Anglo-Saxon desserts
Judy Gerjuoy
> Hi. I know that this request has probably surfaced several
> times, so please e-mail me directly if you have any
> comments/answers/etc.
>
> I'm taking an Old English poetry class and would like to make
> cookies (or something of that nature) to bring to class. Do
> any of you know/have handy dessert recipes that would fit in
> nicely with a discussion of the Battle of Maldon? Please only
> send me recipes that are somewhat easy to make, for I am a
> lousy cook and will be trying to persuade my husband to make
> the treats for me.... Thanks so much in advance!!
I hate to disapoint you but there are, to the best of my knowledge, no
extant cookbooks from the British Ilses of that time. There have been
published in the past couple of years two books ABOUT Anglo-Saxon food,
but that's the best I could do.
Jaelle
Jae...@access.digex.net
karl steffens
>
>Hi. I know that this request has probably surfaced several
>times, so please e-mail me directly if you have any
>comments/answers/etc.
>
>I'm taking an Old English poetry class and would like to make
>cookies (or something of that nature) to bring to class. Do
>any of you know/have handy dessert recipes that would fit in
>nicely with a discussion of the Battle of Maldon? Please only
>send me recipes that are somewhat easy to make, for I am a
>lousy cook and will be trying to persuade my husband to make
>the treats for me.... Thanks so much in advance!!
>
>
>carn...@utkux.utk.edu
>
>
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Why don't you try a triffle? You don't really need to bake for it, or if
you happen to have a poundcake-mishap (as in too hard) around, that'll do
nicely.
Depending on the amount of participants in your group choose a large bowl
(clear glass looks really nice).
Layer slices of poundcake, canned fruit without much juice,whipped cream
(maybe the storebought freezer variety), vanilla pudding incl. a splash of
f.ex. rum on every layer of cake. See, that you have several layers each.
Let it soak for a while, so the various flavours mix.
Trust me, it is delicious! You are free to choose as ingredients, what you
like and the booze just makes it taste well together.
No hubby needed for this one!
Imogen
David Friedman
steffens) wrote:
Elithe Carnes says:
>I'm taking an Old English poetry class and would like to make
> >cookies (or something of that nature) to bring to class. Do
> >any of you know/have handy dessert recipes that would fit in
> >nicely with a discussion of the Battle of Maldon?
And Imogen replies:
> Why don't you try a triffle? You don't really need to bake for it, or if
> you happen to have a poundcake-mishap (as in too hard) around, that'll do
> nicely.
> Depending on the amount of participants in your group choose a large bowl
> (clear glass looks really nice).
> Layer slices of poundcake, canned fruit without much juice,whipped cream
> (maybe the storebought freezer variety), vanilla pudding incl. a splash of
> f.ex. rum on every layer of cake.
I had assumed, from the title of Elithe's original query, that it was for
Anglo-Saxon deserts. The trifle described might be tasty, but it is
entirely modern. Vanilla is from the new world, rum a development long
after the Anglo-Saxon period. I am not sure if Imogen's point is that the
trifle is English, and thus appropriate for a class on the earliest in
some sense English poetry, or if he simply interpreted the request
differently than I did.
David Friedman
Gretchen Miller
desserts by David Frie...@best.com
> Anglo-Saxon deserts. The trifle described might be tasty, but it is
> entirely modern. Vanilla is from the new world, rum a development long
> after the Anglo-Saxon period. I am not sure if Imogen's point is that the
> trifle is English, and thus appropriate for a class on the earliest in
> some sense English poetry, or if he simply interpreted the request
> differently than I did.
Oh, come now, it's not entirely modern, it's just not Anglo-saxon.
There's a recipe for trifle in the Good Hus-wifes jewell (either part
one or two, I'm not sure which right off the top of my head).
toodles, gretchen
Gretchen Miller
desserts by David Frie...@best.com
> I had assumed, from the title of Elithe's original query, that it was for
> Anglo-Saxon deserts. The trifle described might be tasty, but it is
> entirely modern. Vanilla is from the new world, rum a development long
> after the Anglo-Saxon period. I am not sure if Imogen's point is that the
> trifle is English, and thus appropriate for a class on the earliest in
> some sense English poetry, or if he simply interpreted the request
> differently than I did.
Admittedly, something more along the lines of fruit filled perogies
would probably be more appropriate--I believe there is a recipe for
these in the Anglo-Norman cookbook that Constance Heitt
published/translated in Speculum a few years back.
toodles, gretchen
David Friedman
> > The trifle described might be tasty, but it is
> > entirely modern. Vanilla is from the new world, rum a development long
> > after the Anglo-Saxon period.
Gretchen replied:
> Oh, come now, it's not entirely modern, it's just not Anglo-saxon.
> There's a recipe for trifle in the Good Hus-wifes jewell (either part
> one or two, I'm not sure which right off the top of my head).
I didn't say "trifle is entirely modern;" I said "the trifle described ...
is entirely modern." I'll give odds that the one in the Good Hus-wife's
jewell doesn't use vanilla pudding.
