SC - cuskynoles

[Cindy Renfrow]

Hello!  I'm wondering if anyone has checked the O.E.D. for the word
'cuskynoles'?  If there is another occurance in the English corpus, it
should be listed.

Now, FWIW, I have not studied the original MS., nor do I have it here.  It
would be very helpful in understanding this recipe to know this author's
writing style in more detail & to study his other recipes.  That being
said, and just because I'm feeling a bit *devilish* today, I'm going to
throw some fat on the fire & play devil's advocate. <laughing>

*IF* this is in fact a fruit ravioli, then I agree in theory with Gunthar's
'cook-em-all-together' interpretation.  It would be a far easier way to
prepare, esp. in bulk, than cutting the portions apart before cooking.

But, *what if* the phrase 'hew hit on moni perties' does *not* mean 'cut it
in many parts', but rather 'hue it (color it) in many parti(colors)?

'Veld togedere' may not mean 'fold together', but 'throw together' or
'cover together'. 'Veld'  is perhaps a variant spelling of 'held', meaning
'throw' or 'cast', or 'y-helid / helyd', meaning covered.

What we would have then is a large multicolored fruit tart, with the
coloring on the inside (since it is to be boiled & the color would wash
away otherwise).  The figure would then be representing the checkerboard
appearance of the pastry.

Just a reminder - a portion may not mean a single person's share.  It could
mean enough to feed one table.

>Curye On Inglysche, Book I, Diversa Cibaria.
>45. A mete that is icleped cuskynoles. Make a past tempred with ayren,
>and sothen nim peoren & applen, figes & raysins, alemaundes & dates; bet
>am togedre & do god poudre of gose speces withinnen. & in leynten make
>thi past with milke of alemaundes. & rolle thi past on a bord, & sothen
>hew hit on moni perties, & vche an pertie beo of the leynthe of a paume
>& an half & of threo vyngers of brede. & smeor thy past al of one dole,
>& sothen do thi fassure withinnen. Vchan kake is portiooun. & sotthen
>veld togedere othe beolue [?] manere, as theos fugurre is imad:
>
>[I'll render the picture later, as soon as I figure out how to make it
>so that people can get it.]
>
>& sotthe boille in veir water, & sothen roast on an greudil; & sothen
>adresse.

I came across 2 recipes that bear a slight similarity to the cuskynoles
recipe (ravioli interpretation), in the assembly, but not in the
ingredients. Note that other recipes from these MSS. use the rim of a
saucer to seal the edges of dough/pastry together.

Also note that both of these recipes neglect to add flour & liquid to the
paste - this is a frequent omission in these MSS.  ([th] stands for
'thorn', 'th';  [3] stands for 'yogh', a g or y sound.)

Harleian MS. 279 - Leche Vyaundez
liij.  Lesynges de chare.  Take fayre Buttys of Porke; hewe hem, & grynd
hem, & caste [th]er-to Raw [3]olkys of Eyroun, & [th]en putte it in-to a
fayre Vesselle; & take Roysonys of corauns, & dates myncyd, & pouder of
Gyngere, Pepir, & Safroun, & Sugre, an melle all [th]es to-gederys; & make
fayre past of Sugre & Safroun, & Salt; temper [th]er-in, & make .ij. fayre
flat cakys [th]er-of, & lay [th]e stuf [th]er-on al a-brode on [th]e cake
al flat; & [th]an take [th]at o[th]er cake, & lay hym al a-brode [th]er-on;
& [th]an kytte [the] cakys [th]orw with an knyf in maner of lesyngys; &
[th]an make fayre bature of Raw [3]olkys of Eyroun, Sugre, & Salt, & close
[th]e sydys of [th]e lesyng[3] [th]er-with, & [th]an frye hem in fayre
grece, & serue forth.

Harleian MS. 4016
76 Losinges de chare.  Take faire buttes of porke, and hewe hem, and grynde
hem, and caste there-to yolkes of eyren rawe, and take it vppe into a faire
vessell; and take reysons of Corance, and myced dates, and pouder ginger,
peper, saffron, and sugur, and medle al this to-gidre; and make faire paast
of sugur, saffron, and salte, and temper therein; And make thereof ij.
faire cakes, and ley the stuff therein al abrode on [th]e cakes all flatte.
And [th]en take ano[th]er Cake, and ley him al abrode thereon, and [th]en
kutte [th]e Cakes thorgh with a knyfe, in maner of losinges; And then make
faire bater of rawe yolkes of eron, sugur and salt, and close [th]e sides
of [th]e losinges therewith, and then fry hem in fressh grece ynow, And so
serue hem forthe.

Cindy/Sincgiefu
renfrow at skylands.net
http://www.alcasoft.com/renfrow/




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