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4-Sausages-art - 7/26/15

"A Selection of 14th and 15th Century Sausages - Two Countries, Four Sausages" by Heera Þorvaldr Inn Suðreyski.

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NOTICE -

This article was submitted to me by the author for inclusion in this set of files, called Stefan's Florilegium.

These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org

While the author will likely give permission for this work to be reprinted in SCA type publications, please check with the author first or check for any permissions granted at the end of this file.

Thank you,

Mark S. Harris...AKA:..Stefan li Rous

stefan at florilegium.org

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This article was first published in the May 2015 issue of Cockatrice, the A&S newsletter for Lochac.

A Selection of

14th and 15th Century Sausages -

Two Countries, Four Sausages

by Heera Þorvaldr Inn Suðreyski

Barony of Southron Gaard

Kingdom of Lochac

Table of Contents

Introduction................................................................................................................................................................... 3

Background.................................................................................................................................................................... 3

General Period Method................................................................................................................................................. 3

General Modern Adaptations....................................................................................................................................... 4

The 4 Sausages.............................................................................................................................................................. 5

Sausage Number 1..................................................................................................................................................... 5

Sausage Number 2..................................................................................................................................................... 7

Sausage Number 3..................................................................................................................................................... 8

Sausage Number 4..................................................................................................................................................... 9

Introduction

My intention with this project is to recreate a selection of sausages from the late middle ages/early renaissance period. The particular sausages I have chose to recreate originate in Italy and Germany. This should give a nice contrast, and are both recognised for their sausage making heritage, Italy more for their fermented and cured sausages, and Germany for its fresh and smoked sausages.

Background

Nobody is entirely sure when sausages started to be made, but it can be assumed that sausages have been made for as long as meat has been being preserved. Sausages were used as a way to preserve meat for use later, be it ready to use during the cold winter months, or due to excess meat production during times of plenty.

As part of basic and efficient butchery, sausages can be made from various parts of the beast, be it from the trimmings, the offal (including the blood), or in some cases, some of the finer primary cuts of the animal. There are recipes from various cookbooks I've looked into, which use the haunch, or the leg meat, of the animal. The leg meat, at least in modern times, is seen to be the source of some of the premium cuts of the beast; for example, Denver leg cuts of venison, lamb leg roast and lamb leg steak cuts, or beef rump and beef topside cuts.

Sausages were also used to preserve some of the offal, as the offal is often the quickest part of the animal to spoil. Such examples are the German Liverwurst, for which there is a recipe in Sabria Welserin's Cookbook from approximately 1553 AD.

General Period Method

As you read through various cookbooks and various recipes, you can pick up on the general method of the production of sausages during the period I'm looking at, that being the 14^th century through to the middle of the 16^th century. Firstly, typically the shoulder of pork was used, as the shoulder has a good mix of fat and meat, with the fat being intramuscular, i.e. good marbling throughout the meat. The marbling is as a result of the multiple muscles present in the shoulder, and the amount of work done by the shoulder. Secondly, a large amount of salt was used. In the recipes I have looked at, including the sausages I have produced, the percentage of salt to meat was anything up to 10%. This is in contrast to the modern sausage 'primer' which has the salt to meat percentage at only about 2%. This higher salt rate will help in preserving the sausage for a longer time, but also makes these sausages into a dry-cured product. The act of adding salt to meat preserves the meat by removing moisture, thus removing one of the four things bacteria need to grow, those being warm, moisture, food and time. Removing any one of these four element, inhibits the growth of the bacteria.

As for the processing of the meat into sausages, the meat was either finely chopped or beaten, then the other flavorings were added to the beaten or chopped meat. This mixture was then either left to marinate in the flavorings, then stuffed in to intestines, or was directly stuffed into intestines. As is available today, there were many different sized casings to put the sausage into. There are recipes calling for the meat to be stuffed into sheep or pig stomachs, beef intestines, sheep intestines, or pig intestines, depending on how you wanted the finished product to be presented. Some of the recipes describe how to process the intestines ready to stuff with the meat. This is a very dirty job, involving much scrubbing, scraping and cleaning of the intestines, until you get to the correct layer of the intestine, which gives you the correct thickness of the skin of the sausage.

