Recipes from the Wagstaff Miscellany - 47 Bruet of Spayne

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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47.  Bruet of Spayne
Cut vensone yn longe leches & frye hem or rost hem withe poudyres weshe hem in wyne take sygure & mylke of almondys clowys macyz and quibibis boyle hit to gedyr & seson hit up withe poudyr & venyger.

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This recipe is a strong match for recipe 161 in A Noble Boke off Cookry.  I have not found any other examples which include this combination of venison, wine, and almond milk.

To mak bruet of spayne take venyson and mak long lesshes then fry them in buttur and wesshe them in wyn then tak sugur almond mylk clowes maces quybibes and boile them to gedur and sesson them with poudure and venyger and serue it.  [A Noble Boke off Cookry (England, 1468)]

Recipes from the Wagstaff Miscellany - 46 Bruet of Almayne

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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46.  Bruet of Almayne
Take beef or porke chopyde in pecys cast hem yn a pott grynde almondys draw hem withe swete brothe & put hit yn the flesche boyle hit & put ther to poudyr of pepyr & sygure when hit ys yboyled y nowghe sesyne hit up withe poudyr of gynger & vergeys & coloure hit al rede as blode withe.

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There are similarly titled recipes in other sources, and while they all have some similarities none is a strong match for the one above.

XXXI - FOR TO MAKE BRUET OF ALMAYNE. Tak Partrichys rostyd and checonys and qualys rostyd and larkys ywol and demembre the other and mak a god cawdel and dresse the flesch in a dysch and strawe powder of galentyn therupon. styk upon clowys of gelofre and serve yt forthe.  [Forme of Cury (England, 1390)]

Brewet Of Almony. XX.II. VII. Take Conynges or kiddes and hewe hem small on moscels oþer on pecys. parboile hem with the same broth, drawe an almaunde mylke and do the fleissh þerwith, cast þerto powdour galyngale & of gynger with flour of Rys. and colour it wiþ alkenet. boile it, salt it. & messe it forth with sugur and powdour douce.  [Forme of Cury (England, 1390)]

Browet Browet of almayne. Take conynges and parboyle hom, and choppe hom on gobettus, and rybbes of porke or of kydde, and do hit in a pot, and fethe hit; then take almondes and grynde hom, and tempur hit up wyth broth of beef, and do hit in a pot; and take clowes, maces, pynes, ginger mynced, and rayfynges of corance ; and take onyons and boyle hom, then cut hom and do hom in the pot; and colour hit with saffron, and let hit boyle; and take the flesh oute from the brothe and caste therto; and take alkenet and frye hit, and do hit in the pot thurgh a streynour; and in the fettynge doun put therto a lytel vynegar, and pouder of gynger medelet togedur, and serve hit forth.  [Ancient Cookery (England, 1425)]

Browet of almayne for x mees. Take iii lb. of almondes, and tempur hom, and drawe hom up with fresshe brothe of beef, and put into a pot; and take conynges parboyled, and choppe hom, and ribbes of porke chopped also; or elles take malardes chopped with the ribbes, and let hom fethe up with the mylke, and make the pottage rennynge; and take maces, clowes, pynes, ginger, mynced reyfynges of corance, sugre, and put therto; and take onyons mynced, and boyle hom in water, and after the first boyle dense hom out of the water, and cast hom into the pot, and let hom fethe up with the mylk, and colour hit with saffron; and take alkenet ii. penyworth, and frie hit in faire grese, and put the grese into a pot thurgh the streynour in the settynge doune; and take a lytel vynegur and pouder of ginger, and medel hit togedur, and cast therto, and dresse hit, and serve hit forthe.  [Ancient Cookery (England, 1425)]

The word "Almayne" in the title of the recipe suggests that it is somehow related to Germany ("Allemagne" in French), but given how the related recipes all contain almonds it may be misnamed due to confusion of the two words or even intentional wordplay.

Recipes from the Wagstaff Miscellany - 45 Bruet of lumbardy

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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45.  Bruet of lumbardy
Take hennys chikens conyngys or othere flesche sodyne do hit in a morter do ther to mylke of almondys do ther in pepyr and alay hit with bredde & do ther in yolkes of eyron sodyn harde growndyne & drawyn up withe percelly & do ther to a lytylle grece or claryfyde boture or the fat of porke & sesyne hit up with poudyr salt & venyger & make hit rede as blode.

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This recipe is almost identical to recipe 160 from A Noble Boke off Cookry, and is very similar to another in Forme of Cury.

