SC - Hadassah?

[Seton1355@aol.com]

Aeddan ap Trahaearn wrote:

> Recently while researching a 'Platina' feast I noticed that recipe 8.44 White Pie calls for ' half a pound of pike eggs'. And again in 8.45 Red chick-pea pie 'Some add starch or pike eggs so that this pie becomes firmer.' These references struck a note in my memory.
>
> Harleian MS. 279 - Leche Vyaundez
> xxiiij. Waffres. Take [th]e Wombe of A luce, & se[th]e here wyl, & do it on a morter, & tender chese [th]er- to, grynde hem y-fere; ; [th]an take flowre an whyte of Eyroun & bete to-gedere, [th]en take Sugre an pouder of Gyngere, & do al to-gederys, & loke [th]at [th]in Eyroun ben hote, & ley [th]er-on of [th]in paste, & [th]an make [th]in waffrys, & serue yn.

> Thomas Austin in Two Fiftennth-Century Cookery-Books glosses luce as a full-grown pike.

Heralds know that from the pike fish in the arms of the Lucy family.  Classic cant.

> Therefore 'e Wombe of A luce' would be pike eggs.
> Now you have to admit that pike eggs are an unusual ingredient for wafers. What occured to me is that pike eggs might be like isinglas (a transparent form of gelatin derived from the air bladders of certain fish.) If so, then they would thicken the pies and in the wafer recipe add a delicate body to the batter and perhaps keep the cheese from sticking to the wafer iron.
>
> Just a thought, I could be wrong.

You may be right.  Where can we get some pike eggs to try this out?  Here pikey pikey...

Selene