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shrimp-msg - 4/7/07

Medieval shrimp recipes.

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Date: Tue, 22 Sep 1998 16:58:19 EDT

From: Bronwynmgn at aol.com

Subject: Re: SC - period shrimp dishes

<< Its seems shrimp is getting the okay nod and would LOVE

to hear about some recipes and/or guidance to sources.

There's a recipe in "Take a Thousand Eggs..." which is basically to boil the

shrimps a few minutes until pink, cool, and serve sprinkled with vinegar.

Doesn't get much simpler than that!

Brangwayna

Date: Wed, 23 Sep 1998 09:33:22 -0400

From: renfrow at skylands.net (Cindy Renfrow)

Subject: Re: SC - period shrimp dishes

>Bronwynmgn at aol.com writes:

><< There's a recipe in "Take a Thousand Eggs..." which is basically to boil the

> shrimps a few minutes until pink, cool, and serve sprinkled with vinegar.

> Doesn't get much simpler than that!

> Brangwayna >>

>Can she post it , Cindy? Please? Pretty Please? < grovel, grovel, kiss, kiss,

>grovel>

>Ras

Hello! <Stop that grovelling!> There are 2 recipes for shrimp in "Take a

Thousand Eggs or More."

Harleian MS. 4016

159 Shrympes. Take Shrympes, and seth hem in water and a litull salt, and

lete hem boile ones or a litull more. And serue hem forthe colde; And no

maner sauce but vinegre.

and

Harleian MS. 279 - Leche Vyaundez

xlij. Froyse in lentynne. Take Fygis & Roysonys, & grynde hem in a

mortere, & draw vppe with kreme of Almaundys; [th]an take Rys [th]row a

clo[th]e; [th]an take [th]e Luce, an [th]e Perche, & [th]e Schrympe, &

se[th]e hem, & do a-way [th]e bonys, & [th]e hedys, & grynde hem in an

Mortere, & draw hym vppe with [th]e creme of [th]e Almaundys; [th]en take

Rys, & do hem on a potte ouer [th]e fyre, Whan [th]ey ben clene, with a

lytil Watere, late hem se[th]e til [th]ey ben drye, & [th]at [th]ey

schorge; [th]an take & hew on a borde, & do [th]er-to; [th]en take Sugre, &

Safroun a goode quantyte, & gode pouder, & caste [th]er-to, & boyle it

y-fere, & frye it in oyle, & make [th]er-of a Froyse, & serue f[orth].

42. Pancakes (or fritters) in Lent. Take Figs & Raisins, & grind them in

a mortar, & draw up with cream of Almonds; then take Rice through a cloth;

then take the Pike, and the Perch, & the Shrimp, & seethe them, & take away

the bones, & the heads, & grind them in a Mortar, & draw him up with the

cream of the Almonds; then take Rice, & put them in a pot over the fire,

When they are clean, with a little Water, let them seethe till they are

dry, & that they scorch; then take & hew on a board, & put thereto; then

take Sugar, & Saffron a good quantity, & good powder, & cast thereto, &

boil it together, & fry it in oil, & make thereof a Pancake, & serve

f[orth].

Cindy Renfrow

renfrow at skylands.net

Author & Publisher of "Take a Thousand Eggs or More, A Collection of 15th

Century Recipes" and "A Sip Through Time, A Collection of Old Brewing

Recipes"

Date: Thu, 08 Jun 2000 10:12:32 -0600 (MDT)

From: grasse at mscd.edu (Martina Grasse)

Subject: SC - Shrimp auf Rumpolts art

In the original these dishes are in Rumpolt's chapter on Krebs. The woodcut

shows a lobster, but if you look up Flusskrebs the translation is crawfish,

so I used shrimp (because they were on sale, and I was bringing them to

Caerthe's Cavalier Holiday picnic last Sunday, and I'm on a budget.)

I will be cooking the feast (probably straight from Rumpolt) for Caerthe's

Arts and Sciences competition in November, and have had requests to find a

way to include at least one of these in one of the courses. (Yes, I take

requests.)

I do not have the transcribed German to hand (will do tonight) and I do not

have the translation (see above for reason ;-) But I do remember what I did

to re-create it, and both these recipes tasted soo good I had to share

(while we are on a Rumpolt kick.)

#16 400 year old fried shrimp ;-)

1/2 pound of large (25-30 per lb) raw shrimp

1/4 cup of flour

4oz butter

salt, pepper and powdered, dried ginger (to taste)

Rinse shrimp, peel (and devine) but leave the tail shell attached.

Salt and pepper the shrimp, then dust them with flour (enough to coat, but

shake off any excess.)

In a heavy medium size skillet melt and heat the butter.

In the hot butter, fry the shrimp on both sides till golden brown and done,

but don't overcook. I used high heat, the butter started to brown a little.

