Recipes from the Wagstaff Miscellany - 33 Conynggez in Cyve

Recipes from the Wagstaff Miscellany (Beinecke MS 163)

This manuscript is dated about 1460.

The 200 (approx.) recipes in the Wagstaff miscellany are on pages 56r through 76v.

Images of the original manuscript are freely available on the Yale University Library website.

I have done my best to provide an accurate, but readable transcription. Common abbreviations have been expanded, the letters thorn and yogh have been replaced with their modern equivalents, and some minor punctuation has been added.

Copyright © 2013 by Daniel Myers, MedievalCookery.com

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33.  Conynggez in Cyve
Chop conyngys in pecys do hem in a pott take onyons and good herbes y choppyd to gedyre boyle hem up in swete brothe do ther to poudyre of pepyre make a lyour of paryngys of crustys of swete bredde drawyne withe wyne and a lytle blode alay hit up but a lytylle do there to poudyre of canele a grete dele sesyne hit up withe poudyre of gyngere wenggur [vinegar?] & salt.

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Rabbit in onion gravy was apparently a very popular dish, enough so that most medieval cookbooks have one or more version of the recipe.  The version in Wagstaff includes aspects of several of them.

Connynges In Cynee. XXV. Take Connynges and smyte hem on peces. and seeþ hem in gode broth, mynce Oynouns and seeþ hem in grece and in gode broth do þerto. drawe a lyre of brede. blode. vynegur and broth do þerto with powdour fort.  [Forme of Cury (England, 1390)]

To mak conys in cevy smyt conys in small peces and sethe them in good brothe put ther to mynced onyons and grece and draw a liour of broun bred and blod and sesson it with venygar and cast on pouder and salt and serve it.  [A Noble Boke off Cookry (England, 1468)]

Conynges in cyne. Take conynges and parboyle hom, and smyte hom on gobettes and sethe hom; and take onyons and mynce hom, and frye hom in grees, and do therto; and take bred steped in brothe and blode, and drawe up a lyoure (mixture) wyth brothe and vynegur, and do therin; and pouder of pepur and of clowes, and serve hit forthe.  [Ancient Cookery (England, 1425)] 

As with the above, the Wagstaff version calls for cut up chicken and onions, and is thickened using bread crumbs and blood.  However the Wagstaff version also adds "good herbs", and uses wine in the thickening step instead of broth.  In this way it is rather unusual.