 
> appears there is not a direct translation of the text.

	I will so note.  Thanks again,
	Christianna

<the end>
Edited by Mark S. Harris	French-Toast-art	12