The shrimp were done very quickly and picked up a little of that nutty brown

butter flavor. Remove and drain the shrimp (on absorbent toweling) and while

still hot dust them with the ginger (to taste.) This is great hot and also

very good cold. (I took it to a picnic to great reviews.)

#11 Shrimp with butter and verjuice

5 extra large raw shrimp (the 12-16 per lb. Size)

1 T butter

1 t verjuice

pepper

5 Oyster shells (deep half) (would make 1 dinner serving or 2-3 appetizers,

increase as needed)

I did not have oyster shells to hand, so I used scallop shells.

Peel, tail, and devine your shrimp. Place one shrimp (curled up) into deep

end of each shell. Season with pepper (to taste,) then top with a dollop of

butter (I think I used about 1/2 t per shrimp) and a few drops of verjuice.

(OK, I gotta admit I had to cheat here... I do not have verjuice in my pantry

yet, so I experimented, I did 2 with cider vinegar, 2 with balsamic vinegar,

and one with red wine that was too sour for my tastes.) The balsamic was the

standout winner.

To cook I placed my 5 scallop shells (filled with their precious cargo) into

my largest skillet, added water to the skillet (not enough to flow into the

shells!) and placed a lid on it. Then turned on the heat and let them steam

away till they were cooked through (about 5 minutes.) This was wonderfully

rich, and looked very elegant hot from the pan, and they were still delicious

and showy served room temperature the next day at the park.

I think you could use smaller shrimp and place 3-5 in each shell, thereby

extending your shells (my biggest skillet only fit the 5 shells I own, and by

placing multiples per shell I could have appetizers for 5 rather than seeming

chintzy at only serving each person one shrimp, or having to do 3-5 batches

so my guest would have to eat their appetizers in shifts;-)

Hope you enjoy, and as always, feedback appreciated.

Gwen-Catrin von Berlin

Date: Tue, 2 Dec 2003 16:39:31 -0500

From: "Phil Troy/ G. Tacitus Adamantius" <adamantius at verizon.net>

Subject: Re: Not OOP--serving shrimp (was Re: [Sca-cooks] OP: shrimps

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

Also sprach Pixel, Goddess and Queen:

>In C. Anne Wilson's _Food in Britain_, she talks about shrimp being eaten

>in period and that they were served with vinegar. But that's all that she

>says. How would one go about cooking and serving shrimp, for, say, a 13th

>c. feast? Or would this have been considered low-class and not served?

MS Harl. 4016 says to "Take Shrympes, and seth hem in water and a

litull salt, and lete hem boile ones or a litull more. And serue hem

forthe colde; And no manere sauce but vinegre."

I believe Taillevent says something similar, but can't check on it now.

<snip>

Adamantius

Date: Tue, 23 Jan 2007 09:05:20 +1300

From: Adele de Maisieres <ladyadele at paradise.net.nz>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Period Shrimp sauce

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

Georgia Foster wrote:

> OK ... so I have aquired several pounds of 15 count shrimp. I sez to

> myself "self ... I wonder what we can do with five pounds of shrimp

> that would go with the MEAT feast this next weekend".

> Self sez

> "I don't know ... ask somebody else"

> So, being a good listener, I put forth the question ... how would you

> prepare 5 pounds of shrimp for a MEAT feast?

Suggestion 1: The good Housewife's Jewel has at least one recipe for shrimp.

Suggestion 2: Peel shrimps and fry with butter, garlic, and a small

sprinkle of mace 'til done. Feed to cooks. :-)

Adele de Maisieres

Date: Mon, 22 Jan 2007 15:19:31 -0500

From: Gretchen Beck <grm at andrew.cmu.edu>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Period Shrimp sauce

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

The Two 15th C Cookery books suggests simply:

Take Shrympes, and seth hem in water and a litul salt, and lete hem boile

ones or a litull more. And serue hem forthe colde; And no maner sauce but

vinegre.

The Boke of Kervying suggests the same:

Shrympes welle pyked / ?e scales awey ye cast,

Round abowt a sawcer / ley ye ?em in hast;

?e vinegre in ?e same sawcer, ?at youre lord may attast,

The Boke of Nurture suggests

Vinegre / powdur withe synamome / and gyngere,

Not sure how this would go with a meat feast, but then again, I'm willing

to eat shrimp in almost any form...

toodles, margaret

Date: Thu, 1 Feb 2007 12:38:25 -0800

From: "Ian Kusz" <sprucebranch at gmail.com>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Period Shrimp sauce

To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

On 1/22/07, Georgia Foster <jo_foster81 at hotmail.com> wrote:

> OK ... so I have acquired several pounds of 15 count shrimp. I sez to myself

> "self ... I wonder what we can do with five pounds of shrimp that would

> go with the MEAT feast this next weekend".

