Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1906-01-21
HAMPTON, PtOEBUS AND OLD POINT-Contin1ed
ANCIENT COOKERY.
Sow Meals Were Prepared arG Setvs
cd In ChaHcer,s Time.


cd In CHANGERS Time
An ancient cookbook has been dis
covered, written in the English OF
-haucers time, which was published
about 1850. 1t is called The Form OF
Curry" and contains 1876 recipes. &c
cording to the preface, SIT tech!th
man for to make commune potage s,
commune meets for howshold. as they
should be made. crafty and hoisonly."
Judging from the splicing and season
ing, indigestion must have been adds
ease unknown 10 the fourteenth ce0-
tury. Garlic, vinegar. cloves, CHINA
mon, wine and even ale appear in al
most every recipe and IN appalling
quantities. For example, a "salat"
was made of "parsel, sawge, garlic,
chiboiics young onions, leek. borage,
myntes, fenel & ton tresses (cresses),
rev, rosinayre, purslayne; lave & washe
hem clene, pike hem, pluck hem smale
With thyn honde, G. Inyng (mix) Lem
we'll with rave ollie. Lay on vinegar
i salt, S; serve It forth"
Pork seems to have been the favor
tie meat with the Englisbmen Of this
century. And this is not strange when
one remembers their taste for spice,
strong flavors and cloyinG sweets.
Veal comes next in popularity, but
beef is not mentioned in one Of the log
recipes. One is amazed at the populari-
y of The whale, grampus, seal, swan,
crane, heron and peacock The swan
was served up in royal style and vows
Of Oiliy aIrx- - .
skewered and roasted IN sitting pos
ture. Say the directions: Make q stiff
bed OF paste about the thickness Of
your thumb, color it green, comb 1t
out, and it will look like meadow OF
green grass. Take your swan and gid
him over with gold then have kind
or loose flying cloak OF n vermilion
color within and painted with arms
without; then set the swan upon this
bed, cover some part OF him with the
cloak, stick about him small banners
upon little sticks. the banners painted
with the arms most agreeable to the
persons seated Of the table"
at grand feast when Edward 1.
knighted his eldest son, on the eve OF
his Scottish expeditions, two swans,
Gorgeously caparisoned, were introduce
ed with flourish OF trumpets. Upon
them the king swore in the presence Of
God and the ladies' that he would
aveIge the death OF John Comyn and
the perfdy OF Robert Bruce.
But. IN spite OF the popularity Of the
swan for great occasions. It was the
, peacock which, IN the romantic Ian
guage OF the age OF chivalry, was "the
food Of lovers and the meat Of kings"
He appeared on the festal board with
his gorgeous feathered skin skeWered
around his roasted body.
One very popular concoction was
called "tarts Of flesh" and the quaint
recipe reads: Take veal Ysode and
grind it small. Take hard ayren ysodo
tboiled eggs e ygrounde & there
to put prunes hoole. dates ycarved,
pynes (seed found in pines, cones, COM
mon in italy, & raisins, torrance, hool
spices, 81 powder, salt, sugar g. make
iittell coffin, &c do this FAIRS therein,
81 take & serve it forth" Another
much richer tart was made thus: BRAY
the pork smale in mortar Take
fygges q boil them tendre in small ale,
q bray them. & tendre cheese there
with, Sc pepper, salt g. saron. Then
take sugar, dyren eggs e. flour &,
make paste with roller thanne
make thereof smale pellets 6 fry them
braun in clean greece"
Though the oyster was known and
eaten i'll the fourteenth century, it was
thought to lack flavor, so they seethed
1t in wine with ground almonds and
rice, powdered ginger. sugar and mace
Il curious thing about old cookery
books is their silence concerning GUAM
tity Take pigges yscalded;" take
eeiys." take conynges or rabbits" is
al the Information which is given.