General Modern Adaptations

Whilst I have tried to stick to the original process and recipe as much as possible, there are a few general adaptations to the method. The main adaptations/variation are the following:

· Instead of chopping or beating the meat, I have used a mincer. This mincer I have also used to stuff the sausages.

· I have purchased processed natural casings. Processing them is a very dirty job, one that I have yet to attempt. This can also be a very dangerous job, as if the intestines are not cleaned properly, the chance of cross contamination between the casing and the sausage meat is very high.

There are also individual recipe adaptations that I have made, which follow each recipe.

The 4 Sausages

N.B. I have made all of these sausages in a 5lb or 2.25kg batch, as this is the size batch I am used to, and can easily work out proportions of each ingredient based on this sized batch.

Sausage Number 1

CXXV To make smoked yellow sausage

Source: Libro di cucina/Libro per cuoco

Region:Venetian

Period: 14th/15th century

Original Recipe

CXXV. A ffare cervellade bressane.

Toy libre xxv de carne de porcho in la qual non ge sia collo né lombo in gambelli, ma sia de le polpe delle cosse, overo de le spalle, overo altre libre xx e libre v del grasso ch' è a pè de le cosse piú o meno, secondo tu le voy servare, e batilla ben trida col coltello, poy abi onze xv de formazo di candia e onze xv de sale de sardegna overo libre do de sale da chioza e onze vj de pever roso e fa ch' el sale e formaio sian ben trito e incorporato questo batuto insieme. Tuò budelli e lassali stare dì 2 di saxone e quanto piú è fredo e tempo chiaro tanto è meglo, poy meti al fumo, altri meti nel batuto del zafarano e specie, ma quanto piú tanto melglo con suoa raxone.

Translation, by Helewyse de Birkestad, OL (MKA Louise Smithson)1

CXXV To make smoked yellow sausage

Take twenty five pounds of pork, which is not that from the neck nor from the leg, but is the meat from the meat from the ribs or the shoulder, otherwise take twenty pounds of meat and five pounds of fat, which is the same thing. Take more or less dependent on how much you want to serve. Chop everything well with a knife, then have fifteen ounces of white cheese and fifteen ounces of salt from Sardinia or two pounds of salt from Chiogga, and six ounces of red pepper. Make sure that the salt and the cheese are finely chopped and mixed well into the batter. Stuff the intestines and let them rest for two days, more if the weather is cold and clear, more is better. Then put them to smoke. You can also add to the batter saffron and spices, as much as you feel is appropriate.

My Redaction

2.25kg Boneless Pork Shoulder

85g freshly made Ricotta, finely diced or minced

85g Salt

34g roasted Red Peppers, finely diced

Natural Casings

Mince the pork shoulder meat. Thoroughly mix in Ricotta, Salt, and Peppers. Allow to rest in refrigerator over night, and stuff into natural casings. Form into links about 10cm in length. Allow to rest for 2 days in the refrigerator. Smoke until internal temperature is 65^oC

Adaptations:

· I have decided to follow the amount of salt that was originally used in this particular recipe, as they appear to be a dry-cured sausage, as is shown by the 2 days aging before smoking.

· Due to the time of year, aging had to happen in the fridge. If I were to make them in late autumn, which would have been the traditional preservation time, then the days would be cool enough for me to be happy to leave the sausages hanging in a shady spot.

