ANST - Two 15th Century Receipts for Steak

[Decker, Terry D.]

> The medieval "stekys" recipes that Meadbh has made me aware of all are
> pan-fried (the recipe above calls for cooking them on a "gredyl" or
> griddle), very thin slices of meat, usually cooked with or served with a
> vinegar-based sauce.  
> 
> This is not at all the same thing as a ribeye served with A-1.
> 
> Wæs Þu Hæl (Waes Thu Hael)
> 
> ::GUNNORA::
> 
I think you are putting a modern definition to the term gredyl, when you
consider this a pan.  In Middle English, a gredyl is a gridiron, a lattice
work of iron straps or bars used for roasting.  The term appears to have
been used interchangeably with gridirne.  I'm still researching the word
trying to determine when the definition changed to mean a flat pan.

The term derives from Old North French gredil and was probably introduced
during the Norman Conquest.  Since the Bayeux Tapestry, shows a cook
grilling meat on a gridiron, the technique was obviously in use in the 11th
Century and possibly was more common than pan frying.

As to the preparation, I might quibble about the ribeye.  The A-1 is
definitely not period, but we could easily replace it with pepper or
galantine sauce.

Bear 
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