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 © 2014 by Daniel Myers, MedievalCookery.com
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118. Fresch lamprey bakyn
Take lamprey do hem in a pott do ther to a porcyon of rede wyne & stop the pott a bovyn that the lepe nought out when he ys endyng take hym out & put hym in scaldyng watyr & take hym in a lynnen cloth in thy hond & a handfull of hey in that othir hond & strip hem well that alle the glame go a wey & save the skyn hole then wesch hym & kepe hym clene & cut hym a lytyll over twarte a straw brede by fore the navyll so that the stryng be lose then slete hym a lytyll at the throte & take out the stryng & save the blode in a vessell yf he be a female thrist hym in thy honde from the navill upward so that the spaune come out there that take out the stryngys yf thu wilte bone hym slyte hym a lytyll in the same place with yn so that thu may come to the bone & louse the bone with a pyke fro thy fysch & as esyly as thu may drawe awey the bone fro thy tayle that hit come out hole & wynd the bone aboughte youre hond & alwey as hit comith out w wynd hit up & gedyr hit out hole aftyrward othe ch thy lamprey outward over the bake syde eche pece iij fyngerys brode ofn lynye so that hit hold to gedyr & toyle hym well in his oune blode yf thu wilte make thyn be somdele brown & take good wyn to the bakyng of the lamprey & halfe pynte will one to youre brede theryn draw hit make hit nought to chargeaunt yf thu wilte thu may draw a few reysons & draw hit up with than loke the fiste paerte be venygger do ther to poudyr of canell a grete dele poudyr of galentyn poudyr lumbard poudyr gynger sawndres sigure saffron & salt yf thu wilt lev [f.70v] hit be thyn brown & yolowe make thy colour more of saundres make a large kosyne of paryd floure do youre lamprey ther yn & poure in galentyne so that hit stond as hye as the lamprey loke hit have a good lyde & a wete the brerdys al a boute & ley uppon put a penne by twyne the lede & the cofine & close hit al aboute till you come to the penne then blow thy penne that the syde ryse al aboute then take out thy penne close hit fast then have a good pele & sethit esyly on the oven & bake hit esyly & longe sokyng To make soppys in galentyn in a vessell & put ther to wyn & medle hit to gedyr till hit be smoth do sigure and yf hit nede put to more poudyr & medyll in fere that hit be somdele thyn then put hit in a pott of erthe set hit on colys of fyre tyll hit be at boylyng & stere hit well have white brede cut yn shyvers as brewys & tost hit a lytyll & then bast hit & poure some of the same galentyn in the same cofyne so that hit may wete the botom & couch ther some of youre brede & poure yn more galentyne then couche yn the remnaunt of youre brede & couch yn the remnaunt of youre galentyne & ley on the lede & serve hit forth.
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This recipe is a match for recipe 55 from A Noble Boke off Cookry
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To bak a freche lampry tak and put a quyk lampry in a pot put ther to a porcyon of red wyne then stop the pot close that he lep not out and when he is dyinge tak him out and put hym in skaldinge water then tak hym in your handes with alyn clothe and a handfull of hay in the tother hand and strik hym so that the skyn go away and saue him hole then weshe hym and cut hym out whart a straw brod from the naville so that the stringe be lowse, then slitt hym a litill at the throt and tak out the string and kep the blode in a vesselle and it be a female thrust in your hand from the naville upwards so that the spawn com out ther as ye tak out the stringe and ye will boile it salt it a littill in the same place within that ye may cum and lowse the bone with a prik from the fische and brek it a litill from the hed and slit hym a litill from the taille then put the prik betwene the bone and the fische and drawe the bone from the taille as esly as ye may that it cum out all hole from the taile then wind the bone about thy finger and drawe it out softly for breking and so ye shall tak it out hole then chope the lampry o[u with curl] twhart the bak eury pece iij fingers brode and let them hold to gedure and toile them welle in the blod, and ye will mak your galentyn of crust of white bred cutt it in schyves and toiste it on a gredirne that it be somdelle broun and tak a quart of good red wyne for the bakinge of the lampry and put the bred ther in and drawe it and mak it not chargaunt and ye will ye may grind a fewe of raissins and mak it up ther with and let the fyft part be venygar put ther to pouder of cannelle a gretdele, pouder galingalle pouder lombard pouder of guinger sugur saffron and salt and let it be be tweene braun and yallowe and mak thy colour of sanders then mak a large coffyn of pured floure and put thy lampry ther in and put in the galentyn that it stand as highe as the lampery and let it haue a good lide and wet the bredes round about and lay it in the coffyn and close it round about to the pen for ye must haue a pen betweene the lidd and the coffyne to blow the pen that the lid may rise welle and luk the ovene be hoot and set it in to it. [A Noble Boke off Cookry (England, 1468)]
There is also a similar recipe in Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books
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xxiij - Lamprays bake. Take and make fayre round cofyns of fyne past, and take Freyssche lampreys, and late hem blode .iij. fyngerys with-in the tayle, and lat hem blede in a vesselle, and late hym deye in the same vesselle in the same blode; than take broun Brede, and kyt it, and stepe it in the Venegre, and draw thorw a straynoure; than take the same blode, and pouder of Canel, and cast ther-to tyl it be broun; than caste ther-to pouder Pepir, Salt, and Wyne a lytelle, that it be no3t to strong of venegre. An skald the Lampray, and pare hem clene, and couche hym round on the cofyn, tyl he be helyd; than kyuere hym fayre with a lede, saue a lytel hole in the myddelle, and at that hool, blow in the cofynne with thin mowthe a gode blast of Wynde. And sodenly stoppe the hole, that the wynd a-byde with-ynne, to reyse vppe the cofynne, that he falle nowt a-dowune; and whan he is a lytel y-hardid in the ouen, pryke the cofyn with a pynne y-stekyd on a roddys ende, for brekyng of the cofynne, and than lat bake, and serue forth colde. And when the lamprey is take owt of the cofynne and etyn, take the Syrippe in the cofynne, and put on a chargere, and caste Wyne ther-to, an pouder Gyngere, and lat boyle in the fyre. Than take fayre Paynemayn y-wette in Wyne, and ley the soppis in the cofynne of the lamprey, and ley the Syrippe a-boue, and ete it so hot; for it is gode lordys mete [Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books (England, 1430)]
