[Sca-cooks] Buttermilk?

[Johnna Holloway]

A search through Medievalcookery.com's database yielded only a suggestion that one fatten geese on it. So I turned to EEBO-TCP and found these mentions which are not that many. (Lots more mentions in dramas oddly enough than in cookery or diet.) Searching under buttermilk* finds...

"The Buttermilke that remayneth of the Butter, is eyther kept for the famely, or geuen to Calues and Hogges, as a dainty foode" 

 in Foure bookes of husbandry, collected by M. Conradus Heresbachius  1577.

It was seen as "Things to digest choler"in William Bullein's The gouernment of health of 1595 where it it appears as "Buttermilk or the milk which commeth of the pressing of chées."

Gervase Markham in the 1615 Countrey contentments, or The English husvvife offers a chapter on "CHAP. IIII. Of Dairies, Butter, Cheese, and the necessarie things belonging to that Office."

Here he writes

 "The best vse of buttermilke for the able Hus-wiue is charitably to bestow it on the poore Neighbors, whose wants doe daily crie out for sustenance: and no doubt but she shall finde the profit thereof in a diuine place, as well as in her earthly businesse: But if her owne wants command her to vse it for her owne good, then shee shall of her buttermilke make curds in this manner: she shall take her butermilke and put it into a cleane earthen vessell, which is much larger then to receiue the Butter-milke onely; and looking vnto the quantity thereof, shee shall take as it were a third part so much new Milke and set it on the fire, and when it is ready to rise, take it off and let it coole a little; then powre it into the buttermilke in the same manner as you would make a posset, and hauing stirred it about let it stand: then with a fine skummer when you will vse the curds (for the longer it stands the better the curds will eate) take them vp into a cullander and let the whey drop well from it: and then eate them either with Creame, Ale, Wine, or Beere; as for the whey you may keepe it also in a sweet stone vessell: for it is that which is called VVhigge, and is an excellent coole drink and a wholsome; and may very well be drunke a summer through in sted of any other drinke, & without doubt wil slake the thirst of any labouring man as well, if not better."

*** 

One later recipe that at least mentions the substance in passing:

A Red deere Pye.

BOne your Venison, and if it be the side, skin it, and beat it with an Iron pestel, but not too small: then lay it in meere sauce, which is Claret and Wine-vinegar: put it in some close thing, letting it lye two daies and nights if in the Winter, otherwise not so long; then drayne and dry it very well; it being leane, lard it with fat Bacon or Lard: cut your Lard as big as a Finger, and as long; season it very high with Nutmeg, Mace, Ginger, Pepper and Salt, shaking it well into the Mace: make your Pie with Rye paste, deepe, round, and very thick, laying Bay-leaves in the bottome and top; then lid it close with a funnell on the top. This will require but a little Butter to bake it, onely when it is baked and cold, if you will keep it long let out the Gravie, and fill it with Butter, as clear from Buttermilk as possible, otherwise it will sowre and mould: it being filled and cold, stop the funnell close, and it will keep three moneths very well; you may bake it in a pot in stead of paste, and it will keep longer and better, and lesse Butter will fill it up.

The art of cookery refin'd and augmented containing an abstract of some rare and rich unpublished receipts of cookery by Joseph Cooper, 1654

 If housewives saw buttermilk as contributing to "sowre and mould" that might be why we don't see more mentions.

******

Hope this helps


Johnnae


> On May 29, 2014, at 11:52 AM, Donna Green <donnaegreen at yahoo.com> wrote: 
> Can any of you think of any period recipes that call for buttermilk? ... not the stuff in the carton in US grocery stores ... the liquid left over from the butter making process. I re-use small amounts of the buttermilk for the next batch of butter and have used it as a culture in my cheesemaking, but before I take the accumulated excess and make a batch of oatmeal pancakes, I thought I'd ask if there was a period use for it. Don't worry, there will also be pancakes :-)
> 
> Oh, and Stefan ... as my mother in law says, eat more lamb, fifty million American coyotes can't be wrong :-)
> 
> Juana Isabella
> West
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