[Sca-cooks] sops

[Elaine Koogler]

tom.vincent at yahoo.com wrote:

>I'm going to disagree with that.  Sops are liquids dishes, not bread.
> 
>A Sop of Onions
>(R.A. Beebe Sallets, Humbles & Shrewsbury Cakes)
>1/2 cup butter
>4 large onions, sliced into rings
>salt and pepper
>1 cup sour cream
>1/4 tsp. nutmeg
>
>Melt the butter in a deep frying pan and add onions. Saute over low heat, stirring frequently, until the onions soften. Add salt and pepper to taste, sour cream and nutmeg. Heat thoroughly, but do not boil, or the cream will curdle. Serve as is, or add broth and serve as a soup. Serves 4.
>
>'Eenen seer schoonen ende excellenten Cocboeck', Dutch 1593, talks about sops with porridges and gravies. "A rough inventory of the Cocboeck shows 
>about 16 porridges and gravies. Porridge consisting of wine or milk, thickened with flour and/or eggs; gravy or sop is a solid ladle food that requires odorous liquid, sprinkled over roasted bread. The book also contains a 'Spanish porridge' and a 'Spanish sop'. Only one recipe of  pottage, carp! The 'Creym van Moerbeke' is a froth of sweet creamy custard."
>
>"Sops glazed. Slice onions, and fry them in oil; then
>take Wine, and boil with (the) Onions, toast white
>Bread and put it in a dish, and place there-on good
>Almond Milk, & temper it with wine: then do the
>onions in sauce about and serve it forth. "
>(Harleian MS 279 recipe 30)
> 
>Duriel
>  
>
I couldn't tell if the recipe you quote at the end of your message is 
the original of the redaction quoted at the beginning.  If so, it does 
reference "sops"...in that it states that you should "...toast white 
Bread and put it in a dish, ..." etc.  This is the classic use of sops 
as I've seen it.

Kiri