[Sca-cooks] Bourbelier of Wild Pig

[Sandragood at aol.com]

>> Secondly,
>> I'm wondering if the hot water plunge might  be intended to solidify
>> the surface of the roast, to make it easier  to work with, insofar as
>> poking it full of cloves- a technique  rather akin to freezing meat, as
>> we moderns do, so that we might  slice it thinner.
>>
>> Adamantius? Any  thoughts?

>It's certainly possible. It's hard to say why this seems to  be so  
>common a step in preparation for meats to be roasted, but it  does  
>appear to tighten the skin and make it more receptive to  seasonings,  
>make the meat more attractive when roasted, maybe  soften the surface  
>of a fatty cut for studding with cloves or  larding (if it was  
>previously cold, especially), and probably also  stiffen it up for  
>mounting on a spit.
 
I believe it is partly used as a tenderizing step or a way to help keep it  
juicy when roasting.  Roasting causes meat to dry out.  Wild meats  tend to 
have less fat which lends to a dryer meat anyway.  My husband takes  this step 
when grilling ribs.
 
>At another point in the manuscript, Hinson's translation  reads:
>
>"The 'bourbelier' is the numble. (Inasmuch as in this  area, one says 
>numbles on the one hand, and bourbelier on the  other.)"
>
>Now, checking the OED, we see 2 joined definitions for  numble:
>The entrails of an animal, esp. a deer, as used for food.  Formerly also: 
>part of the back and loins of a hart. Also  fig.
>
>The previous sentence in the Hinson translation  says:
>
>"In September they begin to hunt the black beasts until  Saint Martin's 
>day in winter. - Item, all four limbs are called hams, as  with a pig. 
>Item, of a wild boar the head, the flanks, the backbone, the  numbles, 
>the four hams; that is all. Item, of the innards none are  retained 
>except the liver, which seems to be suitable for making a  Subtle English 
>Broth."
 
According to the glossaries I have used, numbles (noumbles) would be organ  
meat, i.e. heart, liver, kidneys, etc.  This is much like using the  gizzards, 
liver, heart of a chicken to make a strong chicken broth.  
 
Sandra  Good
Independent Consultant with The Pampered Chef ®

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