SC - Palladius #9

[Ian van Tets]

This should be the last instalment (huzzah!):

October:  Book the Eleventh

De defruto, careno, & sapa (defrutum, carenum and sapa)

70      Defrut, carene, & sape in oon manere
        Of must is made.  Defrut of defervyng
        Til thicke;  carene is boyled nere
        From three til two; but sape unto oon lette brynge
        Fro three;  and all this crafte mys but boylinge.
        But sape is best if quynces therwith be
        Decocte, and all the fier made of figtree.

notes:  Three sorts of wine (as above) are made in the same manner.  
In the first the must is boiled till it thicken.  In the second, 1/3 
is boiled away, and in the other 1/3 remains.  Mix quinces with sapa, 
and make the fire of figtree.        

De passo (passum)

71      Now passe is made, that Affrike useth make,
        Afor vyndage;  and thus this crafte thai trete.
        A multitude of reysons puld thay take
        And into risshy frayels rare hem get,
        And mightely with yerdes first hem bete
        Until this with the grapes so desolve,
        And thenne hem to the presses thay devolve.
        
        Ther presses oute is all that oute wol passe,
        And under kept into sum vessel clene,
        And this licoure Affikes calleth passe.
        As hony me may kepe it in a stene,
        In stede of whome in metes it demene.
        This condyment is esy and jocounde,
        Wherof inflacioun shal noon redounde.

notes:
71:  Raisin wine is thus made in Africa before vintage:  they put a 
large quantity of raisins into fine rush baskets, beat them with 
sticks until they blend with the grapes, and then press them.
72:  When pressed keep it in a jar like honey, to use as a sauce.  It 
will keep you from flatulence.

De cidonite
 
73      Take quynces ripe, and pare hem, hewe hem smal
        And al for smal;  but kest away the core,
        For it is nought to this effect atte al.
        In hony thenne up boile hem lesse & more
        Til it be halvendel that was before.
        Do pepur with in boilyng smallest grounde,
        This is the first maner;- and this seconde:
        
74      Another wise is this:  take sestres two
        Of quince, and oon sester (of) aisel
        And half, eke two sester hony therto;
        This mynge, and boile it alle togeder wel
        Til it be hony fatte & thicke iche dele;
        Of pepur and ginger tweyne unces grounde
        To pouder smal is therto forto infounde.
 
notes:       
73:  Cut quinces very small, discard core, boil in honey until 
reduced by half and mix ground pepper with it.
74:  Or take 2 pts of quince and 1.5 of honey, mix till all as thick 
as the honey.  Add 2 oz ground pepper and 1 oz ground ginger.

De fermento mustorum servando
        
75      A galon muste from under feet do to
        A strike floure of newe wheete, and let it drie
        In sonne, and weete it oft & drie it do
        Yit efte;  the same in smallest loues plie
        And drie it harde in sonne;  in pottes trie
        Now gipse it fast;  and use this ferment
        For musty brede, whom this wol condyment.
        
notes:  Add to a gallon of trodden must a strike of new wheat flour, 
dry it in the sun, wet it and dry again.  Roll into small lumps and 
dry in the sun, and plaster up in pots to make new bread whenever you 
require it.
[Hey, is this dried yeast cakes?  No need for sourdough?  Wow! CJvT]

De uva passa Graeca condienda
        
76      The reison greek in this maner thai make:
        Thai se where he hongeth grapes goode & swete
        The stortes softe in handes wol thais take
        And writhe hem, and so writhen wol thai lete
        Hem honge and drie awhile in sonnes hete, 
        And after hem in shadowe thais suspende
        Her vessel while in dightyng thai contende.
        
77      The leaf of vyne all drie and chillyng colde
        Under thai do, and therin grapes presse,
        And with thaire handes fast addon hem folde, 
        So fille it uppe, and therto leves dresse, 
        In drie and colde, ther smoke is noon expresse, 
        Hem kepeth thai.
        ***
  
notes:
76:  To make Greek raisins, where the grapes hang good and sweet, 
they twist the stalks and let them dry in the sun, and afterwards 
suspend them in the shade, whilst they prepare vessels for them.
77:  Underneath they place vine leaves and press down, and keep them 
in a dry cold place where there is no smoke.