Besides, Good Hus-wifes jewel is that late sixteenth early seventeenth
century Nouvelle Cuisine--modern enough.
David Friedman
David Friedman
> would probably be more appropriate--I believe there is a recipe for
> these in the Anglo-Norman cookbook that Constance Heitt
> published/translated in Speculum a few years back.
>
> toodles, gretchen
If she wants late 13th century, there's no problem--the Anglo-Norman, the
first thing in Curye on Englysche (which is, I think, another version of
the same thing written down a little later), the "Icelandic" (although
that probably originated in southern Europe), and lots of Islamic stuff if
she isn't picky about geography. But none of that is Anglo-Saxon.
Presumably one could get some information form archaeology and
literature--I gather there are secondary sources out there on Anglo-Saxon
food, although I have not read them.
d
I can even offer some Islamic stuff that is contemporary with Anglo-Saxon
England--but I doubt the Anglo-Saxons made it.
David Friedman
Elithe Carnes
It seems my original posting caused some confusion. Sorry
about that. Unfortunately, I'm not getting all of the
responses. I gather there has been more discussion than the
two messages I received via e-mail and the one I can see on
the 'net. Please e-mail me directly so I can see all the
suggestions. Thanks!
-Elithe
Terry Nutter
David said:
: If she wants late 13th century, there's no problem--the Anglo-Norman, the
: first thing in Curye on Englysche (which is, I think, another version of
: the same thing written down a little later),
Actually, the first MS in CoE is a 14th C translation into ME of the
_later_ of the two AN collections edited by Jones and Hieat, which
is dated at the early 14th C. The 13th C AN collection, to the best
of my knowledge, has been published only in the _Speculum_ article.
Otherwise, agreed.
Cheers,
-- Terry Nutter
Terry Nutter
Gretchen suggested:
: > I had assumed, from the title of Elithe's original query, that it was for
: > Anglo-Saxon deserts. The trifle described might be tasty, but it is
: > entirely modern. Vanilla is from the new world, rum a development long
: > after the Anglo-Saxon period. I am not sure if Imogen's point is that the
: > trifle is English, and thus appropriate for a class on the earliest in
: > some sense English poetry, or if he simply interpreted the request
: > differently than I did.
: Admittedly, something more along the lines of fruit filled perogies
: would probably be more appropriate--I believe there is a recipe for
: these in the Anglo-Norman cookbook that Constance Heitt
: published/translated in Speculum a few years back.
Almost ten years now. There are three obvious desert-like dishes in
the first of the two manuscripts: one for fruit custard tarts, one
for fruit-filled fried pastries, and one for almond cakes. Unfortunately,
the manuscript in question is late 13th C, which is rather later than
the Anglo-Saxon period. I have not read Ann Hagen's _Anglo-Saxon Food_
closely, but I don't think it gives a whole heck of a lot of guidance
for this particular request, and certainly no recipes.
I haven't made the particular sweets in the 13th C collection, but I
can post the original recipes (with translations) if people would like.
Cheers,
-- Terry Nutter
Patricia Reynolds
j...@newsserver.uconn.edu "Terry Nutter" writes:
> the Anglo-Saxon period. I have not read Ann Hagen's _Anglo-Saxon Food_
> closely, but I don't think it gives a whole heck of a lot of guidance
> for this particular request, and certainly no recipes.
She basically suggests shortbread or fruited breads. Since the latter
would involve yeast (and the original request was for something easy),
shortbread seems to be the answer. Has anyone tried making shortbread
using
--
Patricia Reynolds
p...@caerlas.demon.co.uk
TREECV
You haven't missed much in your quest for an Anglo-Saxon recipe. Of the 11
postings, the majority are fighting over statements and who knows more (or
less). Your original request is long forgotton. Wish I could help you, but
all I know is mead. Maybe you could make a fruit cake and instead of rum,
pour mead over it, if you can find mead.
Cassandra Vivian
Judy Gerjuoy
[snip]
> I haven't made the particular sweets in the 13th C collection, but I
> can post the original recipes (with translations) if people would like.
Please do.
Jaelle
Terry Nutter
I said:
: > I haven't made the particular sweets in the 13th C collection, but I
: > can post the original recipes (with translations) if people would like.
Jaelle responded:
: Please do.
OK. The following are drawn from Hieatt, Constance B. and Jones, Robin
F., "Two Anglo-Norman Culinary Collections Edited from British Library
Manuscripts Additional 32085 and Royal 12.C.xii", Speculum 61/4 (1986)
859-882. Both are from BL Additional 32085, described in the article as
a late thirteenth century small quarto vellum volume.
11. Tardpolane. E une autre viaunde, ke ad a noun tardpolane.
Pernex flur e socre e metez ensemble, e ke le past seit tempre'
oue let de alemaundes; a festes de cest past coffyns de hautesce
de deus deis; e puys pernez peires e dates e alemaundes e figes
e reysins, e metez liqur, des especes, e braez les ensemble, e
jetez la moel de l'oef dedenz, e une pece de bon formage tendre,
no mye trop vieuz, e de oefs asez; e pus metez au fu e oignez
les desus del moel de l'oef, e pus dressex.
