Recipes from John Crophill's Commonplace Book - 43 Browet Ingse

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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[43.] Browet Ingse
Tak good galentyn & tempre it up weth broth & drawe it thow a fayer cloth do it in a pot & set it on the fyer. Tak qwayles & yonge pertrikes & qwarter hem & do hem in a pot & set the pot on the fyer & stire it wel & do ther in good pouder of galentyn & wyth gres & clowes & qwybibes & let it se then tyl the fleys is soden anow tak it than of the fyer & dresse it & pouder it with sugre & maces.

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I could not find any other versions of this recipe in medieval English cookbooks. The recipe's name suggests "English Brewet," and while there are some medieval French recipes by that name, they don't seem to describe the same dish.

For a subtle English brouet - If you want to make subtle English brouet, take hens and cook the livers, then take chestnuts then cut them from the hulls and grind together, then temper with the broth that the hens were cooked in, and add ginger, saffron and long pepper and mix with clear broth, then put together.  [Enseignements (France, ca. 1300)]

Subtle Broth from England. Take cooked peeled sweet chestnuts, and as many or more hard-boiled egg yolks and pork liver: grind all together, mix with warm water, then put through a sieve; then grind ginger, cinnamon, clove, grain, long pepper, galingale and saffron to give it color and set to boil together.  [Le Menagier de Paris (France, 1393)]