· Again, due to the time of year, I have gone with hot smoking rather than cold smoking. If the days and nights were cooler, I would have changed my smoke house over the a cold smoker, and cold smoked them, but due to the heat of the day at the moment, hot smoking is a far safer option. This is a safer option due to how quickly the meat will be cooked. If I were to cold smoke them, they would be hanging at room temperature for 3-5 days in a lightly smoked atmosphere. Whilest smoke contains chemicals that will inhibit the growth of bacteria, I believe the heat of the day will give the bacteria the boost they need to gain a foothold. This will change the texture of the sausage, but only if you were planning to eat them as a 'raw' sausage, i.e. like a fermented salami. As I believe, based on some recipes I have found that contain sausages, this was a sausage that was cooked before eating, i.e. cooked like modern-day sausage, or added into other dishes, this shouldn't really affect the experience.

Sausage Number 2

When you wish to make good sausage with pork or other meat

Source: The Art of Cooking: The First Modern Cookery Book by Martino da Como

Region:Italy

Period: 1450s

Original

Se tu vorrai fare bone salzicchie di carne di porcho o d'altra carne. Togli de la carne magra et grassa inseme senza nervi et tagliala ben menuta. Et se la carne è dece libre metteve una libra de sale, due oncie de finocchio ben necto et doi oncie di pepe pistato grossamente; et mescola bene queste cose inseme et lassale stare per un dì. Et dapoi togli di budelli ben necti et ben mondi et impieli de

questa carne et poneli asciuccare al fumo.

Translation, by Jeremy Parzen (Translator), Luigi Ballerini (Editor)2

When you wish to make good sausage with pork or other meat.

Take some lean meat and some fatty meat trimmed of all its sinew and finely chop. If you have ten librae of meat, add one libra of salt, two ounces of well-washed fennel seeds, and two ounces of coarsely ground pepper. Mix well and let set for one day. Then take some well-washed and trimmed intestines and fill with the meat and then smoke to dry.

My Redaction

2.25kg Boneless Pork Shoulder

23g Salt

4g Fennel Seeds

4g Black Pepper, coarsely-ground

Natural Casings

Dice Pork Shoulder meat, mix with other ingredients. Allow to rest overnight. Mince through a fine die. Stuff into natural casings. Smoke until internal temperature is 65^oC

Adaptations/assumptions:

· Given this recipe has substantially less salt in it compared to other sausage from this period, I believe this recipe would have been hot smoked.

· Also, given the time of year, I believe it to be a safer option to hot smoke these sausage, as I have done with the smoked yellow sausages.

Sausage Number 3

23) If you would make a good sausage for a salad

Source: Sabina Welserin Cookbook3

Origin:Germany

Period: circa. 1553

Original recipe

23 ) Welt jr gút wirst zúm sallat machen

So nempt 10 pfúnd schweinin fleisch, 5 pfúnd oxenfleisch, allweg zwen tritail schweinin, ain tail oxenflesch/ das wer 15 pfúnd, soll man 16 lott saltz/ vnnd 5 lott pfeffer, soll ain wenig erstossen sein, nit gantz, vnnd so das flesch gehackt jst thut man erst 2 pfúnd speck darein, klain gewirfflet geschniten, darnach das schweinin flesch faist jst, mag man minder oder mer nemen, man soll den speck vom rúggen nemen vnnd nit vom wamen, vnnd das sý woll jberainandergetrúckt werden, ýe er man sý tricknet, ye pesser/ hencken sý jn stúben oder jn kúchin, doch nit jn raúch/ vnnd nit zú nach zúm offen, das der speck nit ergang, solchs soll jm zúnementen mon geschechen, vnnd soll man das geheck woll vnnd hert aintrúcken, so beleiben die wirst lang gút/ vnnd soll ain yedliche wúrst oben vnnd vnndten zúbinden, aúch bendel lassen an beden ordten, damit man die auffhencken soll, vnnd soll man die all 2 tag vmbkerenn, das vnndertail jber, vnnd wan sý gar aústricknet seind, schlagst jn ain túch vnnd legts jn kasten.

