SC - Attn: Brighid -- Sea-dwelling eels and their bones

[Philip & Susan Troy]

Hullo, the list and especially Lady Brighid!

I was just glancing through the Austin edition of Two Fifteenth-Century
Cookery-Books, the section devoted to Ms. Harl. 279, and spotted the
following that made me think of your questions on Moray eels and tail bones:

".xliii. Mortrewes of Fysshe. -- Take Gornard or Congere, a-fore (th)e
navel wyth (th)e grece, for be-hynde (th)e navel he is hery of bonys, or
Codlyng, (th)e lyuer an (th)e Spaune, an sethe it y-now in fayre Water,
an pyke owt (th)e bonys, and grynde (th)e fysshe in a Morter, an temper
it vp wyth Almaunde Mylke, an cast (th)erto gratyd brede; (th)an take it
vp; an put it on a faure potte, an let boyle; (th)an caste (th)erto
Sugre and Salt, an serue it forth as other Mortrewys. And loke (th)at
(th)ou cast Gyngere y-now aboue."

Admittedly a conger isn't a Moray, but it _is_ an eel variant that is
being commented on as having an inconvenient tail bone structure.

Adamantius, trying to think of a musical couplet that can go before the
phrase, "That's a Moray..."

"When your Mortrewes is stale,
All those bones in the tail,
That's etc..."  
- -- 
Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com