Found this online; would it do?

MEDIEVAL SHRIMP WITH BUTTERCUPS

1 (12 oz.) can beer

2 tbsp. sliced green onions or shallots

2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped

3 lb. fresh or frozen shrimp in shells

4 tbsp. butter

1/4 c. beer

Dillweed to taste

1/2 c. butter

1/4 c. dry sherry (optional)

1/4 tsp. garlic salt

In saucepan, combine 1 can beer, onion and celery. Bring to boiling. Add

shrimp. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer until shrimp turn pink, 1-3

minutes. Drain. Serve with dill butter and sherry garlic butter.

Dill butter: In a small saucepan, melt the 4 tablespoons butter. Stir

in 1/4 cup beer and dill weed. Heat through.

Sherry garlic butter: In small saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter. Stir in

sherry and garlic salt. Heat through

Date: Thu, 01 Feb 2007 16:18:05 -0500

From: "Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius" <adamantius1 at verizon.net>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Period Shrimp sauce

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

On Feb 1, 2007, at 3:54 PM, Pat Griffin wrote:

>> MEDIEVAL SHRIMP WITH BUTTERCUPS

> Documentation, please?

> Lady Anne du Bosc

> Known as Mordonna The Cook

Okay, here ya go:

http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1645,156171-224207,00.html

Are you enlightened yet? ;-)

The scary thing is that technically, a lot of our documentation isn't

much better than this. "This is true because somebody said so."

I don't think the original poster of the medieval shrimp with

buttercups is personally vouching for its medievalness. Or am I

mistaken?

Adamantius

Date: Thu, 1 Feb 2007 16:50:52 -0800

From: "Ian Kusz" <sprucebranch at gmail.com>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Period Shrimp sauce

To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

Yes, I apologize; all I know is that it's supposedly medieval, but no

provenance.

I did find a recipe, sort of, from What's-his-name....Kenelm Digby (1663),

but he just says wash off the shrimp several times in water and milk, and

serve with butter....not interesting.

Harlein Manuscript 4016 has them served with vinegar...

but if it helps, here's a website for someone who HAS found some decent

sources on shrimp....

http://flash.lakeheadu.ca/~kmerkley/shrimps.html

she mentions that le menagier mentions "shellfish," but the translation I

saw translated them as "mussels," but, just in case, here's the recipe:

(shellfish -- mussels?) are cooked quickly on a high fire, in very little

water and wine without salt, and eaten with vinegar. Item, when they are

cooked in old verjuice and parsley, then fresh butter added, it makes

a good soup.

I shouldn't read Apicius, now I'm hungry. He has some stuff for "any

kind of fish"

Use any kind of fish. Prepare clean, salt, turn in flour,

salt*3*<http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Apicius/

10*.html#432note3>and

fry it. Crush pepper, cumin, coriander seed, laser root, origany, and

rue, all crushed fine, moistened with vinegar, date wine, honey, reduced

must, oil, and broth. Pour in a sauce pan, place on fire, when simmering

pour over the fried fish, sprinkle with pepper and serve.

and something else for "shellfish"

fried lightly, crush pepper, lovage, caraway, cumin, figdates, honey,

vinegar, wine, broth, oil, reduced must; while boiling add mustard.

that's probably scallops, but wtheck.

Sorry about taking a source's word for the periodness of the original

recipe; I really should have looked it up.

Date: Fri, 02 Feb 2007 20:43:44 -0500

From: rattkitten <rattkitten at hughes.net>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Period Shrimp sauce

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

Here try this.... Also from Goode Cookery Website...

However check the Documentation.... BTW Yeah it's good but yeah it is

Just Vinegar...

Nichola

"Shrympes

PERIOD: England, 15th century | SOURCE: Harleian MS 4016 | CLASS:

Authentic

DESCRIPTION: Shrimp served with vinegar

ORIGINAL RECEIPT:

Shrympes. Take Shrympes, and seth hem in water and a litull salt, and

lete hem boile ones or a litull more. And serue hem forthe colde; And no

maner sauce but vinegre.

- Austin, Thomas. Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books. Harleian MS. 279

& Harl. MS. 4016, with extracts from Ashmole MS. 1429, Laud MS. 553, &

Douce MS 55. London: for The Early English Text Society by N. Tr?bner &

Co., 1888.

GODE COOKERY TRANSLATION:

Take shrimps, and boil them in water and a little salt, and let them

boil once or a little more. And serve them forth cold; And no manner

sauce but vinegar.

INGREDIENTS:

* Fresh shrimp - cleaned.

* Salted water

* Red wine vinegar

DIRECTIONS:

Boil shrimp in salted water until done; remove from water and let cool.

Serve cold with vinegar as a dipping sauce.

Not very exciting... (I cooked it I can say that.) But it was well

received!!!

Nichola