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.