[Sca-cooks] Pickled eggs? Period

[Stefan li Rous]

  Jadwiga Zajaczkowa asked:
> Has anybody on the list found documentation to indicate that pickled
> eggs were made before 1650?
There is the following from this file in the FOOD section of the 
Florilegium:
pickled-food-msg (116K)  5/ 7/02    Medieval pickled food. recipes.
http://www.florilegium.org/files/FOOD/pickled-foods-msg.html

> Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2000 16:43:07 GMT
> From: "pat fee" <lcatherinemc at hotmail.com>
> Subject: Re: SC - Preserving eggs.
>
> Ok this is the translation, I was given by a lady that had had this in 
> her
> family for many generations.  The first time that it was recorded was 
> in a
> letter from the family matriarch to her son who was a retainer in the
> household of a cleric in service to Mary (daughter to Henry VIII)  The 
> group
> of "letters" that this is contained is now in the Vatican museum.
>    "Pickled Eggs" (Sophia Walsomecheck)
>
>   Eggs that have not gone sour(I think they mean that smell alright)
>   Vinegar made of grapes blessed by a Holy Father of the True Church.
>   Beet root, from to garden of a pious women
>   And also herbs, bay, caraway, garlic and leek, from the same.
>
>   Take you the eggs and place them in a pot of suffient size to cover 
> with
> water.  Add a stone(Sophia says that this is about the size of a 
> walnut) of
> salt and water to cover them well.
>   Boil until you can drop them  upon your cooking stone and they do not
> brake apart.
>   Take a well scoured jar(probably stone ware or pottery.)
> season it with salted herbs.(Here Sophia tells me that a mixture of 
> salt and
> various herbs were used to "season" the containers used to preserve 
> foods.
> Different households used different mixtures)
>   Remove the eggs from their armor(shells) and cut in thin pieces the 
> beet
> root and any herbs that do need it.
>   Boil the beet root and herbs with the Vinegar until all to come 
> together.
>   Lay the eggs in rows across the bottom of the prepared jar.  Bath 
> them in
> Vinegar.  (I think they mean to layer the eggs and pour the Vinegar, 
> and
> beets/herbs over them. (I like to layer the beets, herbs and eggs and 
> then
> boil the Vinegar and pout it over until the crock is full.)
>   Seal the jar with good cloth then pour bee's wax to keep out the ill
> favored air.  I use a piece of cork, or a jar with a non metal lid.
>   put away until the moon has circled four times.
>
>   1 dozen medium eggs.
>   4 or 5 small or baby beets cooked peeled and sliced thin.
>   3 or 4 bay leaves
>   2 tsps. caraway seeds
>   2 large cloves garlic peeled and sliced
>   2 large leeks white part only sliced thin.
>   1 quart white wine Vinegar
>
>   Boil the eggs until they are hard.  Peel
>   Cook the beets, peel and slice
>   Slice the garlic and leeks
>   Have a sterilized 1 1/2 quart or two quart jar (I use a large mayo 
> jar
> with a plastic lid)ready.
>    Layer the eggs,beets, leeks and herbs, making sure that each layer 
> has at
> least a piece of bay leaf, and a few caraway seeds.
>    Heat the Vinegar to boiling and pour it over the eggs etc., leaving 
> at
> least 1/2 inch head room.
>    Cap and leave in the refrigerator until they have gained enough  
> "flavor"
> to appeal to you.
>
>   Lady Katherine Mc

Stefan
--------
THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
    Mark S. Harris           Austin, Texas          
StefanliRous at austin.rr.com
**** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:  http://www.florilegium.org ****