ANST - Two 15th Century Receipts for Steak

Margo Lynn Hablutzel Hablutzel at compuserve.com
Sat Sep 26 21:50:26 PDT 1998


I figured I should keep quiet until I had time to consult my references;
since I don't have a peerage to back up my words, I have to do it with
documentation.  Unfortunately, I have not been home much lately, and would
not be this weekend but the gate for Elfsea Defender closed at noon and I
was at a professional conference until a quarter 'til.  I knew I have
receipts for steaks in something, and now I had an evening in which to
locate them.

Turns out the "something" is the Harlein MS 279, specifically recipts II.30
and II.31, both of which call for "Stekys" of "Bef."  In fact, the first
one specifically begins that you should "Take fayre Bef of (th)e quischons,
& motoun of (th)e bottes, & kytte in (th)e maner of Stekys; ...."

For full text of both receipts, I refer the reader to Anderson, A FIFTEENTH
CENTURY COOKRY BOKE (Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1962), at page 12,
and Hieatt & Butler, PLEYN DELIT (First Edition, University of Toronto
Press, 1976), items 73 and 72, respectively (with modern dedactions).  I
know there is a later edition of the latter, but I don't have a copy, so
the number may be different if you are looking in the Second Edition of
PLEYN DELIT.

Steak is the meat in the third course of my "Unbelieveably Period" feast,
which includes devilled eggs, queso dip, fried chicken, macaroni and
cheese, sweet potato pie, angelfood cake, and strawberry cheesecake.  All
documented.


                                                ---= Morgan



           |\     THIS is the cutting edge of technology! 
 8+%%%%%%%%I=================================================---
           |/   Morgan Cely Cain * Hablutzel at compuserve.com
                     Barony of the Steppes * Ansteorra
                          daytime: margolh at nt.com

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