Recipes from John Crophill's Commonplace Book - 3 Furmente

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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[3.] Furmente
Tak whete & pike it fayre do it in amorter stampe it alitel & sprenkle it with water stampe it hol waysche it fayre do it in a pot boille it tyl it breste set it doun & tak cow melk playe it up with alytyl tyl it be thykke lye it up with yolkys of ayren colour it with saffron kep it wel fro brennynge.

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There are a number of different versions of frumenty in the surviving medieval cookbooks, but there are two which are reasonably similar. The unusual use of the word “play” in all three is especially worth noting, and could be a copy error for “alay”.

To mak furmente tak whet and pik it clene and put it in a mortair and bray it till it hull then wenowe it and wesshe it and put it unto the pot and boile it till it brest then sett it down and play it up with cow mylk till yt be enoughe alay it with yolks of eggs and kep it that it byrn not, colour it with saffron do ther to sugar and salt it and serue it.  [A Noble Boke off Cookry (England, 1468)]

Furmente. Take wete, and pyke hit fayre and clene And do hit in a morter shene. Bray hit a lytelle, with water hit spryng Tyl hit hulle, with-oute lesyng. Þen wyndo hit wele, nede þou mot. Wasshe hit fayre, put hit in pot. Boyle hit tylle hit brest, þen Let hit doun, as I þe kenne. Take know mylke, and play hit up To hit be thykkerede to sup. Lye hit up with 3olkes of eyren, And kepe hit wele, lest hit berne. Coloure hit with safron and salt hit wele, And servyd hit forthe, Syr, at þe mele. With sugur candy, þou may hit dowce, If hit be served in grete lordys howce. Take black sugur for mener menne. Be ware þer with, for hit wylle brenne.  [Liber cure cocorum (England, 1430)]