[Sca-cooks] Someone Is Kidnapping and Eating Britain’s Swans
JIMCHEVAL at aol.com
JIMCHEVAL at aol.com
Fri Jan 18 17:49:08 PST 2013
I scribed in jest, Johnnae. I would imagine a number of people here know
recipes for swan - not least because it was often made the same way as
peacock (and what self-respecting medieval cook doesn't know how to make THAT?).
Since in fact I doubt a band of rogue medieval cooks is going around doing
this, I'm left to wonder just how hungry these folks are. From what I've
read of the game birds preferred by the upper classes of the late medieval
period, none are very appetizing (not even peacock, which already got a bad
rap from the medical authorities of the time).
Not that I want to encourage any criminal activity (nor severe
indigestion), but should anyone perchance have not yet encountered such a recipe,
here's one from my translation of the Enseingnemenz:
"Swans and peacocks
All swans, peacocks: first drain out all the blood through the head,
after, split them down the back to the shoulder and gut them, and then put them
on skewers with the feet and the heads; then crush up saffron and white
bread mixed with wine, and crush up egg yolks and saffron, and dab the birds
with these, using a feather, and sprinkle powder over it, which is also of
all spices, except zedoary and hartwort. And when the swan or the peacock is
cooked, wipe it, wrap it in a towel, and take it so to the table, and give
to the lord the neck and the head, and the wings and the thighs, and the
rest to the others."
Jim Chevallier
www.chezjim.com
Newly translated from Pierre Jean-Baptiste Le Grand d'Aussy:
Eggs, Cheese and Butter in Old Regime France
In a message dated 1/18/2013 5:09:32 P.M. Pacific Standard Time,
johnnae at mac.com writes:
http://www.medievalcookery.com/search/search.html?term=swan&file=all
has recipes for swans.
Johnnae
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