November:  Book the Twelfth

To keep peaches
                      
25      The bones oute, as figges summen drie
        Hem and suspende;  eke I have seen, the bonys
        Detract of Duracyne, in hony trie
        So kept that gladder tasting never noon is, 
        Hoote pitche a droppe if into iche (n)avel goone is;  
        That so thai be coart (coact?) to swymme in sape,
        Enclude hem, and alle harme thai shal escape.
  
notes:  The stone being removed, some dry peaches like figs.  I have 
seen Cling-stone peaches, sfter the stones were removed, kept in 
honey, so that none were of a better taste, if a drop of pitch be 
poured in the navel.

To keep chestnuts

43      ***
        Chasteynes in flakes me may kepe,
        Or under sande asonder leyde to slepe.
        
44      And other hem in erthen pottes doo, 
        And delveth hem in places that beth drie.
        In beechen baskettes men save also
        This fruite, so thai with cley be stanche ywrie.
        Or smallest barly chaf about hem plie, 
        Or baskettes of segges me may use,
        So thai be thicke, and save hem ther recluse.

notes:  
43:  keep them in wicker baskets or in sand laid asunder.
44:  Others keep them in earthen pots or dry holes, or beech baskets, 
or barley chaff, or basket of thick sedge and cover them up.           
             
Here the manuscript is evidently damaged, in at least 2 places.  I 
have listed the last 4 stanzas provided by the EETS as Ia and b, and 
IIa and b.
                                       
Ia      For browsty oil white wex is to resolve
        In fynest oil, and therin throwe it so:
        Hoot salt ygrounde is on it to dissolve
        And in a vessel wried alle be do.
        So wol it mende odoure and taste also.
        In erthe ich oil to kepe is his nature,
        Whom salt, or fire, or water hoote may pure.
  
notes:  To cure rancid oil, melt white wax in fine oil, and hot 
ground salt, and cover up.  Oil should be kept in earthenware, as its 
nature is to be purified by salt, or fire, or hot water.            


Ib      This moone is made olyve in condyment;
        That is dyvers:  oon olyve columbare
        Ther flaketh first olyve as fundament;
        And after that the pulioles are;
        A flake on that hony and saltes rare,
        Or flake olyve and fennel graffes be
        Theron or birche, or dile, or olif tree.
   
This month olives are made into preserves.  There are several kinds 
[evidently the others are missing].  The light olive is preserved by 
sprinkling on alternate flakes of olives, pennyroyal, honey and a 
little salt.  Or put thereon a layer of olive and fennel cuttings, or 
birch, or dill.

          ***
IIa     Olyve unhurt in barme of oil is do,
        That after XL dayes up is pured.
        And swetter for to have it, do therto
        Two parties sape and aisel oon also.
        To have it sharpe, of aysel tweyne infounde
        And oon of sape, as may the sharpe abounde.     
   
notes:  Unbruised olives are placed in brine, which is fined for 40 
days.  If you want it sweet add 2 parts syrup, one of vinegar.  If 
sour, then  2 of vinegar and 1 of syrup.

IIb     A sester passe, a yespon also grounde
        Of cyner, of olde vyne a quantitee
        Foil of cupresse a parte in it contounde.
        Let mynge all this;  olyves nowe let se,
        Suche as unhurt beth taken from the tree,
        Doon in ands dreynt, a cruste upon it make,
        And fille it to the brinke until it take.
        
notes:  A pint of raisin wine, a double handful of cinder-ashes, a 
quantity of old wine, bruised cypress-leaves:  mix all this and steep 
it, make a crust upon it, and fill up to the brim.



Here ends the details on food from Palladius on Husbandrie, an 
anonymous MS from 1420

Cairistiona
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