SC - More On Baconn'd Herring Breakfasts (Long!)

[Phil & Susan Troy]

Cindy Renfrow wrote:
> 
> Back in February we were discussing 'Baconn'd Herring' without resolution
> as to what it meant.  I just ran across this in Le Menagier (The notes are
> M. Pichon's):
> 
> "SAUMON frais soit baconné,(1) et gardez l'eschine pour rostir; puis
> despeciez par dales cuites en eaue, et
> du vin et du sel au cuire; mengié au poivre jaunet ou à la cameline et en
> pasté, qui veult, pouldré (2)
> d'espices; et se le saumon est salé, soit mengié au vin et à la ciboule par
> rouelles.(3)
> 
> (1)Fumé. Voy. Du Cange au mot Baco.
> 
> (2)Peut-être faut-il lire pouldre en sous-entendant avec.
> 
> (3)G. C. , 69."
> 
> Translation please?

After a little more consideration, I've discarded a lot of my earlier attempt
at a translation. (Computer programs just aren't made for this kind of thing,
not that I paid much attention to what Power Translator said, anyway !) I
still haven't run across anything like it in the cookery sections of my Eileen
Power translation of le Menagier, but I did manage to run across the
following, almost identical passage elsewhere. From the Vatican's copy of Le
Viandier de Taillevent, translated by Terence Scully:

"124. Saumon frez. Baconné, et gardez l'eschine pour rostir; puis le depecies
par dalles et soit cuit en eaue, du vin et du sel au cuire; et soit mengié au
poivre jaunet ou a la cameline; et le mectent aucuns ressuyer sur le grail au
mengiér; et en pasté, qui veult, pouldré d'espices, et soit mengié a la
cameline; et s'il est sallé, soit cuit en eaue sans sel et mengiés au vin et a
la ciboule miciee.

"124. Fresh Salmon. It should be larded, and keep the spine in it for roasting
(var.: frying in a pan); then pick it apart by layers, and cook it in water
and wine, with salt; it should be eaten with yellow Pepper Sauce or with
Cameline Sauce. Some people set it to dry on the grill for eating.
Alternatively, in a pasty, sprinkled with spice powder, and eaten with
Cameline Sauce. If it is salted, it should be cooked in water without salt and
eaten with wine and chopped shallots."

Okay, I admit calling the ciboules onions may have been a bit hasty. What are
we left with? Interestingly enough, we are back to the point of wondering
whether baconned herring is herring with bacon or other lard added, or herring
cured or otherwise treated like bacon. Scully seems to go for the former
theory in the case of the salmon recipe quoted, while Pichon seems to espouse
the latter idea. Scully does point out several instances of "baconner" used as
a verb, as opposed to the use of "lard" as a verb, but also sez he believes
baconner to be a corruption of another verb. The bottom line is that Scully
says he feels the fish is to be larded, and cites a couple of other uses of a
similar verb, but then he says he's not sure, it may be that the fish is to be
studded, as with cloves or some such (boutonner). Pichon pretty clearly thinks
the reference is to salmon being smoked, unless I'm vastly mistaken. 

In any case, I'm still not sure I buy the Scully interpretation of the bit
about the chine. He seems to feel a dual cooking process is involved, first
roasting, then removing it from the bones and breaking it up, and simmering in
water with wine and salt. Scully, of course, seems to attribute all acts of
unknown motivation to medical theory: he says the second cooking process is a
boiling, thus "exposing it to the warming and drying effects of wine and
salt." I'm not sure I buy this, since even if salmon is unusally cold and
moist, you'd think a roasting would be the way to counteract this. And, if
wine and salt were really necessary, why spoil it with a cooling, moist
cooking method like boiling? Yes, I know boiling is in fact really hot, just
take it up with Galen, please, okay?

I'm still inclined to think there is at least some possibility that the
roasting is for the upper, back portion of the fish, and the boiling for the
fatty rib and ventral area meat.

Regarding the footnotes, the first refers to an author named Du Cange,
suggesting Du Cange uses the word "baco'. I have no access to anything written
by Du Cange, but his name is mentioned in a footnote by Eileen Power in her
translation of Le Menagier. It is, unfortunately, in connection with an
entirely different passage so doesn't help us here, much. As for the third
footnote, I haven't the foggiest idea who or what G.C. is.

Well, I'm done for now. Now is the time for anyone wishing to translate this
into poetry, or include lamb's lettuce in the recipe, to speak now or forever
hold his/her piece (and you know who you are!!!) ;  )

In wild hopes this has helped, instead of just making everything more confusing,

Adamantius      
- -- 
Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com
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