To mak Bruet of lombardye tak hennes conys or other flesshe soden tender and try it and put it in a pot do ther to mylk bred and yolks of eggs sodden hew and grind them and drawe them upe with juic of parsly put ther to grece or claryfied butter or the fat of pork and sesson it and salt and put ther to venygar and mak it lik blod with alkaned and serue it.  [A Noble Boke off Cookry (England, 1468)]

XXXII - FOR RO MAKE BRUET OF LOMBARDYE. Tak chekenys or hennys or othere flesch and mak the colowre als red as any blod and tak peper and kanel and gyngyner bred and grynd hem in a morter and a porcion of bred and mak that bruer thenne and do that flesch in that broth and mak hem boyle togedere and stury it wel and tak eggys and temper hem wyth Jus of Parcyle and wryng hem thorwe a cloth and wan that bruet is boylyd do that therto and meng tham togedere wyth fayr grees so that yt be fat ynow and serve yt forthe.  [Forme of Cury (England, 1390)]

The word "Lombardy" in the name is kind of an odd one.  It appears in the name of a diverse array of medieval dishes, but there is no clear link between them.  It may be that the recipes all came from the Lombardy region of Italy, or that the recipes were simply attributed to that region to make them sound more exotic.

Recipes from the Wagstaff Miscellany - 44 Bonse desyre

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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44.  Bonse desyre
Take blaunche almondez grynde them drawe theme up wythe swete brothe and swete wyne do ther do a quantite of white sugur do hit in a pott and cast ther do take porke wel sodyne tender and grynde hit smalle and medille hit wythe yolkys of eyrone pouder and salt and make pelettes ther of [61v] the gretnys of the yolke have a bature of yolkes of eyrene & paryd floure turne the pelets ther yne take hem frye hem rolle hem up in a panne that they may be rounde lay ham hote yne dysches dresse the sewe a bovyne loke hit be renynge and on do the fische dayes thou may withe pike haddok or codlynge do in the same maner.

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In spite of the odd spelling in the title, this recipe is a variation of "Blanche Desyre", which is believed to be a corruption of the French "Blanc de Syrie" meaning "White of Syria".  There are dozens of versions of this recipe, including two in A Noble Boke off Cookry.

To mak bland sorre tak the mylk of almondes blanched mad with capon brothe then tak the braun of a capon and bet it in a mortair and mele the fishe and the mylk to gedur in the mortair with the pestelle and thik it with flour of rise and boile it put ther to sugur or hony and mak it stondinge then lesk it in dyshes and diaper it with turnsole and serue it.  [A Noble Boke off Cookry (England, 1468)]

To mak blank de fire tak ryse and wesshe it and grind it small and temper it up with almond mylk and boile it then tak the braun of capon or henne and hew it small and grind it with myed bred and sesson it with sugur and florishe it with almondes and serue it.  [A Noble Boke off Cookry (England, 1468)]

The most notable aspect of the Wagstaff version of the recipe is that it appears to be the only one that calls for pork.  The majority of the others call for capon or chicken as the meat to be use, with one or two that include an option for beef or veal.

Recipes from the Wagstaff Miscellany - 43 Chaudone of Pigges fete

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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43.  Chaudone of Pigges fete
Take swynes fete clene scallyde the groyne and the erys boylide in fresshe brothe take hem up kut them smalle do hit in a potte trye the brothe drawe a thyn lyoure of white brede and wyne and put hit to gedire and make a thyn foyle of past cutt yn smale pelettez frye them sesone theme up wythe pouder of pepire and safrone and salt and do the pelettez hote in dysshes and do the sewe a bove.

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This recipe is very clearly a match for recipe 159 from A Noble Boke off Cookry.

To mak chaudron of piggs feet take swines feet clene skalded and boile the [word illegible] and the eres in freche brothe then take them up and cutt them small and put them in a pot and the brothe and draw liour of whit bred and wyne and put them to gedur and mak foilis of past and cut iij small pilotes and frye them and sesson them up with pouder of pepper and salt and colour it to saffron and put the pilottes hote in disshes and put the sewe above and serue it.  [A Noble Boke off Cookry (England, 1468)]

The item in Noble marked "[word illegible]" matches the word "groin" in Wagstaff.  I would be comfortable stating that this is correct for both recipes, but the first letter in the word in Wagstaff is difficult to determine - it's clearly visible, but given the handwriting of the time I'm not sure if it's a "G" or a "E" or even a "C".  I've gone with "G" as it's the only possibility that makes a recognizable word.