Recipes from John Crophill's Commonplace Book - 6 Amydone

Recipes from John Crophill's Commonplace Book (Harley MS 1735)

This manuscript is dated before 1485.

The 68 recipes in John Crophill's Commonplace Book are on pages 16v through 28v.

Images of the original manuscript are freely available on the British 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 © 2015 by Daniel Myers, MedievalCookery.com

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[6.] Amydone
Take whete & step it ix days & chaunche the water every day twyes brose it in amorter rythe smal tempre it up sithen with melk or water sye it thorow an harsine let it stonde stylle til it be stable poure out the water ley it on a cloghet turne it til it be bon drye.

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Recipes for amidon (wheat starch) aren't uncommon, and the ones found in Liber cure cocorum and A Noble Boke off Cookry are reasonably close to the Crophill version. However, both of those have notable differences. The recipe in Liber doesn't call for the water to be changed twice daily, and the one in Noble calls for steeping the wheat for ten days instead of nine.

Amydone. Take wete and stepe hit dayes ix. Þus chaunge þy water yche day be dene. Brys hit in a morter ry3t smalle, Sethe hit with mylke and water with alle. Þorowgh a herseve loke þou hit sye, And let hit stonde and setel bye. Poure oute þe water, in clothe hit lay, Tyl hit be drye þou turne hit ay. Þys is a lycour as men sayn, Þer of I schalle speke more in playn.  [Liber cure cocorum (England, 1430)]

To mak amydon take whet and step it in water x dais and change the water eury daye then bet yt smalle in a mortair and sethe it with water and mylk and sye it throughe a clothe and let yt stond and setelle and pour out the water and lay it in a clothe and turn it till it be drye.  [A Noble Boke off Cookry (England, 1468)]

Interestingly, the version found in MS Harley 5401 is closest to the Crophill recipe.

To make Amydon. Recipe whete & stepe it ix dayes, & change þe water every day twyes; than bray it in a morter right small, & clens it throgh a haryn syve, & lat it stonde tyll it be sett; þen put onto þe morter & bray it in a clothe to it be dry.  [MS Harley 5401 (England, 15th century)]