11. Tardpolene [custard tarts with fruit]. Here is another
dish, which is called tardpolene. Take and combine flour and
sugar, and mix into pastry with almond milk; make cases of
this pastry two fingers in height: then take pears, dates, almonds,
figs, and raisins, and put in liquid and spices and grind together;
add egg yolk and a piece of good, soft cheese, not too old,
and plenty of whole eggs; then put them [the pastry cases filled
with the above mixture] to cook; brush the tops with egg yolk;
then serve.
Comments: Reasonably straighforward. I'm not certain that I would translate
coffins as "cases", or past as "pastry". (The latter is a general term for
a wide variety of doughs and batters, ranging from noodles of various kinds
to pie crust. It is the same term that is used to describe the noodles of
raviele [recipe 8; cheese ravioli] and cressee [crossed noodles], and for
fritters, and for what amount to funnel cakes, and ....)
25. Kuskenole. E une viaunde ke est apele' kuskenole. Festes
up past des oefs, e pus pernez figes e resins e peires e poumes,
e pus dates e alemandes; batez e metez bon pudre dedenz e de
bon especes; e karemme festes vostres past de alemandes; e festes
une paume e demy paume e de la leur de treis deis, e pus oignez
le past tut de une partie; pus metez la fassure dedenz, chescune
kake sa porcion, e pus plier ensemble come cel signe est fet:
[a picture of a tic-tac-toe board outlined and set on one corner];
e pus boiller en bel ewe; e pus rostez sur gerdil, &cetera.
25. Kuskenole [pastries with fruit filling]. Here is a dish which
is called kuskenole. Make pastry with eggs; then take figs, raisins,
pears, and apples, and then dates and almonds; beat together and
add good mixed ground spice and whole spices. In Lent, make your
pastry with almonds (i.e., almond butter or cream]. Roll your
pastry out on a table and cut into several pieces, one and a half
hands long and three fingers in width; then grease the pastry on one
side; then put the filing in, dividing it equally among the cakes;
then fold together as this diagram illustrates [presumably folding
over the pastry and pressing or drimping the edges together, as with
ravioli]; then boil in clean water; then brown on a griddle, etc.
Comments. "Beat" probably implies grind, as in a mortar. The original says
one and a half _palms_ (of hands), not one and a half _hands_ long. The
directions for making the individual thingies really look very much like the
directions for ravioli. I wouldn't describe these as fruit pastries, but as
fried fruit ravioli or dumplings.
27. Emeles. E une friture k'ad a noun emeles. Pernez sucre e
sel e alemaundes a payn demeyne, e brauez les ensemble; e pus
metez des oefs; e pus gresse ou oile ou bure, e pernez une
quilere e oignez les; e pus pernez sus e rose les de sucre sec,
&cetera. Explicet.
27. Emeles [almond cakes]. Here is a fritter which is called
emeles. Take sugar, salt, almonds, and white bread, and grind
them together; then add eggs; then grease or oil or butter,
and take a spoon and brush them [i.e. the emeles, while they are
frying] and then remove them and sprinkle them with dry sugar,
etc.
Comments. In the notes section, the editors remark that the author forgot
to mention how to cook them, but that since they are called fritters, the
authors assume they are fried. Given this assumption, it is not clear
whether the grease, oil, or butter is to go in the batter, or onto the
grill to fry them in. I am inclined to suspect the second. I am also
inclined to view these as fritters, formed by dropping spoonfuls of batter
onto a griddle and then "brushing" them smooth, rather than as what we would
tend to think of as cakes.
But there's lots of room for interpretation in this one.
Enjoy!
-- Terry Nutter
Henry Troup
"A Handbook of Anglo-Saxon Food Processing and Consumption", Ann Hagen,
ISBN 0-9516209-8-3 is a good secondary source. I think it's a PhD
thesis. It averages over 100 footnotes to the chapter. (1992, 1994,
Anglo-Saxon Books, 25 Malpas Dr. Pinner, Middlesex, England)
Suggests that feasts featured enriched or seeded (spiced) breads.
Honey, dried fruits, etc.
Just maybe crumpets:
"The crumpet may have been available to the Anglo-Saxons.
_Crompeht_ is used to gloss _folialis_, and Schlutter thought
that this was a form of thin bread. Grube thought that
_folialis_=_foliatus_ and the _crompeht_ was a little flat cake
with flowers marked on it, as shown in manuscript illustrations.
(Footnote 126)"
The foot note is Grube 1934, and the biblio reference is Grube,
F.W., 1934 Cereal Foods of the Anglo-Saxons, Philological
Quarterly XIII, 140-158.
You could get away with yeast crumpets with honey or flat yeast cakes
under this.
It's a good book, btw.
--
Henry Troup - h...@bnr.ca (Canada) - BNR is not committed to anything I say
"I wanted to be a neo-deconstructivist, but my mom wouldn't let me"