Tranlation, by Valoise Armstrong

23 If you would make a good sausage for a salad

Then take ten pounds of pork and five pounds of beef, always two parts pork to one part of beef. That would be fifteen pounds. To that one should take eight ounces of salt and two and one half ounces of pepper, which should be coarsely ground, and when the meat is chopped, put into it at first two pounds of bacon, diced. According to how fat the pork is, one can use less or more. Take the bacon from the back and not from the belly. And the sausages should be firmly stuffed. The sooner they are dried the better. Hang them in the parlor or in the kitchen, but not in the smoke and not near the oven, so that the bacon does not melt. This should be done during the crescent moon, and fill with the minced meat well and firmly, then the sausages will remain good for a long while. Each sausage should be tied above and below and also fasten a ribbon on both ends with which they should be hung up, and every two days they should be turned, upside down, and when they are fully dried out, wrap them in a cloth and lay them in a box.

My Redaction

1.5 kg Boneless Pork Shoulder

750g Boneless Beef

75g Salt

23g Black Pepper, coarsely-ground

300g Diced Bacon

Natural Casings

Dice beef and pork meat, mix in the salt and pepper, allow to rest overnight in the fridge. Add diced bacon, and stuff into the casings. Form links 15cm long, and tie each sausage off with string. Hang in a cool place to dry out until very firm, turning every second day.

Sausage Number 4

25. If you would make good bratwurst

Source: Sabina Welserin's Cookbook ³

Region: Germany

Period: 1553

Original Recipe

25) Weltt jr gútt prattwirst machen

So nempt 4 pfúnd schweinis vnnd 4 pfúnd rinderis, das last klainhacken, nempt darnach 2 pfúnd speck darúnder vnnd hackts anainander vnnd vngeferlich 3 seidlen wasser giest daran, thiet aúch saltz, pfeffer daran, wie jrs geren est, oder wan jr geren kreúter darin megt haben/ múgt jr nemen ain wenig ain salua vnnd ain wenig maseron, so habt jr gút brattwirst/.

Translation, by Valoise Armstrong

25. If you would make good bratwurst

Take four pounds of pork and four pounds of beef and chop it finely. After that mix with it two pounds of bacon and chop it together and pour approximately one quart of water on it. Also add salt and pepper thereto, however you like to eat it, or if you would like to have some good herbs, you could take some sage and some marjoram, then you have good bratwurst.

My Redaction

900g Pork

900g Beef

450g Bacon

470ml ice cold Water

40g Salt

10g Pepper

3tbsp Finely chopped fresh Sage

3tbsp Finely chopped fresh Marjoram

Natural Casings

Dice pork and beef, mix through the salt, pepper, sage and marjoram, and let rest overnight. Add diced bacon and mince through small die. Using a stiff wooden spoon, or using a cake mixer with a paddle attachment, slowly mix in the water, until fully combined and of a sticky consistency. Stuff into sausage casing, and form into links to the size you feel is appropriate.

Footnotes:

1 Translation of Libro di cucina/ Libro per cuoco (14th/15th c.) (Anonimo Veneziano), Helewyse de Birkestad, OL (MKA Louise Smithson), Self-published website (http://helewyse.medievalcookery.com/libro.html), January 2005

2 The Art of Cooking: The First Modern Cookery Book, Maestro Martino of Como (Author), Luigi Ballerini (Editor), Jeremy Parzen (Translator), University of California Press, 2005

3 Sabina Welserin's cookbook(1553), Valoise Armstrong, Self-published, 2001

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Copyright 2015 by William Dabbs. Ashburton, New Zealand. <thorald.englison at gmail.com>. Permission is granted for republication in SCA-related publications, provided the author is credited. Addresses change, but a reasonable attempt should be made to ensure that the author is notified of the publication and if possible receives a copy.

If this article is reprinted in a publication, please place a notice in the publication that you found this article in the Florilegium. I would also appreciate an email to myself, so that I can track which articles are being reprinted. Thanks. -Stefan.