[Sca-cooks] Brawn

[Johnna Holloway]

The Middle English Dictionary (MED) lists brawn as:

braun (n.) Also brahun, braon, brawun, brawen, broun, bran.  [OF  
bräon, bräoun flesh, meat.]

Four meanings are listed-

(a) The muscular part (of a limb); muscular tissue; a muscle; specif.,  
voluntary striated muscle;

a- a)  a1325 Gloss.Bibbesw.(Arun 220)   p.148:  En la jambe est la  
sure [glossed:] le brahun.

(a1382) WBible(1) (Dc 369(1))   Job 22.9:  The brawnes [L lacertos] of  
moderles childer thou tobrosidist.

~ flesh; (b) muscle as one of the component parts of the body; ~ and  
bones.

b- (b)  (c1387-95) Chaucer CT.Prol.(Manly-Rickert)   A.546:  Ful big  
he was of brawn and eek of bones.

  2. (a) Flesh as food (raw or cooked), meat; breast meat (of a fowl);  
wild ~, ?venison, ?boar's meat; ~ rial, a meat dish;

(a)  1381 Pegge Cook.Recipes (Dc 257)   100:  Tak braun of caponys  
other of hennys and the thyes.

(c1395) Chaucer CT.Sum.(Manly-Rickert)   D.1750:  Yif vs of youre  
brawn, if ye haue any..Bacon or beef, or swich thyng as ye fynde.

(b) a fish dish (served in Lent).

b-(b)  ?a1475 Noble Bk.Cook.(Hlk 674)   38:  To mak braun ryall in  
Lent, tak sownds of stok fishe dry..put to eles for to amend the brose.

?a1475 Noble Bk.Cook.(Hlk 674)   39:  Tak braun that is mad in lent.

3.The carcass of a hog (or wild boar), pork; a side of pork, ?a flitch  
of bacon; scutum de ~; demidium de ~, a quarter of pork; shulder ~, a  
shoulder or fore-quarter of pork.

(1290) R.Swinfield in Camd.59   41:  In di[midio] brawen, v s.

(1326) Acc.R.Dur.in Sur.Soc.99   15:  In 39 porcell et Braune.

(1333-4) Acc.R.Dur.in Sur.Soc.99   24:  Uno scuto de Braun, xj s.

4. A wild boar [cp. braun of a bore under 2 (a)].

c1440(?a1400) Morte Arth.(1) (Thrn)   1095:  Bullenekkyde was þat  
bierne..Brok-brestede as a brawne with brustils full large.

a1500(?a1475) Guy(4) (Cmb Ff.2.38)   2498:  So they dud hys  
meyne..Wyth swannes and wyth herons, Wyth hertys and wyth brawnes.

In the Concordance of English Recipes (MRTS 2006), we identified 22  
recipes under brawn and its variations. I am sure Devra can sell you a  
copy if you'd like one.

Hope this helps,

Johnna

  On Dec 3, 2010, at 7:13 AM, Alexander Clark asked:


> Does anyone here know of any evidence of the default meaning of
> "brawn" (said of foodstuffs) in later Middle English? Did it mean
> "boar flesh", or did it already mean something like head cheese?

> And
> did it refer to any specific body part? (Wiktionary thinks it used to
> refer especially to buttocks and hams.)
>
>  ISTM that the most likely recipe for both of
> these is "blaunche brawen".
> Henry of Maldon/Alex Clark