fd-England-msg - 5/27/14
Food of period England.
NOTE: See also the files: fd-Anglo-Saxn-msg, Erly-Irish-Fd-art, fd-Scotland-msg, fd-Scot-11tC-art, Elizabet-Fst-art, England-msg, fd-in-Chaucer-msg, fd-n-Shkspear-msg.
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This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday.
This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org
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Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous
Stefan at florilegium.org
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Date: Thu, 03 Jul 2008 10:17:47 -0400
From: euriol <euriol at ptd.net>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] English Food
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
I just did a Strawberry Pottage from Two Fifteenth Century Cookery books that got a lot of good feedback.
Other things to try - Roasted Chicken. If doing Tavern style, I'd suggest getting leg quarters and butchering them to the drumsticks and thighs. You can get the leg quarters pretty cheap at Wal-Mart (47 cents a pound the last time I bought a month ago). You can there make a couple of sauces to go with the chicken.
Another recipe that is likely to go over well is "Guissell" again from Two Fifteenth Century Cookery books, an interpretation of it is akin to Stove Top Stuffing... which would be a nice side to roasted chicken.
Euriol
<<< I am getting started in planning my next "feast" and it is going to be an English one. I have put the term "feast" in the scary quotes because it really isn't a feast. It is being billed as a "Tavern Meal" so that we can keep the cost at $6 a head. My intent is to serve 2 meats, a couple of sides, a starch and a sweet all in one big course - Tavern Style.
--
Serena da Riva
(yes this is my second "feast" of this year, when it rains - it pours!) >>>
Date: Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:18:33 -0400
From: Johnna Holloway <johnnae at mac.com>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Salad recipes was English Food
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
Barbara Benson wrote:
<<< By Great salads do you mean a really, really good salad or is a Great Salad a specific dish? I have a load of large platters - if you have any specific recipe in mind I would love to see it. >>>
http://www.culinaryhistoriansny.org/files/Recipes/Recipe_17_Century_Salads.pdf
Seventeenth Century English Salads by Cathy K. Kaufman
That will get you started for the great salat recipes. There ought to be SCA pictures someplace.
Johnnae
Date: Mon, 7 Jul 2008 11:46:01 -0400
From: "Nick Sasso" <grizly at mindspring.com>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] English Food
To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
-----Original Message-----
The pear mustard from Welserin has been a *huge* hit around here whenever I've served it. Mustard made from hypocras spices is also pretty tasty (and gosh, you have to make hypocras, too, to have the leftover spices!) as is the Welserin pear mustard with added horseradish.
Margaret FitzWilliam > > > > > >
While Serena has made that same pear mustard (making the pear preserves as well before adding to the mustard) . . . it is more German than she is looking for. It appears she is seeking a good, old fashioned, 2 fifteenth Centerury Cookery Bokes / Pleyn Delight / Forme of Curye sort of feed.
Pumpes (meatballs) could work
http://franiccolo.home.mindspring.com/crown_list_2000_recipes.html#pumpes
Egurdouce is always a favorite . . . and can possibly be done with chicken as a substitute meat (though not a documentably period dish)
http://franiccolo.home.mindspring.com/olde_eng_fest_recipes.html#egurdouce
Connys in cyrip is done well with chicken
http://franiccolo.home.mindspring.com/connyg_in_cyrip_forme_of_curye.html
CAPONS eSTEWED that you mentioned earlier came across to me more a braise, and should be quite good for this type of feeding.
Pies of Parys could work
http://franiccolo.home.mindspring.com/olde_eng_fest_recipes.html#piesparys (see 2 15th cent CB)
Flathonys is my all time favorite English dessert . . . beer and custard MMMMMMM.
http://franiccolo.home.mindspring.com/olde_eng_fest_recipes.html#flathonys
Rissoles of fruit should be simpler enough with a deep fryer (though oil is pretty high these days). Use the version without a dough skin
http://franiccolo.home.mindspring.com/olde_eng_fest_recipes.html#rissoles
Daryoles. Take wine & Fresh broth, Cloves, Maces & Marrow, & poweder of Ginger & Saffron & let all boil together & put thereto cream (& if it is clotted, draw it through a strainer) & yolks of Eggs, & mix them together, & pour the liquor that the Marrows was seethed in thereto; then make fair coffins of fair paste, & put the Marrow therein, & mince dates & strawberries in time of year, & put the coffins in the oven, & let them harden a little; then take them out & put the liquor thereto, & let them bake, & serve forth.(Two Fifteenth Century Cookery Books. Harleian MS. 279.
Iiij)
The old favorite, Lomdard pasties can come out . . . or Icelandic chicken. Pies of Paris above can be done as hand pies.
If you have good bread to serve witrh these, any of the braised/cooked in sauce dishes should be very good.
niccolo difrancesco
(SOOOOO long since I did regular English cookery . . . . too long)
Date: Sat, 27 Feb 2010 08:31:06 -0600
From: "Terry Decker" <t.d.decker at att.net>
To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
Subject: [Sca-cooks] Peaches was Theatre food in Elizabethan England
<<< http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100129/od_nm/us_shakespeare_snacks
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"...imported food like peaches..."??
Peaches grow in the UK don't they? I was given to understand they had been grown in England for most of the mediaeval period.
Angharad >>>
According to Davidson, the common wisdom has been that peaches were introduced into England into the 16th Century; however, a reference to peaches in Chaucer, two peach trees were at the Tower of London in 1275 and peach pits excavated from a 2nd Century fishmarket in Billingsgate, suggest that the common wisdom is in error. The current thinking appears to be peach cultivation ceased for a time and was reintroduced from France in the 16th Century.
I haven't chased down the Tower of London reference, but several sources suggest that it is an account entry for two trees delivered to the Tower in 1275. The Chaucer reference appears to be from his (probable) translation of Romance of the Rose, which, being of French origin, doesn't place peach trees in England.
We know that Pliny wrote of the peach trees in Gaul and I have no problem with the idea that the Romans introduced peach cultivation into England. There is also some evidence that Charlemagne tried to expand peach cultivation in France more or less unsuccessfully. Which leads me to the question of yield. If the yields were low, then the peach could have been a rare and expensive fruit even if grown locally. Espaliering fruit trees, pruning them to open them up and increase yields, occurred in Europe in the late 14th Century. It may be that peaches were in England, but were of limited utility due to low yields until growers adopted the new techniques of arboriculture. It's an interesting question.
Bear
<the end>